Over the past few years, one breakfast dish has catapulted from what seemed like obscurity to being on many restaurant menus, magazine covers, and added into several cookbooks. That of course is Shakshuka! Have you ever heard of it? Better yet, have you tried it? For those not familiar, Shakshouka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion and garlic, and commonly spiced with cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. It has been a staple in Mediterranean Culture for ages, and by that, I mean actual centuries. Many have fallen on this bandwagon as it is a simple, flavorful, savory option for breakfast that is both impressive to look at and easy to make.
I admittedly had never heard or tried this dish until several years ago myself. It was a recipe featured in a food styling job I was on and it was to be featured in a cast iron pan. I read the recipe, followed the instructions and made up a traditional Shakshuka, with about 7 egg cracked in, spread out through the pan. It was served with some crusty bread and looked DIVINE. I actually couldn’t wait for the shoot to be finished so I could try it. I was so surprised that this dish had escaped me for so long.
I’m a savory Breakfast gal for the most part. Granted, most mornings my breakfast consists of plain non-fat Greek yogurt, Peanut Butter powder, whole almonds and sliced strawberries. I could see where you would think that’s a “sweet” breakfast as it really isn’t. I made the jump to plain yogurt almost 3 years ago and honestly, I can’t eat artificially sweet ones now. It’s just two sweet. But when I get to have a hot breakfast, it’s egg based. It’s savory. This dish sounded incredible to me! And it really was as good as I thought it was going to be.
Scooping up this luscious mixture of rustic tomatoes, peppers and onions with soft baked eggs in there with crusty bread or flatbread is just delicious. It’s clean. No frills. No fancy or exotic ingredients. Just simple flavors, straight forward items.
I literally couldn’t wait to get my hands on this dish. But what could make this dish different or put a new twist on it? Then I thought about hectic mornings for many lately, and meal prepping for eating healthier. There it was. Individual servings for easy eating and portion control. The cups of mix could be left wrapped up, warmed up and you could easily add an egg to it for effective, quick re-preparation.
Let’s start with the tomato mixture first because obviously that’s going to take the most time.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, pour in about a tablespoon of oil. In the pan, add in a mix of peppers and onions. These can be frozen or fresh, as both work nicely. Although most versions I’ve seen used red peppers, I opted to go with a mix of colors. I always enjoy using multiple colors like I’ve mentioned in previous recipes because it does mix up the flavors and of course, gives more color.
Once they start to soften, add in your garlic and cook for another 5 minutes until the garlic is soft.
Once this is achieved, add in your spices. This is going to consist of paprika, chili pepper, roasted pepper flakes, cumin, cracked black pepper and some kosher salt. With many spices that are from the Middle East, they actually taste better toasted to release the flavor. By adding this in to the pan with the oil and other items, it releases more flavor. But don’t leave it in too long as spices can burn.
Use a spoon to move all your ingredients around in the pan to allow for even cooking and distribution of spices. At this point, add in two 15oz cans of diced tomatoes into the mix. Stir to combine everything, lower your heat to a low and let it simmer for 20 minutes or so. The longer you let it go, the more flavor will develop.
Once this has cooked for a bit, you can spoon this into individual cups. Whether it be soup cups, coffee cups, or small bowls, the individuality of this is what makes this so easy. Only fill them 3/4 of the way up the cup. You don’t want it too full. This is why: you are going to be making a well in the center.
Using a tablespoon, gently push the mixture towards the sides, making a deep well down to the bottom of the container.
When you are ready to cook it, crack an egg into the well. Place the containers in the oven and bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes or until the egg whites start to turn opaque. These eggs won’t take long to cook with the mixture itself being hot.
Remove from oven and serve with some crusty bread or grilled flatbread.I hope you enjoy this rustic delight that serves as an anytime meal in Israel. You can have this as a meal at anytime of day and it’s not hurting anyone’s waistline unless you really go to town on that crusty bread. Enjoy this fun taste of Israel!
Individual Spicy Egg Shakshuka
Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- 3 Bell Peppers, Red Yellow or Green, julienned without seeds
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Roasted Pepper Flakes
- 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Tbsp Black Pepper
- 2 15oz cans of Diced Tomatoes
- 4 Large Eggs
- Fresh Parsley or Cilantro for Garnish
- Crusty bread or Flatbread Pitas
In a large saute pan, add oil to pan and heat over medium high heat.
Add peppers and onions to the pan and cook until softened. Add garlic and continue moving items around for even cooking. Cook garlic until translucent.
Add Paprika, Chili Powder, Cumin, Roasted Pepper Flakes, Black Pepper and Kosher Salt to the pan. Stir to incorporate spices and toast for a minute or two.
Add tomatoes to pan, turn down heat and cook on low for 20 minutes to incorporate flavors.
Spoon tomato mixture into cups until they are 3/4 of the way filled. Using a tablespoon, create a small well in the mixture by pushing it towards the sides of the container.
When ready to cook, crack 1 large egg into the center of each cup. Bake in a 375 degree oven.
Carefully remove from oven, garnish with fresh herbs and serve with crusty bread or flatbread. Enjoy!
Steve
Love it!