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Maghreb & the Levant · Levantine / North African

Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Spiced Tomato and Pepper Sauce)

The great brunch of the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa: eggs gently poached in a simmering sauce of tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and warm spices, served bubbling from the pan with bread for scooping. One skillet, endlessly satisfying.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 20, 2026

A cast-iron skillet of shakshuka — eggs with runny yolks nestled in a bubbling red tomato-and-pepper sauce, topped with crumbled white feta and chopped green coriander, with bread alongside.

Shakshuka likely originated in the Maghreb of North Africa and spread across the Levant, becoming especially iconic in Israeli and broader Middle Eastern cooking. The name comes from an Arabic word meaning 'a mixture.' Endlessly varied from kitchen to kitchen, it's a cheap, communal one-pan dish eaten any time of day, scooped straight from the skillet with flatbread.

Yield
Serves 4
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Difficulty
Easy

Shakshuka is the one-pan dish that does it all — brunch, lunch, a fast and frugal dinner. Eggs are poached in a bubbling, spiced sauce of tomatoes and peppers until the whites just set and the yolks stay molten, then the whole skillet goes to the table with bread for scooping. It’s warm, savoury, a little smoky, and almost impossible not to love.

Its name comes from an Arabic word for “a mixture,” and its story spans North Africa and the Levant, where it’s a daily staple cooked a hundred different ways. This is a reliable, classic tomato version.

Build a real sauce first

The eggs get all the attention, but the sauce is where shakshuka is won or lost. Soften the onion and pepper slowly until sweet, bloom the spices — cumin, paprika, a little caraway, chili — in the hot oil to deepen them, then simmer the tomatoes down until thick and jammy. A watery, under-cooked sauce can’t cradle the eggs and tastes thin; a properly reduced one is rich enough to stand a spoon in. A pinch of sugar tames any sharpness in the tomatoes.

The eggs, gently

Make wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each, then cover the pan and cook over low heat. This is the part to watch like a hawk: the eggs slide from perfectly runny to overcooked in a minute or two. Pull the pan when the whites are just set but the yolks still wobble — residual heat finishes them. Runny yolks that spill into the sauce when you break them are the whole reward.

Make the sauce ahead

The best trick with shakshuka is that the sauce keeps for days and even improves overnight. Make a batch, and breakfast becomes a five-minute affair: reheat, make wells, poach fresh eggs, scatter with feta and herbs, and eat straight from the pan with warm bread.

Looking for more easy one-pan meals? Browse the full recipe collection, or read more cultural stories on the traditions behind the food.

Ingredients

Serves
4

For the sauce

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1.5 tsp ground cumin
  • 1.5 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp caraway seeds (optional but traditional)
  • 1/4–1/2 tsp chili flakes or 1 fresh chili Adjust to taste. A little harissa is a lovely alternative.
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 800 g (2 cans) good chopped or whole peeled tomatoes Crush whole ones by hand. Good canned tomatoes make all the difference here.
  • salt, black pepper, and a pinch of sugar

To finish

  • 5–6 eggs
  • 100 g feta, crumbled (optional)
  • 1 small handful fresh coriander or parsley, chopped

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Warm the olive oil in a wide, deep skillet and cook the onion and pepper gently until soft and sweet, about 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.

    Why: Taking time to soften the aromatics builds the sweet, mellow base; rushing leaves them sharp and raw.

  2. Stir in the cumin, paprika, caraway, and chili and toast for 30 seconds, then add the tomato paste and cook another minute.

    Why: Blooming the spices and tomato paste in the hot oil deepens and rounds their flavour before the tomatoes go in.

  3. Add the tomatoes, season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar, and simmer 12–15 minutes until thickened and jammy.

    Why: The sauce must be reduced and thick enough to cradle the eggs — a watery sauce won't hold them and tastes thin. The sugar balances any acidity.

  4. Make wells in the sauce with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each. Season the eggs lightly.

    Why: Nestling each egg into its own well keeps the yolks separate and lets you track their doneness.

  5. Cover and cook over low heat for 6–10 minutes, until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny. Scatter feta over the last few minutes if using.

    Why: Covering traps steam to set the tops of the whites without overcooking the yolks. Runny yolks that mix into the sauce are the goal — watch closely, as they go from runny to hard quickly.

  6. Off the heat, scatter with fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil, and bring the pan to the table with plenty of bread.

    Why: Shakshuka is a communal, scoop-from-the-pan dish — serving it straight from the skillet keeps the eggs perfectly cooked and the experience right.

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Variations

  • Green shakshuka

    Swap the tomato base for a sauce of sautéed greens — spinach, chard, leeks, herbs — and poach the eggs in that, finished with feta and lemon. Fresh and springy.

  • Vegan

    Skip the eggs and feta; simmer chickpeas or white beans in the spiced tomato sauce and finish with herbs and a drizzle of tahini or a dollop of dairy-free yoghurt.

  • With merguez or chorizo

    Brown sliced merguez or chorizo at the start and build the sauce on the rendered fat for a heartier, meatier version.

Serving & Storage

Serve sizzling from the pan with warm crusty bread, pita, or challah for dipping into the yolks and sauce. A dollop of thick yoghurt or labneh and a scatter of fresh herbs on top round it out.

Pairs with: Crusty bread or warm pita, Thick yoghurt or labneh, A simple salad, Mint tea or strong coffee.

Storage: The sauce keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes well; reheat and crack in fresh eggs to order. Once the eggs are cooked, eat right away — they don't reheat well.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 portion (1/4 recipe))

Calories
280
Protein
15 g
Carbs
16 g
Fat
18 g
Fiber
5 g
Sugar
10 g
Sodium
620 mg

Notable micronutrients: Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Iron

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is shakshuka a breakfast or dinner dish?

Both, and everything in between. It's traditionally eaten at any time of day across North Africa and the Middle East — a popular brunch, a quick and cheap dinner, even a late supper. The one constant is plenty of bread to scoop it up.

How do I keep the yolks runny?

Cook the eggs gently, covered, over low heat and watch them closely — they go from runny to set faster than you'd think. Pull the pan off the heat when the whites are just set but the yolks still jiggle; they'll continue to cook a little from residual heat.

Can I make the sauce ahead?

Yes — the spiced tomato sauce actually improves overnight and keeps for days (or freezes). Reheat it, make the wells, and poach fresh eggs to order. It makes shakshuka a near-instant meal.

What bread is best with shakshuka?

Anything sturdy enough to scoop: warm pita, crusty sourdough, challah, or a baguette. Bread isn't a side here — it's the utensil, used to mop up yolk and sauce straight from the pan.

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