Moroccan Shakshuka (shakshouka) is a North African dish of eggs poached in a deliciously spiced, rich tomato sauce along with veggies then topped with feta cheese and fresh herbs. A one skillet meal perfect any time of the day!
This hearty vegetarian recipe is also gluten-free and keto-friendly. The sauce has tons of flavors by combining fresh tomatoes with crushed canned tomatoes, red bell peppers, onion, garlic and warm spices.
Moroccan shakshuka is a popular brunch dish that’s easy to have on repeat. And if you’re looking for more egg-spiration, you’ll want to check out our Parmesan Zucchini Bites, Poached Eggs with Mushrooms and Spinach and Cherry Tomato and Pancetta Mini Quiches!
Jump to:
What is spicy Moroccan Shakshouka?
While shakshuka’s origin is Tunisia, it’s a very popular breakfast recipe throughout North Africa, the Middle East and Israel. Regional versions of the dish may vary, but the foundation is eggs poached in a spicy, delicious tomato sauce, like the Italian version, eggs in purgatory.
The sauce can be thick or thin, include a variety of vegetables, topped with cheese, and may or may not have meat. The Tunisian version tends to include potatoes and beans. Traditional shakshuka is cooked in a tagine, but a large skillet, such as cast iron, works just as well.
Why You’ll Love this Easy Shakshuka Recipe
- Full of amazing flavor!
- Healthy and hearty
- Great for any meal of the day
- Made with pantry ingredients
- Budget friendly recipe
- Customizable
- One skillet means easy clean up!
Ingredients
- Large Eggs
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Tomato Paste (forgot to put in photo🤷♀️)
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Yellow or Red Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Zucchini
- Swiss Chard
- Garlic Cloves
- Spices – cumin, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper
- Fresh Herbs – parsley and oregano
- Feta Cheese
Cooking Steps
Here are the basic instructions to make Moroccan shakshuka with feta and vegetables. The recipe card below has all the details!
Sauté Vegetables: Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and zucchini and season with salt and black pepper. When softened stir in tomato paste, garlic, cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook a minute or two until fragrant.
Deglaze and Add Tomatoes: Once garlic and spices are fragrant, deglaze skillet with white wine, scraping up brownings with a wooden spoon. Add crushed tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, fresh parsley and oregano and simmer over medium heat. Wilt in Swiss chard by the handful until all is incorporated.
Add Eggs: With the back of a spoon, make indentations in the sauce. Crack eggs into a mug or ramekin one at a time and carefully slide them into the indentations.
Bake: I find the eggs cook more evenly in a preheated oven. Time will depend on how you like your eggs. We like the egg whites to be just cooked but still with runny yolks. Leave in longer if you like them more set. When done top the shakshuka with feta or goat cheese and more fresh herbs.
Serve: Be sure to have plenty of crusty bread, pitas or naan for dipping into this Moroccan shakshuka with feta. Bring the skillet to the table, spoon into bowls and let that golden lava flow!
Moroccan Shakshuka Recipe Tips
Now that you have a rich, thickened veggie-loaded sauce, you can nestle in the eggs. Keep these helpful tips in mind:
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature! This way they won't cool down the sauce and will take less time to cook.
- Make shallow indentations in the sauce and move the vegetables around to try to create barriers so the egg whites don't completely run into each other.
- Crack the eggs one at a time into a coffee mug or ramekin, then slide them into place to ensure no broken yolks.
- Once the eggs are in place, carefully get the skillet in the oven. Your work is now done except for warming up some bread for dipping!
Variations
Make Moroccan shakshuka with whatever you have in your pantry. This recipe is just a starting point!
- Vegetables: Mushrooms, artichoke hearts, eggplant, spinach, and carrots would all be great choices.
- Add Meat: You could toss in shredded chicken, browned sausage or diced ham.
- Spices: Depending on your spice preference, you can add cayenne pepper, harissa, coriander or saffron.
- Cheese: Goat cheese is a great option or try labneh, a Greek yogurt cheese that has the creamy texture of cream cheese but with the tang of yogurt.
- Servings: You can adjust the number of servings in the recipe card and the amount of the ingredients will change. Use a 10-inch or 8-inch skillet with smaller servings.
What to serve with Shakshuka
You can always serve shakshuka with naan or a crusty loaf of bread to mop up all that deliciousness. But here are a few ideas depending on when you’re having it.
BREAKFAST – Serve with Greek yogurt, fruit salad, grits or roasted potatoes.
BRUNCH / LUNCH – Enjoy a green salad, Greek salad or hummus.
DINNER – Try Mediterranean rice stuffed tomatoes and roasted green vegetables for a delicious, hearty vegetarian meal!
Moroccan Shakshuka FAQs
Once the eggs are broken, place the pan in a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until the egg whites set but still jiggly in the center. If you don’t like runny yolks, bake a little longer.
Tomatoes are high in citric acid so if you’d like to make the recipe less acidic you can add some honey or agave to the sauce. Also, when the egg yolk is broken and runs into the tomatoes, it will taste less acidic.
It’s best to freshly poach the eggs. You can make the base of the shakshuka and keep refrigerated up to 5 days and bring as much as needed for a serving to a simmer and cook the number of eggs that will get eaten. When reheating, you risk the eggs yolks cooking completely and becoming hard.
If your tomato sauce is too thin, you can add more tomato paste or you can add a teaspoon of corn starch one at a time until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
In shakshuka whole eggs are poached in the sauce, whereas in menemen, the eggs are scrambled into the tomato mixture. Plus, shakshuka uses red bell pepper but the Turkish dish uses green pepper. There can be a variety of different spices in both dishes as well.
Related Posts
📋 Recipe
Moroccan Shakshuka with Feta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , thinly sliced in half moons
- 1 red bell pepper , thinly sliced strips
- 1 zucchini , ½-inch slices on diagonal
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes , halved
- 2 cups red swiss chard , stemmed and cut into ¾-inch wide strips
- 1 ½ tablespoons each fresh parsley and oregano , chopped plus extra for garnish
- 6-8 large eggs , room temperature
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ½ cup feta cheese , crumbled
- Naan or crusty bread for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron or other oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.
- When oil begins to shimmer, add the onion, bell pepper and zucchini. Cook vegetables until beginning to soften and caramelize, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Next, stir in garlic, cumin, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes and tomato paste. Cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in wine to deglaze the pan. Cook 2 minutes.
- Turn heat to medium and add crushed tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, parsley and oregano. Let mixture come to a low simmer and cook 5 minutes.
- Wilt in swiss chard by the handful until all is incorporated. Remove skillet from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Make 6-8 indentations in the sauce mixture with the back of a spoon. Crack the eggs into a ramekin or coffee mug one at a time and gently slide the egg into one of the indentations. Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper.
- Place skillet in the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes depending on how you like your eggs. The center of the eggs should still be slightly jiggly.
- When done to your liking, remove skillet from oven, sprinkle on feta, extra parsley and oregano.
- Serve hot with naan or crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature! This way they won't cool down the sauce and will take less time to cook.
- Make shallow indentations in the sauce and move the vegetables around to try to create barriers so the egg whites don't completely run into each other.
- Crack the eggs one at a time into a coffee mug or ramekin, then slide them into place to ensure no broken yolks.
Nutrition
This page contains affiliate links. Meaning, whenever you purchase an item after clicking an Amazon link through this website, we receive a small percentage from Amazon. It doesn’t cost anything extra to you! It simply helps maintain the blog. Thanks so much!
Comments
No Comments