Shakshuka with feta is eggs cooked gently in a spiced sauce of tomatoes, sweet peppers and onion, finished with salty crumbled feta and herbs and served straight from the skillet with bread. This version cooks the sauce down until it holds the eggs in neat wells. It takes about 40 minutes and one 12 inch pan.
Why the sauce has to be thick before the eggs go in
Watery sauce is the most common problem. The eggs sink, the whites spread into a thin film, and the yolks overcook before the whites set. A few habits fix it.
- Use whole canned tomatoes and crush them by hand. They have more body than diced tomatoes, which are treated to stay firm and never quite break down.
- Cook the peppers until soft before adding tomatoes. Raw peppers release water as they cook.
- Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. The sauce is ready when you drag a spoon across the pan and the trail holds for a second or two.
- Make deep wells. Push the sauce aside with the back of a spoon so each egg sits in its own pocket.
If the sauce gets too thick and starts to catch on the bottom, stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons of water. You want it spoonable, not paste.
When does the feta go on?
Last, after the eggs have set and the pan is off the heat. Added earlier, feta sits under the lid in the steam, leaks brine into the sauce and turns soft and chalky. Scattered over at the end, it warms through, softens at the edges and keeps its shape, so each spoonful gets a salty, creamy bite against the sweet peppers.
Buy a block packed in brine rather than pre-crumbled feta, which is drier and often coated so the pieces don't stick together. Sheep's milk feta is creamier and tangier; cow's milk feta is milder and firmer. Either works. Crumble 2 ounces (55 g) with your fingers into uneven pieces, some large and some small.
Because feta is salty, taste the sauce before the eggs go in and season it a little under what you'd normally want. Goat cheese or spoonfuls of labneh work the same way if you'd rather skip the feta.
How long do the eggs cook under the lid?
Cover the pan once the eggs go in and keep the heat at medium low. The lid traps steam, which cooks the top of the whites without flipping or basting. Check at 5 minutes: the whites should look opaque and set, with no clear, jiggly patches near the yolk.
| Covered time | Whites | Yolks |
|---|---|---|
| 5 to 6 minutes | Just set | Runny |
| 7 to 8 minutes | Fully set | Jammy, thick at the edges |
| 10 to 12 minutes | Firm | Firm throughout |
The eggs keep cooking in the hot sauce after you take the pan off the burner, so pull it about a minute early. For anyone who needs firm eggs, use the longer time. The USDA shell egg guidance advises cooking eggs until the yolk and white are firm, which matters most for older adults, young children, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system.
Which additions work in the skillet?
The sauce handles extras well as long as you account for their moisture and salt, especially with feta going on top.
- Spinach or chard: stir 3 or 4 handfuls into the sauce and let them wilt for 2 minutes before making the wells.
- Sausage: brown 8 ounces of sliced merguez or chorizo first, remove it, and add it back with the tomatoes. Cut back the salt a little.
- Chickpeas: a drained 15 ounce can makes it more filling and keeps it vegetarian.
- Harissa: replace the red pepper flakes with 1 tablespoon of harissa paste, fried briefly with the tomato paste, for a smokier, rounder heat.
Add one or two at most. Piled with everything, the pan gets crowded and the eggs have nowhere to sit.
Where shakshuka comes from and how it's eaten
It's cooked across North Africa and the Middle East. Tunisia and Libya have long traditions of it, and it became an everyday breakfast in Israel, where it's now one of the best known versions. The name is often translated loosely as a mixture or a shake-up, and cooks change it freely, from green peppers to merguez to no cheese at all.
Bread is the one thing it needs. Thick slices of toasted sourdough bread scoop up egg and sauce together, and warm pita or challah work just as well. A chopped salad of cucumber, tomato and parsley with lemon is traditional alongside, and a spread from a Mediterranean mezze platter turns it into a full table. Serve it in the skillet on a trivet, since the pan keeps everything hot. It makes a solid weeknight dinner as easily as a breakfast.
The recipe
Shakshuka with Feta: Eggs Poached in Spiced Tomato Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or 1 tablespoon harissa
- 1 can (28 ounces / 794 g) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional, for tart tomatoes)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 large eggs
- 2 ounces (55 g) feta, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
- Crusty bread or warm pita, for serving
Instructions
- Soften the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
- Bloom the spices. Add the garlic, tomato paste, paprika, cumin and pepper flakes. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the paste darkens to brick red and smells toasty.
- Simmer the sauce. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice, the salt, sugar if using and a few grinds of pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick enough that a spoon leaves a trail. Taste for salt.
- Add the eggs. Lower the heat to medium low. Make 6 wells with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each one. Season the eggs with a pinch of salt.
- Cover and cook. Cover the pan and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the whites are opaque and set and the yolks are done to your liking. Cook 10 to 12 minutes for fully firm yolks.
- Finish and serve. Take the pan off the heat, scatter over the feta and herbs, and serve straight from the skillet with bread.
Cook's notes
- Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. Reheat it in the skillet until bubbling, then add the eggs.
- Cooked shakshuka doesn't hold well because the eggs overcook when reheated. Cook only as many eggs as you'll eat and save leftover sauce for later.
- In summer, swap the canned tomatoes for 2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) of ripe fresh tomatoes, chopped, and simmer a few minutes longer.
Shakshuka questions
Is shakshuka with feta vegetarian?
Yes, as written it contains no meat. Strict vegetarians should check the feta label, because some feta is made with animal rennet; many brands use microbial rennet instead. For more protein without meat, stir a drained can of chickpeas into the sauce before making the wells, or add a dollop of thick yogurt to each bowl.
Does shakshuka sauce freeze well?
The sauce does, the eggs don't. The tomato and pepper base keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days and freezes for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat, warm it in a skillet until it bubbles, make the wells and cook the eggs fresh. Reheated eggs turn rubbery and grey at the yolk.
How do you make shakshuka milder or hotter?
Adjust the chile, not the paprika. The base recipe uses sweet paprika and a small amount of red pepper flakes, which gives gentle warmth. For more heat, add a sliced fresh chile with the onion or use harissa. For a mild version, skip the flakes entirely and put plain yogurt on the table to cool each bite.
Why do my eggs sink into the sauce?
The sauce is too thin. When there's too much liquid, the eggs slide to the bottom of the pan and the whites spread out and overcook. Simmer the sauce uncovered until a spoon dragged across the pan leaves a trail that holds for a second, then make deep wells with the back of a spoon.
Keep cooking
