The best baked eggs in the world – Shakshuka! A Middle Eastern and North African dish traditionally served up for breakfast or lunch, this can be made entirely on the stove or finished in the oven. However, bread for dunking/mopping is not optional!
Shakshuka
I’ll let you in on a trade secret – usually, the photos you see of so called baked eggs aren’t really baked at all.
When eggs are baked, the thin film of egg whites covering the yolks becomes opaque, fogging up the beautiful bright yellow yolks.
“This is a catastrophe!” said some food magazine editor, somewhere. “We cannot have foggy yolks! They must be bright yellow. This must be fixed!” (I hear this in my head with a French accent, but I don’t know why)
And so some food stylist scuttled off, and came back with a solution now adopted by food stylists everywhere: pan fry the eggs sunny side up then slide them into whatever sauce or vehicle they were supposedly baked in.
It’s always obvious when this is done because you don’t get the messy bleed of whites mixed in with the sauce, like you see in these photos.
So yes, I sacrificed glaringly yellow yolks to make this the way the recipe is written. I did cheat a bit though- I carefully wiped off as much of the egg whites from the yolks before baking them.
I assure you I do not do that in real life. 😂
Now that I’ve changed the way you’ll look at baked eggs photos forever, let’s talk about the world’s best baked eggs – Shakshuka.
WHAT IS SHAKSHUKA?
It’s basically eggs that are baked or poached in a fragrant tomato sauce, usually with capsicum (bell peppers), onion and spices like cumin and paprika, reflecting the Middle Eastern and North African roots of this dish. It’s actually quite similar to Huevos Ranchos – the Mexican version of Shakshuka!
Though traditionally thought of as a breakfast or brunch recipe, I’m forever on my “eggs anytime of the day” crusade and I’m sitting here at 5.18pm on Wednesday 25 July 2018, wondering what to have for dinner tonight and I just decided to make this (again).
BRILLIANT FOR CAMPING – AND MAKING IN BULK
Though I call Shakshuka a type of baked eggs, ironically my favourite way of making it is over campfire, poaching rather than baking. One of my best friends had a remote wild-river wedding and the outdoor caterers they hired made Shakshuka for 80 wedding guests over campfire.
It worked brilliantly because eggs take mere minutes to cook, so they made large pots of this fragrant tomato sauce then cooked dozens and dozens of eggs in them. Poach, serve, then repeat in the same pots.
I had all good intentions of helping. But I had a very sore head that morning… 🥂🤢 Hey! I was a bridesmaid – I had to do lots of toasts! …. – Nagi x
MY FAVOURITE BREKKI/BRUNCHY EGG RECIPES
-
Healthy Egg Muffins – grab ‘n go brekki!
-
Frittata – a classic everyone should know!
-
Quiche Lorraine (must try at least once!)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Shakshuka (Middle Eastern Poached or Baked Eggs)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion , peeled, halved and sliced
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 small red capsicum (bell pepper) , halved lengthways and sliced into 0.5cm/1/4” strips
- 1 tomato , diced
- 400 g / 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml chicken or vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 tsp EACH paprika and cumin
- 1/4 tsp EACH black pepper and cayenne pepper (or other hot spice, adjust to taste)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 eggs eggs (up to 6 eggs ok)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley or coriander / cilantro , roughly chopped
- Pita or crusty bread, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (if intending to bake them).
- Heat oil in a medium size cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Add capsicum, cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomato, cook for 2 minutes until broken down and it becomes a bit pasty (see video).
- Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix to combine well.
- Lower stove to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes until just thickened enough to make indentations (don't want dry sludge, needs to still be saucy).
- Make indentations in the mixture and carefully crack the eggs in. Leave to cook for 1 minute until edges of whites are set (Note 1).
- Transfer to oven and bake for 7 to 12 minutes until whites are just set but yolks are still runny (or to your taste). OR cover with lid and steam on stove for 3 minutes (runny yolks), or just simmer them without a lid.
- Remove from oven/stove and serve immediately, scattered with the coriander or parsley. Serve with crusty bread, or pita bread.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
And he’s back in the water!!! The vet tells me it’s excellent for rehab*. So I’m making him do laps back and forth along the beach – not allowed to run on the sand!
* For those playing catch up: Dozer busted his knee a couple of months ago and had to undergo surgery. We’re 8 weeks into a 12 – 16 week post op recovery period. He’s doing fantastic! A little too well – if he had his way, he’d be bolting after rabbits in the backyard, then he’d end up back on the operating table… 🙄
James says
Cooked Shakshuka following Binging with Babish’s recipe. Way too acidic and felt let down after the hype from my Israeli friends.
Nagi, as always your recipe was spot on! Absolutely delicious and will definitely be a regular weekend brekky at our place.
Nagi says
That’s so good to hear James, you had me worries there for a second! N x
Vi says
Made this with spinach, arugula and collard greens added. Each of my kiddos, including one that hates bell peppers and onions loved it. Will be making this again! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Ratna says
Thanks for the awesome recipe! Both hubby & I loved it! Squeezed in 5 eggs and also added chickpeas & spinach. Doubled up on the cayenne pepper for the extra POW! Will def be making again 💖
Marisa says
Looking forward to trying this! Can this be finished on the stove?
Mica says
Could I incorporate red kidney beans in this?? When could I add it in? Some shakshukas I’ve had has red kidney beans in them! Let me know please thank you
Nagi says
Sure could Mica – add at step 4 🙂 N x
Val says
Just made this delicious dish tonight, served with French bread. Next time I make it I’m going to add Italian sausage, mushrooms, and bacon! I love your recipes – keep ’em coming!
Tina Traster says
This was sooooo good! It went really well with chorizo hash. Everyone raves about it! You are awesome Nagi!!! Ever recipe I have tried of yours has been delicious!
Ariadna Puchiu says
I added some sliced olives and some crumbled feta cheese and it was spectacular. more towards the greek cuisine 🙂
Nagi says
Sounds great Ariadna! N x
Hannah says
I made this today and it was delicious! I had to make a few substitutions based on what I had (white onion instead of red, green bell pepper instead of red, and canned diced tomatoes that I smashed down a bit instead of crushed), but the flavors were amazing and the spices were measured perfectly! I also added a dash of smoked chili flakes. I cracked 5 eggs and it was the perfect portion for 2 people. I cooked about 11 minutes in the oven and the eggs were how I like them – not too liquidy but a slightly runny yolk with some firm bits as well. Will make again for sure!
Francene says
Really delicious recipe and very easy, thank you 😊
Monika says
Looks so good! I’ve made this before from another recipe which I’ve since lost, this one is so yummy! I use smoked paprika instead of plain, it adds a really nice flavour to it. Thanks again, stay healthy and safe!
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Monika, yes smokey paprika would give a lovely taste! N x
Eunice says
This looks delicious! Thank you so much. I have 2 questions. Would it taste good if I add chorizo? Also would love to use my cast iron pan like you in the video. But will the acidity from the tomato mixture ruin the patina in my cast iron pan? Thank you for your help. Love all your recipes. Please take care of yourself and Dozer.
Walid Tayara says
Dear Nagi,
Thank you for the wealth of recipes which you share with us and their presentation including some historical background as well..
I am a 71 years old male who enjoys your website and admires its content.
In particular, the Shakshuka dish caught my attention because it did not resemble my aunt’s recipe.
My aunt (deceased some 30 years ago) was a great cook of Lebanese food in her time. She left us with a wealth of authentic recipes of which the Shakshuka was one of them.
The Shakshuka was not considered a main dish but rather a starter and it contained no eggs at all though if you look at the ingredients you would notice that the addition of eggs is a possibility.
I have cooked her dish many times and would like to share it with you so that you can compare it with your recipe and perhaps try it as well or share it with the readers.
If you agree I can send you the recipe and a photo of the finished food separately. Thank you.
robert carroll says
You are a wise girl great that you do this for us thank you you are awesome
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Robert! 😍
Vera G says
I love This served on palenta, Yum. Must do IT ASAP as Fresh tomatoes Are coming endOf Season . Dozer is Lucky to have YOU to Look after him so Well. Ok, be good.
Nagi says
YUM! I love polenta Vera, great idea! N x
kerry says
I love the look of this recipe and cant wait to try it
Nagi says
I hope you love it Kerry!
Mimi says
This sounds terrific. How can I make this so the egg whites are cooked (as in ‘over-medium’), without cooking the yolks? I hate uncooked whites.
🤢
Nagi says
Hi Mimi, my whites are completely cooked in this recipe, if yours aren’t, just cook them a little longer ☺️
Sue K says
I have a big group coming and wanted to know if I can put the tomato mixture in a 9X13 pan and bake it off with 8 eggs to finish. Made this and loved it so I really want to use it to entertain for brunch.
Nagi says
You sure can Sue!
Nagi says
Yes! That’s the perfect way of making a big batch at home. I once helped make this for a 80 guest wedding party, camping by a river. We made big pots of the sauce then dropped eggs in and just cooked them in the sauce, then served the eggs with a bit of sauce then kept adding more eggs into the remaining sauce in the pot. But a pan in the oven means you can bake with lots more eggs in one go! N x
Mady says
Another delicious recipe, thanks, Nagi! We like it very much. Its so easy to make. Second time today with only half of the broth, because the canned tomatoes here (Switzerland) are far more liquid…
Nagi says
Sounds like you nailed it Mady!
Schlomo says
Just made this dish. So easy and really delicious. Thanks.