Everyday cooking
Shakshuka with peppers and tomatoes
Eggs cook directly in a thick tomato and pepper sauce in one frying pan.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Servings / pieces
- 4
- Topic
- Everyday cooking
Shakshuka combines a strongly flavoured vegetable sauce with eggs cooked directly inside it. Reduce the sauce sufficiently before adding the eggs. If it is thin, the whites spread widely and the dish becomes watery. Red peppers, onion and garlic form the base, with cumin and sweet paprika providing warm seasoning. Cover the pan near the end so the upper surfaces of the eggs cook too. Serve with bread for scooping up the sauce. These quantities make four light portions, each with one egg and plenty of vegetables, rather than four large egg-heavy servings.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Soften onion
Remove pepper seeds and cut into narrow strips. Dice onion and chop garlic. Warm the oil over medium heat and soften onion for 4 minutes.
- 02
Season peppers
Add peppers and cook for 6–8 minutes, turning occasionally. Add garlic, cumin, paprika and optional chilli. Stir for only 30 seconds so the spices do not burn.
- 03
Reduce sauce
Add tomatoes and salt. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until thick. A spoon should leave a small hollow without loose liquid immediately filling it.
- 04
Add eggs
Make four hollows in the sauce. Crack each egg into a cup first, then slide into a hollow. Cover and cook over low heat for 8–12 minutes.
- 05
Cook eggs through
Check that whites and yolks have set, cooking longer if needed for larger eggs. Add pepper and parsley. Portion directly from the pan without stirring and breaking the eggs.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Thick sauce matters
Tinned tomatoes vary in water content, so reduction time is a guide. Keep simmering uncovered if the sauce remains thin after 15 minutes. Only then add eggs. If the sauce becomes too dry, loosen with 1–2 tbsp water before cooking the eggs.
Control the heat
Once eggs enter the pan, avoid vigorous boiling. Low heat prevents the bottom catching while the lid helps cook the upper surfaces. Space eggs evenly so they cook under similar conditions. Add fresh herbs at the end rather than simmering away their fragrance.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Can I prepare the sauce ahead?
Yes. Cook the vegetable sauce in advance and gently reheat at mealtime. Add the eggs then and cook fully.
Can I use fresh tomatoes?
Yes. Chop about 1 kg ripe tomatoes. They may take longer to reduce; the thick consistency before adding eggs is the important point.
