Spicy Shakshuka with Feta Cheese

A sauce of tomatoes and warm spices combines with eggs and salty feta cheese to create this shakshuka.  Made with ingredients you probably already have on hand, it makes an easy dinner on a chilly night, or a hearty breakfast to kick off your day.

Recently, while trying in vain to get to sleep and thinking about meal ideas, I pondered the idea of an Around the World in Eighty Days meal challenge.  Was this a challenge we could actually complete?  Not necessarily 80 different meals, because that’s both insanity and expensive.  But, could we take 80 days and just work on expanding our food choices?  We’ll give it a shot.

We’re kicking things off with a spicy shakshuka, a tomato-based stew popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions.  Unless you’ve only just stumbled upon this site, you’re already aware of how much we like our spices here.  We’ve got the Korean sloppy joes, and our black bean burgers, as well as General Tso’s cauliflower and chicken roti.  However, we were both worried about making this shakshuka.  I was worried that as much as the Beard enjoys a “breakfast for dinner”, eggs poached in tomato sauce crossed a line, as well as worrying that it wouldn’t be filling enough.  He was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy the amount of veggies in the dish.  It turned out that all of our fears were unfounded, because we ate the entire pan.

Shakshuka Saves Time

We enjoy having breakfast for dinner, especially on nights when we both get home late.  It doesn’t take long to set up a feast of hashbrowns on the stove while some bacon cooks up in the oven, then making eggs right before serving.  Although this recipe takes a little more preparation, a good shakshuka can be just as quick and easy to prepare as your standard bacon and eggs.  

Honestly, the prep time is what you make of it.  To make everything smooth, we toss all the veggies into our food processor, but shakshuka is usually a bit on the chunky end of the spectrum, and skipping trip through the processor will cut down on how much time you spend preparing your ingredients.  

Making It Yours

As we were making this for dinner, we wanted a little more substance on our plates.  A typical shakshuka could have minced meat, potatoes, or beans added to the tomato base, and is popped into a hot oven to cook the eggs.  In our case, we added some cooked shrimp to the pan before adding the eggs, and served everything with some white rice.  I’m not including the measurements and directions for the additions, they weren’t planned, and you can make it however you want it.

We also cooked the eggs on the stove rather than in the oven.  This let us keep an eye on them and not overcook them.  Top the whole thing with some hot sauce, cracked black pepper, and more feta.

5 from 1 vote

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Spicy Shakshuka with Feta

Ingredients

• 1 28 oz can tomatoes whole, diced, or crushed
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 onion medium, chopped or diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsps olive oil
• 4 eggs
• cooked rice optional
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper minced or diced
• 1/4 cup feta cheese

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, depending on the size of the veggies.  Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Stir in the cayenne, cumin, and paprika.  Pour in the tomatoes and season with the salt and pepper.  Bring mixture to a simmer and continue cooking, uncovered, until it has thickened slightly, about 10-15 minutes.  Sprinkle feta over the top of mixture.

3. Crack eggs into skillet, on top of the tomato, trying not to break the yolks.  Cover skillet and simmer until eggs have set, about 7-10 minutes, depending on how “done” you like your yolks. 

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The Tart

The Tart likes to eat, cook, and bake things.  She eats to work out, and she works out to be able to eat.