A luscious, harissa-packed tomato sauce, perfectly cooked eggs, and delicious garnishes? This quick, easy shakshuka recipe will be your go-to for those days you need something fast. Perfect for weekend brunch, entertaining, or just a meal for one.
Why Shakshuka is the Ultimate Easy Meal
There’s a reason my boyfriend literally wants this for breakfast every day! It’s delicious, filling, easy, and quick to pull together. He doesn’t cook much, but when he does, this beauty is always at the top of his list.
Essentially, shakshuka is gently poached eggs nestled in a punchy tomato-based sauce.
- Traditionally, it’s made with tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, onion, and spices like coriander and cumin.
- My version uses harissa as a shortcut to maximum flavor, and I keep it simple by just using canned tomatoes.
You can scale this recipe really easily, and it’s a brilliant brunch dish for friends and family. I love serving it up straight from the pan so everyone can dive in and help themselves.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Canned tomatoes. I like using whole, peeled plum tomatoes, but any will do. The peeled ones are good because it just means you’ll get a smoother sauce without those pesky skins. Mutti is my go-to.
- Harissa paste. This is my secret ingredient to supercharge your tomato sauce. It’s got heat, sweetness, and warming spice and will take your shakshuka to another level. I like using the Belazu rose harissa, which isn’t too spicy and has that lovely hint of rose. A little warning, though – different harissa brands vary in heat, so make sure you taste it before using it!
- Eggs. Always free range. Any will do, but I LOVE the color you get from the yolks of Clarence Court Burford Browns. So beautiful.
- Tahini. You don’t NEED the tahini, but I love it as a welcome creamy contrast against the deep, savoury tomato sauce. So delicious. Similar to harissa, tahini vastly differs based on brand. Try to find one made in Palestine, Lebanon, or Israel. It can be very bitter if it’s not good quality.
How to Make Shakshuka
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make shakshuka – the full instructions with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Pour a little olive oil into a small pan, with your harissa paste and spices. Cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add your tomatoes. My favorite hack for getting residual tomato juice out of the can is to fill it about a quarter with water, swirl it so the water captures the juice, then pour it into the pan.
- Cook, stirring for five minutes to thicken the sauce. Then, make two little holes in the sauce using the back of your spatula.
- Crack your eggs into the holes, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pan.
- Cook the eggs until the whites are set, and the yolks are still runny.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Drizzle with tahini, scatter with fresh mint, nutty dukkah, and marinated feta if you like.
Shakshuka FAQs
You can make the sauce in advance (and I do this quite often), then store it in the fridge until you’re ready to add your eggs.
You can make this up to five days in advance, and it’ll be fine. Just keep it in the fridge in a covered container.
Honestly, shakshuka is really a full meal in itself!
I love serving it with some lovely fresh bread for dipping. Try two-ingredient garlic naan, no-knead rosemary parmesan bread, or no-knead chilli cheese focaccia, they’re both lovely.
The harissa does add a hit of spice for sure – you could reduce the quantity if you’re worried. Use 1/2 a tablespoon instead.
Definitely. Chopped chorizo, bacon, or sausage meat is excellent – I like to cook it at the start, before adding the harissa and spices.
You could also add sliced onions, red bell peppers, or a big handful of spinach.
Watch How to Make Shakshuka
Like this recipe? Try these easy brunch ideas next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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EASY Shakshuka (Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A luscious, harissa-packed tomato sauce, perfectly cooked eggs, and delicious garnishes? This quick, easy shakshuka recipe will be your go-to for those days you need something fast. Perfect for weekend brunch, entertaining, or just a meal for one.
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 x 14oz (400g) can of peeled plum tomatoes (you can also use crushed or chopped)
- 2 free-range eggs
To garnish –
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 handful of torn mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon dukkah
- 1 tablespoon marinated feta (or regular feta, crumbled)
Instructions
- Cook the spices. Start by adding 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to a small pan over a medium heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of harissa, along with 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring for a minute until fragrant.
- Make the sauce. Add the tin of tomatoes, then refill the tin quarter of the way up with water, give it a little swirl then pour that into the pan too. Stir, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally until thick and glossy (about 5 minutes).
- Add the eggs. Make two little holes in the pan with your spoon, then crack one egg into each hole. Pop the lid on (use a plate if you don’t have a lid) and let the eggs poach in the pan for 4 minutes, until the whites have changed colour (they’ll go white from being clear) but the yolks are still runny.
- Garnish and serve. When the eggs are ready, remove the pan from the heat. I like serving this shakshuka straight from the pan to reduce dishes and it’s also just way easier – no risk of breaking the eggs by transferring them to another plate! Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of tahini, followed by 1 tablespoon of dukkah, the mint and the marinated feta. Eat straight away, ideally with a good chunk of your favourite bread to mop up all the sauce.
Notes
SCALE IT UP: You can easily scale up this shakshuka recipe – it’s a great one to make for a crowd. Everyone can help themselves from the pan, saving on dishes!
PREP AHEAD: Make the tomato sauce in advance if you like. It will keep for five days in the fridge, so you can just reheat it in a pan with a little water (start with 1 tablespoon) before you add the eggs.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with no-knead focaccia, rosemary parmesan bread, Vogel’s style seed bread, soft garlic flatbreads or two-ingredient dough garlic naan.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: vegetarian
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: middle eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
Perfect! And so easy. Easier than making toast.
SO pleased you enjoyed it Jenna!!