Shakshuka (Eggs Nested in Summer Vegetables) Recipe

Such familiar ingredients, such a surprising – and surprisingly tasty – quick and easy breakfast or quick supper recipe. Shakshuka is a one-skillet egg and vegetable (tomatoes, onions, peppers) dish from North Africa that's become a mainstay healthy meal in Israel – and now at our house and with any luck, yours too! We especially love it with fresh tomatoes during the summer but it works great year-round with canned tomatoes too.

Fresh & Seasonal But Works Year-Round. Very Weight Watchers Friendly. Whole30 Friendly. Great for Meal Prep.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

This recipe is so quick and easy
that I'm adding it to a special collection of easy summer recipes
published every summer since 2009.
Watch for new "summer easy" recipes all summer long!
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COMPLIMENTS!

• "... it was delicious. ... super yummy..." ~ CreepingMinx

BEST RECIPES!

• Shakshuka Made the List!
• Best Recipes of 2012

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There Is a Downside

First, apologies to all the guys who handily, if not altogether happily, run a vacuum cleaner, load a washing machine and clean the kitchen. But we all know the stories of men who "botch" household jobs so easy it seems to be intentional. We women, suckers that we are, throw up our hands and take them back over.

Me, I'm taking a cue from the men when it comes to breakfast.

One of the great luxuries of my life, one of the great pleasures, is sitting down many weekday and most weekend mornings to a carefully crafted breakfast. The creative cook uses the same ingredients week-in and week-out: eggs, vegetables (lots of vegetables!), fresh salsa, tortillas, a little cheese and fresh herbs, bacon or sausage, some times bacon "and" sausage! But the breakfasts are never the same – except always good, always beautiful – and rarely repeatable.

So I've given up cooking breakfast, happy to act as sous chef, emptying the dishwasher and setting the table. Nice, eh?!

But some times, truth be told, I miss cooking breakfast. My solution? Breakfast for supper!

What Is Shakshuka?

First, know that there are different spellings for Shakshuka [pronounced [shok-SHU-kuh]. Another spelling is shakshouka.

So the name of this North African egg dish takes some learning for those of us who didn't grow up with it but the ingredients and technique for making Shakshuka are truly simple.

But those simple, familiar ingredients create a dish that comes as a surprise.

• The peppers and tomatoes turn soft and almost sweet
• The chile adds more flavor than heat
• Even a small smidgin of cumin turns the mixture dark and toasty
• The eggs poach in the hot vegetable mixture, the whites turn firm, the yolks golden-gooey

So wrap your arms mouth around this breakfast vegetable stew that originates in North Africa (in Algeria or Tunisia, say) but has also become a signature dish in Israel. It's so worth it!

More Shakshuka Ideas

Both these are part of a big collection of Easy Egg Recipes, definitely a page to bookmark for now and later.

• Trader Joe's Shakshuka Starter (Product Review), Trader Joe's now has a ready-made shakshuka and it's wonderful
• Cabbage & Pepper Chakchoukah aka OogaChaka Eggs, or a tomato-free shakshuka, try this version with cabbage

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SHAKSHUKA
(EGGS NESTED in SUMMER VEGETABLES)

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Makes about 4 cups cooked vegetables to serve 4

VEGETABLES
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small jalapeño chile, minced or 1 teaspoon sriracha
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• 3 or 4 medium summer tomatoes, chopped (or 30 ounces canned diced tomatoes)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (don't skip)
• Salt & pepper to taste (none may be needed)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (don't skip)

EGGS
• 4 large eggs

FINISHING TOUCHES (all but the parsley are optional but recommended)
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• "Something creamy" like yogurt, cottage cheese or feta crumbles
• "Something cool" for contrast, diced tomato or cucumber or hummus
• "Something to sop up the juices" like pita bread or good bread

COOK THE VEGETABLES Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium, add the onion and pepper, saut´e until beginning to soften. Add the jalapeño and garlic, cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the tomatoes, cumin and salt and pepper if using. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes until the liquid is reduced (some liquid is still good, it helps with poaching). Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

COOK THE EGGS Reduce the heat to low. With the back of a spoon, shape four "nests" into the vegetables, then slip an egg into each nest. Cover and let cook for 5 - 10 minutes until the whites are set. (Note, I've made this in three kitchens and in two of them, had to put the skillet under the broiler to finish cooking the eggs. You want the whites firm, the centers soft and gooey.)

FINISHING TOUCHES To serve, sprinkle with parsley. If you like, serve plain or with "something creamy" or "something cool" or "something to sop up the juices".

ALANNA's TIPS For a super-fast make-ahead breakfast for one or two or even a small crowd, cook the vegetable mixture a day or two ahead of time. Shakshuka would make a great hearty but healthy campfire breakfast! This recipe uses fresh tomatoes – aren't we so sad when the season ends, so thrilled when it reopens?!! – but Roma tomatoes or canned tomatoes work in the winter. Aim for a texture that's moist but not liquid, do cook off most of the liquid before adding the eggs. While not traditional, Shakshuka is peasant food so go ahead, when the garden is profligate, add small bites of okra, sweet corn, zucchini, tomatillo; just be sure to get enough tomato liquid. For something jaw-droppingly good, place a thin layer of fresh mozzarella under or over the eggs before they cook.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving (assumes 4): 147 Calories; 6g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 211mg Cholesterol; 84mg Sodium; 15g Carb; 4g Fiber; 8g Sugar; 9g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 3 & PointsPlus 4 & SmartPoints 5 & Freestyle 0 & myWW green 2 & blue 0 & purple 0

Another hit from the now-defunct Vegetarian Times which back in 2012 I had just re-discovered. Vegetarian Times is a real loss, every issue had at least one recipe which fit my healthy-fresh sensibility. Shakshuka was featured on the cover of the June 2012 "Mediterranean" issue and in an article on Israeli breakfasts, all healthy and vegetable-centric. I make Shakshuka all summer long!

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Seasonal Cooking: Late-Summer Eating Across the Years

Gum Drop Cookies Panzanella Buffalo Ragout Calico Beans aka "Alanna's Famous Cowboy Beans" Steak & Tomatoes Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots Shakshuka (Eggs Nested in Summer Vegetables) Snickerdoodle Bars Ten Things I Love About Our New Kitchen

This Week, Elsewhere

~ Sweet Potato Hash with Poached Eggs & Spicy Hollandaise Sauce ~
from With Love Catering (for the Rep Cafe)
~ more St. Louis Restaurant Recipes ~
My Weekly Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

~ Okra Recipes ~
~ more Recent Recipes ~
A Veggie Venture

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More "Breakfast for Supper" or "Just Breakfast" Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more main dish egg recipes ~

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More Recipes for Peppers & Tomatoes

~ Grilled Pepper Salad ~
~ Sautéed Red & Yellow Pepper Relish ~
~ Homemade Sazón ~
~ more pepper recipes ~

~ Ratatouille ~
~ Summer's Tomato Soup ~
~ Slow-Roasted Tomatoes ~
~ more tomato recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ How to Roast Peppers in the Oven ~
~ Peperonata with Potatoes ~
~ Stuffed Peppers ~
~ more pepper recipes ~

~ Never Take a Good Tomato for Granted ~
(Twelve Favorite Tomato Recipes)
~ Stacked Ratatouille ~
~ Fire-Charred Tomatoes ~
~ Tomato Gazpacho ~
~ more tomato recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ bell pepper recipes ~
~ tomato recipes ~
~ egg recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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