Shakshouka (Poached Egg in Spicy Tomato Sauce) DIY Recipe (Step-by-Step with Photos)

I have never heard of shakshouka in my life, and stumbled upon it by accident when I was looking for recipes that could use up my excess tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes (leftovers from my Ratatouille attempt). I had NO idea tomatoes spoiled so easily, so was in a tizzy trying to figure out what to do with all of my leftovers. Shakshouka to the rescue!

Shakshouka loosely translates to “all mixed up” in Arabic, as it primarily uses tomatoes with a pinch of onion, bellpepper, and other spices. Well, sounds perfect to me – as I had all those ingredients in my pantry! Best of all, not only does it require minimal ingredients but it’s really no fuss (see the step-by-step recipe below!)

So without further ado, let’s get cracking!

DELECTABLE APPETIZER FOR THE DAY: SHAKSHOUKA (POACHED EGG IN SPICY TOMATO SAUCE)

DIFFICULTY: Easy

SERVING SIZE: Good for 5 people (when paired with warm pita bread, or even nachos. Hmm, that’s a thought). If you are planning to make this your main dish, suggest you multiply all the ingredients below by 2.

COOKING TIME: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SHAKSHOUKA

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 5 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 – 5 small siling labuyo
• 10-ounce tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth (I used 1/4 cup water + 1 vegetable Knorr cube)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 eggs

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS TO MAKE SHAKSHOUKA

STEP 1: Prepare the ingredients

• Chop 1 onion, 2 bell peppers, and 3 tomatoes
• Use a mortar and pestle to crush the siling labuyo. This gives the shakshouka that fiery flavor

STEP 2: Cook the shakshouka

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped onions and pepper. Cook until softened and beginning to brown, takes around 5 minutes

• Add the 10-ounce tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup vegetable broth, and a pinch of cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper

• Let it simmer for ~20 minutes or until it has thickened. I suspect my heat was hotter than it should be because I finished at 15 minutes.

• Crack the eggs evenly on top of the sauce. Cover and cook for ~5 minutes (enough time for the whites to set, but the yolks are still runny), or add ~1 to 2 minutes more if you want a hard yolk

STEP 3: Bon Appetit!

Serve with warm pita bread or sourdough for a delicious appetizer