Shakshuka is an easy North African and Middle Eastern dish whose strong flavors are perfect for pepper lovers. Paired with a chunk of good bread and a leafy green salad, shakshuka makes for a great brunch or an easy light supper. Better yet, you can make the tomatoey base ahead of time and freeze it. This version is a blend of the Tunisian and Moroccan versions, using red and green peppers to make the dish even more colorful than it already is. If you’d like to add some heat, you can use harissa paste — see the Chef Tips.

15 minute prep

4 servings

12 ingredients

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium white onion, diced
  • 1 red pepper, cored and cut into ¼-inch dice
  • 1 green pepper, cored and cut into ¼-inch dice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste (see Chef Tips)
  • 2 teaspoons smoked or sweet paprika to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish
Directions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil ripples, add the diced onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle with salt. Cook until the onion is transparent and the peppers have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, or until it just starts to caramelize. Add the paprika and ground cumin, and cook for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Lower the flame to medium and cook for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have reduced and become syrupy and the mixture resembles a veggie stew. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the veggies look dry. Taste for salt. If you’re planning to freeze this, stop here.
  3. With a spoon, make 4 little wells in the veggies and crack an egg into each – if needed, gently make a little extra room with the spoon so that the eggs settle into the stew to cook and the whites aren’t spilling out over the top too much. Partially cover and cook until the eggs are set to your taste. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Chef Tips

If you would like to use harissa paste, the tomato paste down to 2 tablespoons, and do not add paprika.

To cook: in step 2, add 2 tablespoons of harissa paste to the pan along with the tomato paste and cook as per recipe before adding the cumin. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.

Nutrition Facts (per servings)

Calories: 206; Fat: 13g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 7g; Carbohydrates: 17g; Sugar: 10g; Fiber: 6g; Protein: 10g; Sodium: 831mg

Registered Dietitian Approved

Our recipes, articles, videos, and more content are reviewed by our Registered Dietitian Kate Ueland, MS, RD, CSO, a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition, to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and follows the guidelines set by the Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice, 2nd Ed., published by the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a professional interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society.

This recipe was originally published on Cook for Your Life. It is used by permission.

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