Shakshuka
Cast iron skillet of shakshuka with eggs, feta and parsley in spiced tomato sauce

This shakshuka recipe treats the tomato sauce as the part that decides whether the dish works, not the eggs. A thin, watery sauce cannot hold a poached egg in place or set it properly, so the sauce gets simmered down uncovered until it's thick enough to leave a trail when a spoon drags through it, and only then do the eggs go in.

It is a full breakfast or brunch built in one pan, spiced, hearty, and finished at the table straight out of the skillet with bread for scooping.

A Short History

Shakshuka's roots trace to North Africa, most directly Tunisia and Libya, where eggs poached in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce were an everyday way to stretch a small number of eggs into a filling meal for a household. The name itself is thought to come from a word meaning mixed up or all shaken together, a nod to the sauce and eggs coming together in one pan. The dish spread across the Middle East and became closely associated with Israeli breakfast culture as well, where it's now one of the most common weekend brunch dishes on the table.

Every regional version shares the same backbone: tomatoes, peppers, warm spices, and eggs poached directly in the sauce rather than cooked separately and added on top. That one detail, cooking the eggs in the sauce instead of next to it, is what turns a pepper stew into shakshuka.

The Four Components

  • The sauce. Onion, bell pepper, and garlic, cooked down with tomatoes and warm spices until thick.
  • The eggs. Cracked directly into wells in the sauce and covered to poach.
  • The toppings. Feta and fresh herbs, added off the heat right before serving.
  • The bread. Something crusty for scooping; this dish is built to be eaten with bread in hand.

Choosing the Tomatoes

Canned crushed tomatoes are the right texture here, thick enough to reduce quickly without needing to break down whole tomatoes by hand. Whole peeled tomatoes, crushed with a spoon as they cook, work too and give a slightly chunkier sauce; diced tomatoes are the weaker choice, since the pieces stay firm and never fully melt into the sauce the way crushed or whole tomatoes do. San Marzano style tomatoes bring a rounder, less acidic flavor if you can find them, but any good quality canned tomato works once the sauce has had enough time on the heat.

The Technique That Makes It: Poaching the Eggs Directly in the Sauce

The whole dish depends on the sauce being ready before the eggs go anywhere near it. If the sauce is still thin and watery, the eggs slide around, spread out, and never poach into distinct portions; they just scramble into the sauce instead. The sauce needs real time uncovered, simmering hard enough to reduce, until it's thick enough that a well pressed into it with a spoon holds its shape.

Once it's there, make actual wells, deep enough that the cracked egg sits mostly submerged rather than floating on top, then cover the pan. The lid traps steam that sets the tops of the whites evenly, which is the part that stays raw and slimy if you try to do this uncovered.

Shakshuka

Serves 4. Prep 10 minutes, cook 25 minutes, total about 35 minutes.

Ingredients

The Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
  • 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

The Eggs and Toppings

  • 8 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
  • Crusty bread, for serving

Method

Mise en Place

  1. Dice the onion and bell pepper, mince the garlic, and measure out the spices before the pan goes on the heat.

The Sauce

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide skillet or braiser over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook about 6 to 7 minutes, until softened.
  2. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili flakes. Stir for one minute until fragrant.
  3. Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, until thick enough that a spoon dragged through leaves a trail.

Nesting and Poaching the Eggs

  1. Use a spoon to press 8 wells into the sauce, spaced evenly around the pan. Crack an egg into each well.
  2. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the whites are fully set and the yolks are cooked to your preference.

Finish and Serve

  1. Remove from the heat, scatter the feta and parsley over the top, and serve straight from the skillet with crusty bread.
Close-up of shakshuka with set eggs and runny yolks in thick tomato sauce

Doneness

The whites should be fully opaque and set with no raw, slippery patches, while the yolk can range from soft to fully firm depending on preference. The FDA's guidance on egg safety recommends cooking egg dishes to 160F and cooking both the yolk and white until firm, specifically to manage the risk of Salmonella; that fully firm version is the safer choice for anyone pregnant, very young, elderly, or immunocompromised at the table, even though a softer yolk is the more traditional way shakshuka is often served to a healthy adult.

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

Calories 380
Fat 25 g
Saturated Fat 7 g
Cholesterol 390 mg
Sodium 730 mg
Carbohydrates 23 g
Fiber 5 g
Sugar 13 g
Protein 20 g

Figures are an estimate calculated from the ingredients above, not a lab-verified value.

Get Ahead: A Timing Plan

  • Up to 2 days ahead: make the tomato sauce base through the simmer step, and refrigerate it in the pan or a covered container.
  • Right before serving: reheat the sauce until it's simmering again, then crack in the eggs and poach fresh. Poached eggs don't hold or reheat well, so this step should happen right at serving time.

Wine Pairing

  • Provence rosé - dry and bright, it stands up to the spiced tomato sauce without competing against the eggs.
  • A young, fruity Grenache - low in tannin, it handles the chili flakes without turning bitter the way a heavier red would.
  • Vinho Verde - light and a little effervescent, a good match for a brunch table.

Building the Meal Around It

Crusty bread is not optional here, it's the utensil. A simple green salad on the side balances the richness of the eggs and feta. If you want to lean into the Middle Eastern flavor profile further, our falafel makes a good second dish for a bigger brunch spread, and the Five Mother Sauces guide covers the same reduction principle this sauce depends on.

Cooking for a Crowd

One large pan can only hold so many eggs before they crowd each other and cook unevenly, so for more than four servings, use two skillets running at once rather than doubling everything into one pan. Make the sauce base in a big batch ahead of time, then divide it between pans and poach the eggs to order as guests are ready to eat, since the sauce holds far better than the eggs do.

Troubleshooting

  • The sauce is too watery to hold the eggs. It needed more time uncovered before the eggs went in. Simmer until a spoon dragged through the sauce leaves a visible trail.
  • The eggs cooked into hard, rubbery clumps. The heat was too high once the lid went on. Drop to low heat and check at the six minute mark.
  • The whites are still runny at the edges. The pan wasn't covered long enough. The lid traps the steam that sets the tops of the whites evenly.
  • The sauce tastes sharp or overly acidic. The canned tomatoes needed the sugar to balance them. A teaspoon or two rounds out the acidity without making it sweet.

Variations

  • Green shakshuka. Swap the tomato base for sauteed spinach and green chiles for a milder, herbaceous version.
  • Add plant-based sausage. Crumbled and browned before the onions go in, for a heartier dish.
  • More feta or a dollop of labneh. Either one adds extra richness on top of the finished dish.
  • Spicier version. Stir a spoonful of harissa into the sauce along with the tomatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is shakshuka vegetarian?

Yes. It's built on eggs, vegetables, and dairy, with no meat, poultry, or fish anywhere in the dish, which fits a standard vegetarian diet.

Can I make shakshuka ahead of time?

The tomato sauce base can be made up to two days ahead and reheated. The eggs should always be poached fresh at serving time, since they don't hold or reheat well once cooked.

What's the best pan to use?

A wide, shallow skillet or a braiser gives the eggs room to sit in their own wells without crowding. An oven-safe one lets you finish the eggs under low broiler heat if you prefer a firmer top.

Can I bake shakshuka instead of finishing it on the stovetop?

Yes. Build the sauce on the stovetop, crack in the eggs, then transfer the pan to a 375F oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the eggs are set to your preference.

Is shakshuka the same as eggs in purgatory?

They're close cousins. Eggs in purgatory is the Italian version, usually simpler and less heavily spiced; shakshuka carries the North African and Middle Eastern spice profile of cumin, paprika, and often caraway or harissa.

How do I make sure the eggs are cooked safely?

Cover the pan so the whites set fully and cook to at least 160F if you want the food-safety-conservative version, per FDA guidance on egg dishes; that means both the yolk and white cooked until firm, not left soft in the center.

More Vegetarian Recipes

This recipe is part of Wine Drop Cookery's Vegetarian Recipes collection.

Who Is Writing This

I'm Chef Alan. I have spent 35 years in professional kitchens, I have formal culinary education in New Hampshire, and I have been honored as a 6-Time 4-Diamond Chef. More about me here.

If a recipe is missing something you needed, or a step didn't make sense, tell me. Get in touch and I'll fix it.

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