Eggs Cooked in Tomatoes (Shakshuka)
Skip to recipe
I teach a lot of cooking classes to kids and adults of all races and backgrounds. In one of my kids’ cooking classes I had a student whose mother had just passed away from breast cancer. One day I asked the kids what they wanted to cook and they started shouting out, “chicken fingers, sliders, spaghetti!” But this one girl quietly asked if we could make shakshuka, because it was something she and her mom made all the time. I could tell it was special to her. That is how this Eggs Cooked in Tomatoes (Shakshuka) recipe came to be.
My middle eastern family makes this dish too, so I knew what she was talking about. But, when thinking about how I wanted to make it, I knew I wanted to use my red sauce as the base and also wanted to make sure the recipe offered plenty of opportunities for the kids to participate. For example, I added peppers to the recipe so there was another ingredient that the kids could prep.
Making the Sauce
The sauce is where most of the flavor comes from in this dish. To make it, thinly slice an onion into half-moons using a 9-1/4″ French Chef knife.
Using the same knife, thinly slice a sweet bell pepper.
Thinly slice some garlic with a Santoku-Style 3″ Paring Knife. Using slices instead of minced or chopped garlic adds a milder flavor to the shakshuka.
With the cut ingredients ready to go, make the sauce in an oven-safe skillet. Start by sautéing the onions and peppers in olive oil until softened. Toss in the garlic, spices and tomatoes and cook for about eight minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be.
Finishing It Up
With the sauce cooked, it’s time to add the eggs. Crack them into separate small bowls, one per bowl. Then slowly add the eggs one at a time to the sauce, making sure not the mix or stir them.
Place the pan into a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes until the eggs are cooked to the way you like them. You can scramble each egg before adding it to the sauce, if sunny-side-up isn’t your thing.
Top everything with fresh herbs and feta cheese and serve with fresh bread or toast to scoop up the egg and all the sauce.
When we made this Eggs Cooked in Tomatoes (Shakshuka) in class, it was an instant hit. The kids were saying, “This is so good!” And it brought the biggest smile to the face of the student who had lost her mom.
I always say when we stop learning we’re done. So, the fact that a student was able to share her and her mother’s tradition with me so that I could turn around and share it with the students was priceless, and something I’ll never forget.
Shakshuka is fresh, earthy and vibrant. It looks impressive and is incredibly easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 sweet bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 large eggs
- Cilantro (or parsley), optional for serving
- Feta cheese, optional for serving
- Toast, for serving
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a large pan over medium heat, sauté onions and peppers in olive oil until softened.
- Add the garlic, spices and tomatoes. Continue to cook for 8 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Crack the eggs into separate small bowls, one per bowl, and slowly add each one to the stewed tomato mixture.
- Be sure not to mix or stir the eggs.
- Place in the oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked just the way you like them.
- Top with fresh herbs and feta cheese if you desire, and enjoy with toast.
Recommended Tools
