Eggs poached directly in a spiced tomato-pepper sauce. One pan, big flavor, and bread for mopping — brunch that cooks itself while you make coffee.
From the Maghreb via Ottoman trade routes to Israeli café menus and then the world's brunch tables — "shakshuka" roughly means "all mixed up."
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
2
Before you start
Mise en place
Equipment
Skillet with a lid
Wooden spoon
Prep checklist
onion — thinly sliced
red bell pepper — sliced
feta — crumbled (optional)
5 steps
Method
1
Soften the onion and pepper in olive oil over medium heat until sweet and collapsed, 8–10 minutes. Don't rush this — it is the sauce's backbone.
9 min — timer available in cooking mode
2
Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and chili flakes; stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Why this works
Spices bloom in fat, not in liquid — those 30 seconds unlock more flavor than an hour of simmering.
3
Pour in the tomatoes, season with salt, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
10 min — timer available in cooking mode
4
Make four wells with the spoon and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook gently until the whites set but the yolks still tremble, 5–7 minutes.
6 min — timer available in cooking mode
Why this works
The lid steams the tops of the whites. Check at 5 minutes — carryover heat keeps cooking them at the table.
5
Scatter feta and herbs over the top. Bring the whole pan to the table with bread.
From the pass
Chef's notes
Shakshuka is a formula, not a recipe: sofrito + spice + tomato + eggs. Swap the spicing (harissa, curry, 'nduja) and you have a different breakfast every weekend.
No panic
Substitutions
Harissa (1 tbsp) for paprika + chili for a North African lean
Goat cheese for feta
Firm tofu cubes for eggs — simmer 5 minutes (vegan)
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
The sauce keeps 4 days refrigerated; poach fresh eggs into reheated sauce.
Freezing
Sauce freezes 3 months. Eggs, never.
Reheating
A low oven (150°C, 8–10 minutes) revives baked things; a nonstick pan over medium-low beats the microwave for anything with a crisp edge.
Make ahead
Prep components the night before — batters rest happily overnight in the fridge, and toppings can be portioned into jars.
Wine pairing
It's breakfast — but if pressed, a dry rosé or fresh orange juice with mint.
Beer pairing
It's breakfast — coffee. But a mimosa never hurt a weekend.