Easy Curried Shakshuka
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Published Jan 01, 2021, Updated Jan 25, 2022
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This easy shakshuka recipe features poached eggs in a flavorful tomato sauce with curry powder. It comes together quickly and can be served any time of the day!
Since making shakshuka for the first time a few years ago, Isaac and I have become obsessed. We’ve tried it a couple different ways, but I think this version with bell pepper, feta and curry is my absolute favorite and the best I’ve ever tasted.
If you’re new to the dish, don’t be scared away by the name. It’s way easier to cook than it is to pronounce. Just kidding, it’s pretty easy to pronounce as well… shock-shoo-kah.
The best part about this dish (besides how delicious it tastes) is that you cook everything in one pan! I don’t know a single person that doesn’t love easy, one-pan meals like this!
What’s not to love — cooking everything in one dish not only makes the prep super simple, but you’re also cutting way back on the amount of dishes you have to wash. Less dishes = winning!
What is Shakshuka?
Shakshuka (also spelled shakshouka or chakchouka) is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, usually with olive oil, peppers, onion and garlic, as well as, spices. From my online research it seems as though the dish originated in North Africa. That said the dish has existed for centuries and is popular in Palestine, Israel, Egypt and other countries in the Middle East as well.
Ingredients in Shakshuka
- onion
- orange bell pepper
- garlic cloves
- olive oil
- seasonings and spices – cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, turmeric, sea salt and pepper
- curry powder
- canned diced tomatoes
- eggs
- feta cheese
- fresh cilantro and parsley for serving
Substitutions & Notes
Curry powder – Curry powder is an untraditional ingredient for shakshuka but it adds a ton of flavor. If you don’t love curry flavor you can leave it out but I highly recommend it.
Vegetables – The fun thing about shakshuka is that you can customize the sauce! Don’t love bell peppers? Leave them out. Want to add greens, add them in with the tomatoes! Have fun experimenting with different vegetables in your shakshuka.
Need it to be dairy-free? The feta adds a lovely creaminess to the dish, but if you’re dairy-free or paleo, you can easily leave the cheese out.
How to Make Shakshuka
Sauté vegetables – Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the skillet and cook until the vegetables are soft and fragrant – about 5-10 minutes.
Add spices – Stir in the cumin, paprika, cayenne, curry, turmeric, salt and pepper to the onion mixture and cook while stirring to combine for an additional minute.
Add tomatoes and cheese – Add the diced tomatoes to the skillet and bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens a bit – about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the feta cheese to the tomato mixture and stir.
Add eggs – Crack the eggs into the tomato sauce, spacing them out so you get 4-5 eggs in the large skillet. Cover and let the eggs cook, undisturbed for about 5 minutes or until the egg whites are cooked through. Remove the skillet from the heat, uncover and let sit for an additional 1-2 minutes before serving.
How to Serve Shakshuka
To serve shakshuka, spoon 1-2 eggs along with a big serving of tomato sauce onto a plate. Garnish with extra feta cheese and fresh cilantro and parsley. Serve with toast, veggies or a whole grain like quinoa or brown rice for a complete meal.
Since the main protein source for this dish is eggs, you can serve it for just about any meal — breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It comes together quickly and works great as a fast weeknight dinner option. Plus, you can reheat the leftovers for breakfast… score! Try my green shakshuka next!
More Middle Eastern Dishes
More One Pan Recipes
- Tempeh Butternut Squash Bake
- Asian Chicken Sheet Pan Meal
- Vegetarian Sheet Pan Dinner
- One Pan Roasted Chicken with Butternut Squash
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
Easy Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 4-5 eggs
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- fresh cilantro and parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Sauté veggies: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic to the skillet and cook until onions are soft and fragrant — about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add spices and tomatoes: Add cumin, paprika, cayenne, curry, turmeric, salt and pepper. Give the mixture a stir and cook for about 1 minute more. Add diced tomatoes to the skillet and bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens up a bit, about 10 minutes. Add feta cheese to the tomato mixture and stir.
- Add eggs: Crack eggs into tomato sauce. You should be able to fit 4-5 eggs in a large skillet. Cover and let the eggs cook for about 5 minutes, or until the egg whites are completely cooked through. Remove skillet from heat, uncover and let sit for a 1-2 minutes before serving.
- Serve: Spoon 1-2 eggs along with a big serving of tomato sauce on to each plate. Garnish with extra feta cheese and fresh cilantro and parsley. Serve with toast, veggies or over a whole grain like quinoa or brown rice for a complete meal.
Video
Notes
- Curry powder – Curry powder is an untraditional ingredient for shakshuka but it adds a ton of flavor. If you don’t love curry flavor you can leave it out but I highly recommend it.
- Vegetables – The fun thing about shakshuka is that you can customize the sauce! Don’t love bell peppers? Leave them out. Want to add greens, add them in with the tomatoes! Have fun experimenting with different vegetables in your shakshuka.
- Need it to be dairy-free? The feta adds a lovely creaminess to the dish, but if you’re dairy-free or paleo, you can easily leave the cheese out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Brittany,
I’m a little late coming to the table for this recipe, but I just stumbled upon it tonight. It reads like a really good novel, where you can completely visualize the characters and plot development in your head. With a good recipe, you can practically taste the ingredients as they meld together to create a dish layered in taste and texture sensations. Delicious! There is one layer in this concoction, however, that neither my husband nor I have ever enjoyed: poached eggs. Do you think any other type of egg could be substituted and still make a tasty meal? I would so appreciate your ideas! Thank you.
Terri
Hi, Terri! I occasionally make leftovers with an over-easy egg but you could easily do over-hard if that’s what you prefer! Just omit the step where you add the eggs to the shakshuka and make your eggs how ever you like them and serve them together.
Great recipe, had some eggplant chopped left over from another recipe so used that peppers onions herbs and all the spices. Used a touch of broth to help the eggplant cook up a bit more, added eggs and did use some feta on top. A favorite.
Woo! So pumped to hear that this recipe was a hit, Frances. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me!
Really lovely, I will put a little less cayenne next time because I’m weak but this will be my go to shakshuka recipe! I’ve made it with feta for myself but my partner doesn’t like it (freaky, I know) so I used some bocconcini and that was really nice too for texture and creaminess 🙂
Yum! I am glad you are loving this recipe, Katrina. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I so appreciate it!
Absolutely delicious and filling! I decided to make it a little more hearty with the addition of chorizo and butter beans in the filling, then topped with avocado and kalamata olives. I’ll be making this more often now. Thanks, Britt!
Absolutely! I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe and it turned out great for you. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!