Shakshuka
Leila Hassan
@leilahassantable
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Let's cook
Soften the vegetables
Heat the oil in a wide oven-safe skillet over medium. Cook the onion and peppers for 12 minutes until genuinely soft and beginning to caramelise at the edges. Do not rush this.
💡Twelve minutes feels long, but sweet, collapsed peppers are what balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Bloom the spices
Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Stir constantly for 45 seconds until the pan smells strongly of toasted spice.
Simmer the sauce
Add the tomatoes and sugar, season well, and simmer for 15 minutes until thick enough that a spoon dragged through leaves a channel that holds for a second.
💡A watery sauce cannot hold the eggs in place. Reduce it further than you think.
Make wells
Use the back of a spoon to hollow out six wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into each one and season the yolks lightly.
Poach
Cover and cook over low heat 8–10 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still wobble. Check at 8 minutes — they carry on cooking off the heat.
Finish
Scatter over the feta and herbs and bring the pan straight to the table with plenty of bread.
Cook this with Chef Pepe
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📝 Tips, swaps, and make-ahead notes
Residual heat keeps cooking the yolks after the pan leaves the stove, so pull it while they still look slightly underdone. The sauce alone keeps 5 days in the fridge and freezes well — poach fresh eggs into reheated sauce for a ten-minute meal.
- •Add protein: Sliced merguez or chorizo browned before the onions adds a lot of depth.
- •Vegan: Skip the eggs and feta and add a tin of chickpeas plus a swirl of tahini.
- •Green version: Swap the tomatoes for wilted spinach, chard, and herbs with a splash of cream.
Nutrition & Safety
Calories
318kcal
Protein
17g
Carbs
22g
Fat
19g
⚠️ Allergen & Safety Note
This recipe contains egg and dairy. Nutritional values are estimates per serving and may vary based on the specific ingredients you use. If you have food allergies, please verify all ingredients before cooking.
AI-assisted content. Always verify instructions with trusted culinary sources.
Made by the Chew community
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