Shakshuka
Prep: 10 Minutes | Cook: 30 Minutes | Resting Time: None | Total: 40 Minutes
Makes 8 Servings
Ingredients
2 T Neutral Oil (i.e. Canola Oil)
1 Onion, diced
1 Bell Pepper, diced
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Can Crushed Tomatoes
4-6 Eggs (depending on how big your pan is)
1 T Cumin
1 T Paprika
1 t Chili Powder
1 t Salt (add more if needed)
½ t Pepper
Recipe Summary
Dice onions and peppers. Mince garlic.
Heat pan and add onions and peppers. Cook until they are tender.
Add garlic and spices (cumin, paprika, and chili powder).
Add can of crushed tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and add salt and pepper to taste.
Crack eggs into the pan (evenly spaced) and cook until the whites are fully translucent.
Recipe
On medium heat, heat a pan and add oil.
Add diced onions and peppers to the pan. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the peppers begin to become tender.
Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute to remove some of the raw garlic flavor.
Add cumin, paprika, and chili powder and mix into the onions and peppers.
Add crushed tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Lower the heat to a low-medium heat and cook until the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
Add salt and pepper to the mixture to taste.
Crack eggs into the pan evenly separated. Cook until the whites are fully opaque, but the yolks are still slightly runny.
Serve hot while trying to keep the eggs intact for each portion.
Why the Recipe Works
Shakshuka is dish that easily comes together for a weeknight dinner. Despite it’s simple ingredient list, it provides an extremely hearty meal that can be eaten throughout the year and for any meal.
Cooking onions until they’re brown brings out the sweet and complex flavor created with a little bit of patience. Waiting for the onions to thoroughly cook will bring a lot of additional flavor to your overall dish.
Canned tomatoes are a great way to cut down on the overall preparation time of the dish and provide a much more quality and consistent flavor than tomatoes from the grocery store. If you grow your own tomatoes, they would beat the taste of canned tomatoes, however they would need to be cooked down a lot in order to achieve the correct texture for shakshuka.
Eggs not only provide a picture worthy final product, but they also make shakshuka a good dinner option by providing protein as well as healthy servings of vegetables. The eggs are poached in the shakshuka and can be cooked to your desired doneness. A good benchmark of completion is when the whites are fully opaque, which is achieved quicker if you cover the pan to trap the heat and steam.
Cumin, paprika, and chili powder add flavors representative of its African and Middle Eastern origins. These spices add a little bit of spice and smokiness to the dish which add to its warming qualities.