Shakshuka: The Best One-Pan Middle Eastern Baked Eggs

Shakshuka (Middle Eastern Baked Eggs) is a wonderfully simple dish of baked or poached eggs, usually featuring capsicum, onion, and an optional meat like ground beef or bacon. It’s seasoned with staples like paprika, cumin, chili, and garlic, then topped with fresh parsley and cheese. The best way to eat it is with toasted sourdough to scoop up everything directly from the pan. It’s super easy to make in one pan and incredibly healthy because it’s packed with vegetables and high in protein. This has been a go-to easy breakfast on the weekend for me and my partner to pop on the counter and enjoy together with a coffee.

Shakshuka (Middle Eastern Baked Eggs)

I’m always on the lookout for new ways to have eggs on the weekend. After your 1,000th time having eggs on toast, you might want some variety in your life. Shakshuka is the perfect solution. It’s such a great way to start your day—it only uses one pan, can be prepared in 30 minutes start to finish, and is loaded full of vegetables and high protein. I first had shakshuka at a local Middle Eastern café in Sydney and thought, “Wow, I want this every week!” Hence began my official shakshuka phase.

The best part of this recipe is how you cook the tomatoes. By steaming them whole in the pan, you’ll be surprised to see that the skin comes right off after 15 minutes. This is why we slice off the top later, where the stem is, to create a nice flat surface and allow the skin to easily be pulled off. You’re then left with the delicious interior of the tomato, which you’ll crush with a fork directly in the pan. It’s just another great way to use real, fresh produce rather than canned goods. The tomatoes serve as the base of the entire recipe, and by steaming them, we’re bringing out the natural flavors and sweetness while retaining all that essential moisture.

Now, meat is not standard in shakshuka, but from my experience, it adds another layer of flavor to the whole dish. I’ve tried it with ground beef, sliced chorizo, and bacon. Today, we’re using bacon because who doesn’t like bacon and eggs?

Ingredients in Shakshuka (Middle Eastern Baked Eggs)

• Tomatoes –  I like using Roma tomatoes still on the vine. Pick tomatoes that are completely ripe and a tad soft to the touch. The great thing about this recipe is that you can use tomatoes that are past ripe—you know, the ones you forgot about in the bottom of your fridge! 😉 As a rule of thumb, super fresh, crispy tomatoes are great in fresh recipes like sandwiches or salads. When you’re cooking them in a recipe like shakshuka, all that matters is the flavor, not so much about them being crisp, because they’ll be cooked and reduced down.
• Brown or White Onion (Diced) – A certified essential ingredient. The onions add a nice sweetness and melt in your mouth. They also serve to take on the flavors of whatever you’re adding to the dish
• Capsicum (Red Peppers) – Together with the onion, these provide the texture of the dish, adding a nice crunch to each bite. You can dice these up or keep them as bigger slices.
• Bacon – Now, some of you might think it’s blasphemous to include meat, but I don’t care! Just give it a try. When adding the onion and capsicum, we will also add some meat. With how much water is in the vegetables and tomato, the added meat flavor enhances the entire dish. The longer you let it simmer, the more you’re turning that water into a stock in the pan.
• Eggs – The star of the show (or at least the photos). We’ll make as many wells in the tomato base as we want eggs.
• Cheese – Feta is more traditional, while mozzarella is more Westernized. Give them both a try. The feta adds a salty kick to each bite that works amazingly with the sweetness and smokiness of the tomato base, while mozzarella will melt all over the dish and is easily picked up by the crunchy toasted sourdough.
• Salt – Just a touch when cooking our vegetables; too much will be overpowering.
• Smoked Paprika – Regular will do, but smoked paprika adds a depth to the tomato that works perfectly with the sweetness of the tomato and onion to create a deep flavor profile.
• Cumin – Compliments the smokiness of the paprika, adding a nutty savoriness to the dish that’s needed. It elevates the dish from sweet and light with the vegetables to a nice sense of warmth and comfort.
• Parsley – Used as garnish on top. By adding this directly on top, we’re adding fresh herbiness and fragrance outside of the tomato base, which gives us layers of flavor.
• Olive Oil – Used to cook the vegetables. Go with extra virgin olive oil.
• Garlic – I love some garlic in this. Have you ever eaten something and thought, “That had too much garlic?” It’s quite rare for me, if ever, so I say add 5 cloves or a solid tablespoon of minced garlic.
• Toasted Sourdough (or bread of choice) – The bread needs to be crunchy and hold its shape. Otherwise, it won’t be strong enough to soak into the tomato base and still have enough structure to pick up the chunky bits of vegetables, egg, and bacon.

The size of your pan makes a big difference in how this dish turns out. A standard 28cm pan works perfectly for this recipe. Anything too small and you’ll have a tomato soup; anything too large, and you’ll need more tomato else risk the layer being too thin and the excess water evaporating too quickly.

How to make Shakshuka (Middle Eastern Baked Eggs)

1. Prepare your vegetables, meat, and garlic. You should dice the onion, capsicum, and bacon into roughly 1cm squares. This way they are small enough to not sink to the bottom of the sauce in the pan and can be easily scooped by our toasted sourdough. If using garlic, crush and slice into small pieces.

2. Next, chop the top layer of the tomato—the part with the green stem—right off so we have a flat surface.

3. In a pan on medium heat, add some olive oil, your onion, capsicum, bacon, garlic, and 1 tsp of salt. Cook just until sweating and the onion is slightly clear.

4. Push ingredients to the rim of the pan and add our tomatoes into the pan upside down. Add around 100ml of water and place the lid on your pan, steaming for 15 minutes.

5. Remove the lid. You will be able to remove the tomato skins easily with tongs, a fork, or chopsticks. Then, mash the soft tomatoes with a fork. If they are still solid—for instance, if your tomatoes were very fresh and crunchy—they may need another 5 minutes of steaming. Once mashed, mix them into the pan with all your other ingredients that have been patiently waiting on the perimeter.

6. Make little wells and crack in 3 eggs—or more, I won’t call the police. Cover again with the lid and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny (or to your liking). This should take about 5 minutes.

7. Garnish your shakshuka with feta or any other kind of cheese and fresh herbs like parsley or basil. Enjoy straight from the pan with toasted sourdough.

FAQ

Why is my Shakshuka watery? 

Because we are using fresh ingredients, there may be variation in how much liquid the tomatoes add to the dish. Your stove might be hotter than mine, or your pan could be a touch smaller. In any case, after mashing the soft tomatoes, allow some time for the tomato base to evaporate and reduce to become thick. The sauce should cling to a spoon, not run off like a soup would.

Can I change the spices? 

Totally. I have made this before with a more Italian flavor profile, swapping paprika and cumin for oregano and basil and using parmesan cheese on top. If Middle Eastern flavors aren’t your thing, give the Italian version a try!

Can I use canned tomato

Yes, definitely. For a more convenient option, substitute your tomatoes for 400 grams of canned crushed tomatoes. You’ll still have a delicious recipe while cutting the cooking time by 15 minutes. This is great for a super quick and easy breakfast.