The ultimate way to eat eggs for dinner. Smoky tomato sauce, spicy harissa, and feta cheese flavor this easy shakshuka recipe.
Once upon a time, I bought a jar of harissa paste. I’d been cooking the same things on repeat, and I wanted to branch out from the pasta-tacos-soup grind. I’m sure you know how it goes. Dinner in the U.S. always seems to fall into the same few genres: Tex-Mex, Italian, Chinese takeout, classic American comfort food. Repeat ad infinitum.
But this jar of harissa paste held promise. With a single spoonful, I could travel to Morocco or Algeria or Turkey or Egypt—all places my cooking rarely took me. My first step? Shakshuka. A simple dish comprised of eggs poached in spicy, smoky tomato sauce, it’s basically the apex of breakfast for dinner. Plus it’s the perfect vehicle for a big thwap of harissa paste.
I love shakshuka. I love it for its ease of preparation, I love it for its heartiness, and I love it for its health value. If you’ve never made it, I strongly encourage you to. It is truly a wonder meal; it has runny eggs, colorful veggies, and heaps of warm spices. Perhaps most importantly, it serves as an outstanding excuse to eat copious amounts of bread.
You really can’t eat shakshuka without bread.
It’s also a perfect weeknight meal, especially on those nights where you don’t have many things left in the pantry. I guarantee you already have most of the ingredients you need to make this recipe. If you want to downsize this recipe to make it for just one or two people, you can cut it in half and use a 15-ounce can of tomatoes. Don’t forget to serve it up with plenty of feta and herbs!
More breakfast-for-dinner ideas:
Bananas Foster French Toast
Herby Avocado Egg Salad Bagel Sandwiches
Did you make this shakshuka with feta and harissa? Don’t forget to share a photo on Instagram and tag me @emily.eats.things!
PrintShakshuka with Feta and Harissa
The ultimate way to eat eggs for dinner. Smoky tomato sauce, spicy harissa, and feta cheese flavor this easy shakshuka recipe.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 28–ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 or 5 large eggs
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Feta cheese, fresh parsley, and crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic, smoked paprika and cumin, and cook for an additional minute, until fragrant.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes and harissa paste. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened.
- Make a few wells in the sauce with your spoon, then crack an egg into each well. Spoon some tomato sauce over the whites of the eggs to cover them; this helps the whites cook faster while the yolks stay soft. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until whites are set and yolks are runny. Top with feta and fresh parsley, and serve with good bread.
Mary J says
This is a great recipe which lends itself to variations. I sometimes add kalamata olives and/or chickpeas. If I don’t feel like eggs I will crisp up some skin on chicken thighs and then finish in the sauce. Served with grilled flat bread (and sometimes over couscous) it’s a huge hit with my students and their friends.