Shakshuka — Eggs in Tomato Sauce, One Pan, 25 Minutes
Yvonne Ammann VegetarianSoften onions and peppers in olive oil, toast garlic, cumin and paprika, reduce tinned tomatoes for 10 minutes. Press hollows into the sauce, crack an egg into each, lid on, 6 to 8 minutes over low heat until the whites are set and the yolks still soft. With feta, parsley and bread straight from the pan.
Shakshuka is the dish for the moment when there are only eggs, a tin of tomatoes and an onion in the house — and it still looks like restaurant brunch. Everything happens in one pan that goes to the table, and everyone dips their bread in. The sauce is tomato sauce with cumin; the eggs poach in it without any skill required.
Ingredients
- 6 pieces Eggs
- 2 tins Tomatoes (chopped, 400 g each)
- 1 piece Onion
- 2 pieces Bell peppers (red)
- 3 pieces Garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tsp Ground cumin
- 2 tsp Paprika (smoked)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sugar
- Pepper
- 100 g Feta (optional)
- ½ bunch Parsley
- 1 piece Bread (flatbread or crusty bread)
Method
- 1
Soften the vegetables
Slice the onion and peppers into strips, the garlic into slices. Heat the olive oil in a large lidded pan, sweat the onion and peppers 8 minutes over medium heat until soft.
- 2
Spices
Add the garlic, cumin and paprika, toast 1 minute until fragrant.
- 3
Sauce
Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar and pepper, simmer uncovered 10 minutes until thick and no longer watery. It must be thick, or the eggs spread.
- 4
Poach the eggs
Press six hollows into the sauce with a spoon. Crack each egg into a cup and slide it into a hollow. Salt the eggs lightly, lid on, lowest heat, 6 to 8 minutes — whites set, yolks still runny.
- 5
Serve
Crumble the feta over, parsley on top, pan onto the table. Bread for dipping — a spoon is secondary.
Tips
- The sauce is the base recipe worth batch-cooking: double it and freeze half. Next time shakshuka takes 10 minutes — heat the sauce, eggs in.
- Variations: 200 g spinach in the sauce (green), 1 tin chickpeas (more filling), merguez or chorizo fried with the onions (hearty), 1 tsp harissa (hot).
- For children let the yolks set firmer — 10 minutes instead of 7 — and skip the feta. With bread for dipping it is one of the few dishes where tomato sauce on the table is allowed.
What can I substitute?
Sweat diced courgette with the onion. Spinach only into the finished sauce, wilt 1 minute, then the eggs.
Ras el hanout makes it Moroccan and sweetly warm. Harissa brings heat — standard in Israel and Tunisia.
Goat's cheese in pieces on the hot sauce. Yoghurt as a dollop — cool against the warm sauce.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the eggs spread out in shakshuka?
The sauce was too thin. It must be thick enough that a hollow holds its shape — reduce uncovered for 10 minutes. And crack each egg into a cup and slide it in gently, rather than cracking straight into the pan.
How long do the eggs take in shakshuka?
6 to 8 minutes under a lid on the lowest heat for runny yolks, 10 for set. The lid matters — without it the whites stay raw on top while the sauce boils below. Without a lid, put the pan in the oven at 200 °C for 5 minutes.
Is shakshuka breakfast or dinner?
Both. In Israel it is breakfast, in North Africa dinner. In Switzerland it suits Sunday brunch and a quick weeknight supper. With bread it is a complete meal — with salad, a dinner.
How much does shakshuka cost per person?
About 1.50 CHF per person with eggs, tinned tomatoes and peppers. About 2 CHF with feta. One of the cheapest hot meals that still looks like something.
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