Easy Tomato and Peppers Egg Shakshuka Recipe, with smoked paprika, garden peppers and tomatoes is a recipe for all seasons!
What Is Shakshuka?
Shakshuka is a health and flavor rich dish that is an easy one-skillet recipe.
Gently, Perfectly Poached Eggs in a spicy mixture of tomatoes, hot or sweet peppers and fresh herbs and cheese.
For my Shakshuka, I like Feta or Manchego sprinkled across the top. Olives are always a fabulous addition!
What Meal Is Shakshuka Served For?
While this dish is often made for breakfast or brunch, it is perfect for a light summertime dinner with Turkish Simit Bread, Spanakopita or an easy Homemade Loaf of Olive Bread.
Having grown up in a home Mediterranean influenced home, the ingredients were often a staple in the home.
Long day at work, or unexpected visitors; no problem. This dish can be prepared in under 30-minutes.
Who Doesn’t Love Eggs!
Since there are always more than one dozen eggs in my fridge at any given day, this recipe is a quick meal for me to make when I haven’t planned dinner.
The eggs poach beautifully right on top of the tomato and pepper mixture and are soft enough to want a good bread to dip in them.
I don’t know about you but I could probably eat eggs most evenings for a light meal.
In fact I’ve got some great Egg recipes you are sure to love in my Egg Obsession collection.
Easy Egg Shakshuka Recipe For The Health Conscience
Loaded with lots of vitamin C from the tomatoes and peppers, easy to digest protein from eggs and lots of medicinal qualities from fresh herbs all simmered in a one-skillet pan.
Shakshuka, when made with fresh ingredients, is a delicious well-rounded healthy meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Easy Tomato Sauce
Of course, you can open a can or jar of store bought tomato sauce for this shakshuka recipe.
Or perhaps during the summer months, you bagged lots of cherry or berry tomatoes and hid them in your freezer.
Afterall, those sweet, juicy tiny tomatoes don’t really work for a sandwich or to slice on a burger, but I have a great idea for those tiny jewels.
With a quick saute in a hot skillet, a few herbs, salt and garlic, the flavors are intensified in those tiny tomatoes.
Pop them in the food processor or blender and in less than ten minutes you have a fabulous homemade tomato sauce!
Simple Tomato Sauce
- 2 cups cherry or berry tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
In a hot heavy pan, roast these ingredients together for 15-minutes, puree and done!
Peppers In Egg Shakshuka Recipe
Peppers, as we know, are low in calories, loaded with A and C and add incredible flavor to food.
Which peppers you want you use depends entirely on which you prefer.
Sweet bell peppers in shakshuka add a delicious accompaniment to the tomatoes. Roasted peppers are also another added layer of flavor.
If you really want to kick your shakshuka up a notch, you’ll toss in some spicy hot peppers or a little harissa paste along with the tomatoes.
Easy Food Prep Egg Shakshuka
Busy lives call for do-ahead food prepping on a weekend so that busy work weekdays can still enjoy fast easy and healthy meals.
Shakshuka is easily prepped ahead by caramelizing some onions, tossing in a variety of chopped peppers and tomatoes, chill and save for a weekday meal.
When it’s mealtime, toss the already cooked tomatoes into a cast iron pan or baking dish, pop those beautiful raw eggs in and cook in a hot oven until eggs are poached. Easy peasy!
Perfect For A Brunch Party
Often when we think of a brunch party we think of lots of carbs; pastries, breads, waffles and the such.
However, this is the perfect brunch dish most appreciate for its healthy and delicious ingredients!
I made an investment in lots of little, single serve cast iron pans that were too affordable not to.
And boy, do I use them for so many things!
Serving an individual Shakshuka to each guest will be so impressive and crazy easy for you.
A Winning Shakshuka On The Great American Recipe
Cooking competitions on television are wildly fun and stressful all at the same time. How the heck to finish a perfect dish on time is the key!
On Episode 2 (Season 1), of The Great American Recipe, a culinary culture experience with PBS, I prepared a winning Shakshuka dish and Herb Pita Bread all in 60-minutes!
What was I thinking! It turned out fabulous and it will for you too.
What To Serve With Shakshuka
When making this dish for a brunch or luncheon, I often make a homemade bread, such as a Pumpkin Pita bread.
Since peppers are being harvested around the same time as pumpkins the two made for a fabulous meal together.
Add-on’s can be served on the table; cheese, olives maybe even already cooked bacon or sausage.
Ingredients Needed
- Olive oil
- Red onion
- Red pepper
- Chili pepper
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
- Eggs
Equipment Needed
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Two 6-inch individual size cast iron pans make for easy cooking and serving right in the pan.
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Stovetop or burner
Easy Tomato and Peppers Egg Shakshuka Recipe
Equipment
- 2 6-inch cast iron pans
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Onion small, sliced thin
- 1 Red pepper sliced into long strips
- 1 Chili pepper finely diced
- 15 oz Canned Tomatoes
- 1 Large Fresh Tomato thinly sliced
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp Smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp Salt or to taste
- 4 Eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup Fresh parsley rough chopped
- 1 oz Feta cheese optional
- 6 Olives thinly sliced, optional
Instructions
- Drizzle olive oil into each pan, over a medium hot flame. Toss in onions, garlic and peppers, and cook until they begin to caramelize and get nice brown bits on the edges of the onions.
- Add spices, tomato sauce or mashed canned tomatoes and freshly chopped tomatoes into each pan and let them simmer for about 7 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Once the sauce has thickened, take the back of a spoon and spread an opening in the center of each pan. Slowly pour the eggs into the space, cover and simmer, over medium heat, for about 5 minutes. Check to see that a film has begun to cook over the eggs but make sure the yolk still has a little movement to it.
- Remove from the heat, sprinkle chopped parsley and any other toppings you might like. Shakshuka is ready to serve!
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.