Shakshuka

Name: Shakshuka
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 3 people
Cuisine: maghrebi
Ingredients: 3 tbsp Olive oil; 1 medium Onion, sliced; 2 medium Bell pepper, sliced; 3 clove Garlic, sliced; 1 tsp Cumin; 1 tsp Paprika; 0.5 tsp Fresh chilli; 600 g Tomato, chopped, or a 400g tin plus two fresh; 5 large Egg; 1 tsp Salt; 1 handful Parsley, chopped; 60 g Feta

شكشوكة

Eggs poached in a spiced tomato-pepper sauce. Maghrebi-Levantine family food, not a brunch fad that appeared in 2014.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: شكشوكة.

0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.

Start cooking

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 45 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

Source photograph of Shakshuka. Not official I Want Some Food pixel artwork.

About

Shakshuka is a skillet of tomatoes, peppers and spices with eggs cooked until the whites set and the yolks stay soft. It is eaten with bread across North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean under several names and spice blends. This version uses cumin, paprika and a little chilli — a home skillet, not a claim that one city invented eggs in tomato.

Ingredients

Servings

Olive oil44 ml
Onion, sliced1 medium
Bell pepper, sliced2 medium
Garlic, sliced3 clove
Cumin4.9 ml
Paprika4.9 ml
Fresh chilli (optional)2½ ml
Tomato, chopped, or a 400g tin plus two fresh600 g
Egg5 large
Salt4.9 ml
Parsley, chopped1 handful
Feta (optional)60 g

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Warm olive oil in a wide skillet. Cook onion and peppers with salt until soft and sweet, 10–12 minutes.
12 min
Step 2
Add garlic, cumin, paprika and chilli. Stir 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and simmer until thick enough that a spoon leaves a trail, 10–15 minutes.
15 min
Tip: Watery sauce makes watery egg whites.
Step 3
Make wells, crack in eggs. Cover and cook until whites are just set, 5–8 minutes. Yolks should still run.
7 min
Step 4
Scatter parsley and optional feta. Serve in the pan with bread. Do not plate it like a sad fried egg on salsa.

Adapt this recipe

The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.

Substitutions

Feta → Nothing
Still complete.
Peppers → More onion and a pinch of smoked paprika
If the crisper is empty.

Tips

A lid is more reliable than an oven for setting whites.
Harissa instead of chilli flakes is a good Maghrebi turn.

History & culture

You will find related dishes in Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Israel, Palestine and beyond, with different heat levels and whether there are peppers, merguez, or feta. Brunch menus did not invent it. They did make it globally photogenic.

Tomato is a New World crop; egg-and-vegetable skillets are older. The dish as commonly cooked now is a Maghrebi-Levantine conversation. We file it with Morocco on this map as a Maghrebi doorway, while naming the wider family on the cuisine page.

Regional variation — Cumin-paprika skillet without merguez. Feta is a Levantine-adjacent addition, optional.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.

How long does Shakshuka take?

45 min all in — 15 min prep, 30 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 3 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

Mild.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Gluten-free.

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Frying pan, Chef's knife.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.

What can I use instead?

Feta → Nothing. Still complete. Peppers → More onion and a pinch of smoked paprika. If the crisper is empty.

Any tips from this recipe?

A lid is more reliable than an oven for setting whites. Harissa instead of chilli flakes is a good Maghrebi turn.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.

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