While I am the breakfast Fanatic, I'll readily admit that it took me a long time before I was willing to eat any variety of egg that wasn't scrambled. I still love a comforting plate of scrambled eggs and buttered toast, but I'm also happy that I have expanded my egg eating to include fried on burgers, poached on salads, and now, this wonderfully savory breakfast dish, shakshuka.
Shakshuka is a popular breakfast dish in the Mediterranean, especially Tunisia, Morocco, and Israel. You start with a simple sauce made from peppers, onions, and tomato, and whatever spices you like, then crack some eggs into it. So simple! It's perfect for dipping bread into, and hearty enough to serve for dinner as well.
Cumin is often one of the main spices in shakshuka, but I like to go a step further and use za'tar. Za'tar is a spice blend popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, made with thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame, and other ingredients. In the Moroccan open-air markets, it is said that every spice vendor has their own special blend – no two are alike! While we don't get quite the variety here in the United States, I love the depth of flavor za'tar adds to shakshuka and how it tingles my nose every time I cook with it.
You can easily scale this recipe up or down depending on how many people are dining with you. It's an impressive yet easy brunch dish as well. Round out the spread with fresh rustic bread, a tabbouli or cucumber and tomato salad, and some spicy sausages, and you'll have an aromatic, savory feast ahead of you. You can even cook sausages and potatoes right into the shakshuka, if you like.
If you haven't made the leap yet from scrambled eggs, I encourage you to do it with this recipe. If the runny yolks have you worried, simply cover the pan for a couple of minutes to help the yolk cook a bit. But trust me – once you break those yolks and mop it up along with the sauce, you'll be forever changed in the world of egg-eating.
Shakshuka Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon za'tar seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes
- 4 large eggs
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan set over medium. When oil shimmers, add onion, red pepper, za'tar, salt, and tomato paste and mix thoroughly. Saute for 10 minutes, until vegetable are softened and the mixture is very fragrant.
- Stir in tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes, until tomatoes are breaking down and a sauce is formed.
- Create four wells in the sauce, and carefully crack one egg into each well, taking care to not break the yolks. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until whites are set but yolks are still runny.
- Serve with thick plain yogurt or crusty bread.
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