This shakshuka recipe is satisfying and delicious for any meal of the day! An easy one-pan dish, it features eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce.
Shakshuka is one of my favorite breakfasts…and lunches…and dinners. Though this Middle Eastern and North African dish is traditionally eaten for breakfast, it’s so easy, filling, and flavorful that it’s a great option for any meal of the day.
Below, I’m sharing my go-to shakshuka recipe, which features gently poached eggs cooked in a fragrant bell pepper and tomato sauce. It’s flecked with spinach and spiced with paprika, cumin, cayenne, and harissa. If you like simple meals that go BIG on flavor, you’ll love this.
What is shakshuka?
Shakshuka is North African in origin (the name shakshuka comes from the Tunisian word for “shaken up”), but it’s widely enjoyed throughout North Africa and the Middle East, in countries such as Israel. Traditionally, the dish consists of eggs poached in a spiced bell pepper and tomato sauce, though many variations exist today. Some replace the tomato base with fresh green vegetables for a green shakshuka; others swap in butternut squash or sweet potato, etc.
In this shakshuka recipe, I add spinach and harissa, a North African chili paste, to the sauce for a fresh, extra-spicy twist. Keep reading to learn how to make it!
How to Make Shakshuka
This shakshuka recipe is easy to make! It only requires a handful of pantry ingredients, and you could even skip the spinach if you don’t have any on hand. This recipe still tastes great without it.
Here’s how it goes:
- First, sauté onion and red bell pepper in a large skillet until they soften.
- Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper and cook until they’re fragrant.
- Stir in canned crushed tomatoes and harissa and simmer until the tomato mixture thickens. Stir in spinach, if you like.
- Finally, crack eggs into the sauce, cover, and cook until they’re just set, 5 to 8 minutes.
Season to taste, and top with any fixings you like. Serve with pita bread!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Mild vs. Spicy
Store-bought harissa can vary widely in spice level.
- If you’re sensitive to spice, look for one that’s labeled mild, such as mild Mina Harissa.
- If you want to make a really spicy tomato sauce, choose a spicy harissa, like spicy Mina Harissa or Trader Joe’s. You could even add red pepper flakes for extra heat!
Serving Suggestions
Let’s talk toppings! They’re a fun way to introduce a wider variety of textures and flavors into this shakshuka recipe. Serve your shakshuka with…
- Chopped fresh herbs, like parsley or cilantro. Microgreens work too!
- Crumbled feta cheese, for salty, tangy flavor
- Sliced avocado, for creamy texture
You’ll also want bread for scooping up the tasty sauce. You can’t go wrong with pita bread, but slices of crusty bread are delicious as well.
Shakshuka Recipe Tips
- Get the sauce nice and thick. You need a thick tomato sauce to support the eggs in this recipe, so don’t cut the simmering time short! I let mine cook for a full 15 minutes before I crack in the eggs.
- Make sure you have a large lidded skillet. You’ll need to be able to cover the pan in this recipe—it’s essential for poaching the eggs evenly and gently.
- Use however many eggs are appropriate for your pan. I list a range for the number of eggs in this recipe, and how many you use is really up to you. There should be a little space between each egg in the pan—they shouldn’t be crowded. In my 12-inch skillet, I can fit up to 5. But if I’m just making this recipe for Jack and me, I stick with 3 eggs. If we have any leftover sauce, I make a personal-sized shakshuka the next day!
- Adjust the timing depending on how you like your eggs. How long you cook your eggs will depend on how you like them. I love mine when the egg whites have just set and the yolks are perfectly runny, so I take them off the heat after 5 minutes. If you like firmer yolks, you can cook them for up to 8 minutes. Keep in mind that they’ll continue to cook in the hot sauce even after you take them off the stove.
More Egg Recipes to Try
If you love this shakshuka recipe, try one of these delicious egg recipes next:
- How to Make a Frittata (5 ways!)
- Spinach Quiche
- How to Make an Omelette
- Sweet Potato Hash
- Breakfast Sandwich
- Baked Eggs
- Breakfast Egg Muffins
- Or any of these 25 Best Egg Recipes!
Best Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste*, see note
- 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
- 3 to 5 eggs
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1 avocado, diced
- Microgreens for garnish, optional
- Toasted bread, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a 12-inch lidded stainless steel or enamel-coated cast-iron skillet. Add the onion, red pepper, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and cayenne, if using. Stir and let cook for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and harissa paste. Simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
- Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Use the back of a spoon to make 3 to 5 wells in the sauce. Crack in the eggs. Cover and cook until the eggs are set, 5 to 8 minutes. The timing will depend on how runny you like your egg yolks.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with the feta, parsley, avocado, and microgreens, if using. Serve with toasted bread for scooping.
Notes
This was so delish!!! Made it for me and my sister and we both loved it! I loved how you can change the amount of servings!
I only have a dry harrisa spice instead of a paste. How much would you suggest I use? I’d love to make this for brunch tomorrow.
Hi Pam, maybe 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon depending if it’s spicy or not.
Thanks so much, Jeannine!🤗
I couldn’t wait to finish eating before I posted this review. This was pretty easy to make and quite adaptable to your preferences. I did not have Harissa and had only very little red bell pepper. I added Trader Joe’s red pepper spread and a little za’atar. Also, added a small amount of frozen green peas because I love peas with red sauces. Did not have spinach so used fresh mustard greens from my yard. Be careful how long you leave the egg in. I like my eggs runny and it was firmer than I like because I walked away too long. Regardless, it turned out so delicious!!!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Is it possible to use a cast iron skillet that’s not enamel coated? (Really want to make this don’t have an enamel coated one)
yep!
this is a really perfect shakshuka
Hi Jeanine,
I have been making Sunday brunch at home since the beginning of the pandemic. Your shakshuka recipe is a staple. We love it! I purchased a large basket of heirloom tomatoes at my local farmers market and used them and a squeeze of tomato paste and it was delicious. Do you have a Green Shakshuka recipe? With kale, spinach, collards, etc? TIA.
Hi Tina, I’m so glad you’ve been loving it! I haven’t made a green shakshuka that I love yet, but thank you for the request, I’ll keep it in mind!
For anyone who can’t find harissa paste but can get harissa salsa, use 2x the amount. You’ll have to simmer it a little longer to get rid of the extra water, but it gets closer to the intended flavor 🙂
This recipe has become a staple in my home, we make it at least 2-3x a month!
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it!
This shakshuka was a big hit at brunch. It will become one of my standby recipes.
I made this for a quick weeknight supper and it was delicious! I topped it with feta cheese and served toasted pita bread as a side. In the future, I might add a few more eggs to make the dish a little fuller.
Wow great Article!
This is the first time I Read the whole article.
Thank you so much it is helpful and clear.
JUST WOW. SO GOOD! I usually make curry shakshuka from the blog “eatingbirdfood.” This was just as amazing in a different way. We licked our plates clean. We used the Tunisian harissa from Trader Joe’s and added cayenne as well, and it wasn’t crazy spicy, just a nice heat.
I also doubled the paprika and cumin.
I’m so glad you loved it!
We just made this for Easter brunch and we loved it! Even though we used mild harissa sauce, 2tbsp was still too spicy for us so next time we’ll just do 1tbsp but that just for personal taste. The recipe is perfect as is and we garnished it just like your photo. Absolute treat. Thanks!!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This was a hit with a vegetarian crowd! Not to mention easy preparation. Thank you!
We just made this today for brunch with family. It was fantastic! We did add the spinach and he only modifications we made were to use only about a cup of chopped red pepper (per my son’s request to add less) and only 1 tablespoon of Harissa since the one we have is pretty hot – it’s a red Moroccan harissa from Zamouri Spices. Great advice to not skimp on the time to let it thicken, and the fresh parsley leaves sprinkled on at the end are a great accent. We are definitely adding this to the rotation!
Obsessed with shakshuka! I make it for dinner at least once a week. So simple and so delicious.
Absolutely love this recipe ❤️
Thanks!!!
HI – what’s the nutritional information for this recipe?
Hi Aimi, I’m sorry, we don’t calculate nutritional info.
Thank you for a great recipe. We challenged our kids to find recipes through a variety of cooking themes and our eldest stumbled upon this. Not only was it delicious, but using crushed tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes (like some recipes) made it more palatable for my other kids. Our 15 year old made this for dinner tonight (with only a bit of chopping and timing guidance from mom)
Hi Jessie, I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
I have now cooked over 10 of your recipes and have yet to be disappointed. Thank you for your insights and well-managed blog. I’ve passed it on to several friends and have only heard excellent feedback. Per your recommendations, which I now trust implicitly, I’m planning on making the Cinnamon Rolls and Shakshuka for our Christmas morning feast. Happiest of holidays to you and your family!
Made this vegan by subbing two cups chickpeas and a touch of black salt for the eggs, and tangy tofu chevre for feta. I also doubled the smoked paprika because I didn’t have any harissa paste at hand. Everything else remained the same. It was a stunning dish, gorgeous to look at and profoundly flavorful. It earned its place in my family’s regular rotation. Thank you for sharing it.
Ooh I love this vegan version, I’m so glad you enjoyed the base recipe!