Shakshuka (baked eggs)

(Note – First published 7 November 2013; Updated 24 July 2016)

We often have a cooked breakfast of a weekend – and this is always the most requested dish. It takes a little longer to prepare than our standard breakfast fare, but is definitely worth it if you have the time.

I first tried Shakshuka on holiday in Melbourne a few years back and as soon as I got back I Googled a recipe and made it the following weekend for breakfast. There are plenty of recipes on the internet for shakshuka, and I’ve tried quite a few, eventually picking up bits here and there to combine into our favorite version below.

It tastes great with a little feta sprinkled over the top or just served as is. If you haven’t tried shakshuka before, definitely give it a go, you wont be sorry!

Shakshuka

4 eggs
3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 small red capsicum, thinly sliced
4 mushrooms, chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 180C / 355F.

Heat the oil in a medium sized oven proof pan. Add onion, chilli and garlic and fry for two minutes. Add spices and sugar and cook another minute or two, until fragrant. Add the vegetables and 1 Tablespoon of water and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes (adding more water, 1 Tbsp at a time, if needed). Season with salt and pepper.

Make four wells in the tomato mixture, and crack the eggs into the wells. Place the pan in the oven and bake in the oven 8 – 12 minutes. Remove once the whites are cooked.

Serve with fresh, crusty bread.

Serves 2

UPDATE – I have made this quite a few times since originally posting it, and I wanted to add a few variations…

• Mix a cup of cooked/canned beans (chickpeas, white beans etc) through the tomato mix before adding in the eggs
• Sprinkle some crumbled feta on top before baking
• Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley after baking and prior to serving
• Add more vegetables – zucchini and eggplant are particularly nice! Simply add at the same time as the mushrooms
• Sprinkly with za’atar or dukkah spice mixes