When I get my CSA box, I like to lay all the beautiful produce out on the kitchen island. I love seeing the bounty in each box and like to take a moment to admire the colors and shapes. The ingredients vary each week, as do my moods and cravings. This week, the box was bursting with beautiful peppers, both bell peppers and spicy peppers, ripe tomatoes, and some enormous shallots. I had a grain bowl in mind for dinner, but the fresh produce practically shouted “Shakshuka!” This also felt like the perfect balm to a crazy busy weeknight.
Shakshuka (pronounced shak-SHOO-kah) is a vibrant, flavorful Middle Eastern and North African dish of eggs poached in a rich, spiced tomato sauce. Its name comes from the Arabic word for “a mixture,” which perfectly describes this adaptable and comforting dish. It’s often considered the national dish of Israel but I read recently that it most likely originated in Tunisia. Also, the best Shakshuka I have ever had was made for me by a woman from Tunisia. She told me she started the sauce by frying onions in a fiery harissa paste. Like bolognese or chili, it’s a homestyle meal that’s forgiving and delicious. I love dishes like this because they give you the freedom to use whatever you have on hand, which, for me, makes cooking feel more relaxing.
For this recipe, I pulled peppers, tomatoes, and a shallot from my CSA box. From the pantry and fridge, I grabbed brown rice, eggs, paprika, harissa, ginger, garlic, dried cayenne peppers, a bay leaf, and olive oil. I also made a quick side salad with the head of lettuce from the box, whisking together a simple dressing of sherry vinegar, dijon mustard, and honey.
I’ve been making this dish since my early twenties and have found that two things make all the difference: building the flavor base and simmering the sauce long enough for a rich, velvety texture. While Shakshuka is often served with crusty bread, I love it over hot rice, which soaks up all the wonderful sauce.
Start by heating some olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add your chopped shallots and onions, season with salt, and cook them for about 10 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Then, add finely chopped garlic and ginger along with your spices—I used paprika and harissa—and a couple of whole dried cayenne peppers. Cook for a minute or two until the spices are fragrant, then add your chopped bell peppers and spicy peppers. Season these well and sauté for 5-7 minutes until they soften, then add your chopped tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to break down and all the flavors meld.
At this point, add enough water to just barely cover the vegetables, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, or until it reaches your desired consistency. The key is to stir occasionally and add a little more water if the sauce gets too thick.
You can prep the sauce up to this point, then set it aside and finish with the eggs right before you’re ready to eat.
Once the sauce is thick and velvety, use a spoon to make small indentations, or “wells,” and gently crack your eggs into them. You can either poach the eggs on the stovetop, or place the entire pan under a broiler to finish them. Once the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, the dish is ready. I finished mine with some torn basil from the plant in my kitchen window.
While the sauce simmered, I let the brown rice finish and made a simple vinaigrette for a side salad, combining finely minced garlic with dijon mustard, honey, sherry vinegar, salt and olive oil. This whole meal—the Shakshuka, the rice, and the salad—comes together in the same amount of time it takes a pot of brown rice to cook. That, to me, is a total weeknight dinner win.
This dish is incredibly versatile, so don’t be afraid to experiment! Here are some of my favorite ways to change it up:
- No harissa? Use a mix of cumin and turmeric instead. You can also use harissa paste instead of dried harissa spice blend here but increase the amount
- For extra heat, add more cayenne pepper or a dash of red pepper flakes.
- Chorizo is delicious in this dish.
- Swap out the water for broth
- Finish the dish with crumbled feta cheese or a dollop of plain yogurt
- Swap basil for fresh cilantro, parsley, or mint.
If you have leftover sauce after everyone has had their poached eggs out of the dinner puree that leftover sauce with an immersion blender and use it the next day for pasta sauce or as a soup for lunch. Delicious!
Shakshuka
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the onions or shallots, season them with salt, and cook them for about 10 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Then, add the garlic and ginger along with the dried spices, paprika, harissa, cayenne peppers and bayleaf. Cook for a minute or two until the spices are fragrant, then add the bell peppers and spicy peppers, season with salt and pepper. Sauté these for 5-7 minutes until they soften, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to break down and all the flavors meld.
- Add enough water to just barely cover the vegetables, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, or until it reaches your desired consistency. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if the sauce gets too thick.
- Once the sauce is thick and velvety, use a spoon to make small indentations, or "wells," and gently crack your eggs into them. You can either poach the eggs on the stovetop, or place the entire pan under a broiler to finish them. Once the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, the dish is ready. I finished some torn fresh basil. Serve with bread or over rice.
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