Healthy Easy Shakshuka

This one-pan, healthy, vegetarian, easy Shakshuka is made up of tomatoes, vegetables, and eggs – for a delicious meal at any time of the day!

With only a few ingredients, one pan, and around 20 minutes, it’s really easy to whip up a healthy vegetarian shakshuka that is both filling and delicious. This easy shakshuka recipe combined a few delicious vegetables with eggs and seasoning for a simple, nutritious breakfast or lunch dish.

Shakshuka eggs are probably one of my favorite savory cooked breakfast/brunch dishes because the process is so simple, you just use one dish, and you still get the runny, delicious yolk from the eggs – which I crave in a breakfast eggs dish. 

In fact, there are several reasons to make this dish now; It is both comforting and healthy, easy to make, cost-effective, naturally gluten-free, a one-pan dish, and incredibly customizable. Plus, you can serve it as part of breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner. 

What Is Shakshuka?

Shakshuka ( also called shakshouka), is a simple vegetarian dish of tomatoes and eggs, mixed with a variety of vegetables. The classics often contain peppers and onions. The eggs are added on top of the vegetable mix and allowed to simmer and ‘poach’. 

I’d love to be able to pay homage to the exact roots of this dish, but with all the reading and researching I’ve done, the origins are largely disputed. As a Lebanese woman, I have always associated shakshuka with the Middle East, particularly with many ties to Israel. However, there are also ties to the Ottoman Empire, and this modern variety is possibly best linked to modern North African poached eggs shakshuka. 

The word Shakshuka is Arabic slang for “a mixture”. One of the most impressive things about this dish being how versatile and customizable that it is. While I like to keep mine basic and to the roots of ones I had as a child, it is just as easy to add in some cheese (I’d suggest feta as one of my favorite options), other veggies. You name it – as long as it will cook in time with the other ingredients, then it’s a go!

You may have had a similar dish in other parts of the world too. For example, Turkish “Menemen“, Mexican “Huevos rancheros“, or even Italian “eggs in purgatory“. 

Plus, with just one pan, you know that this easy shakshuka is going to be a simple recipe, consisting of chopping and mixing. That’s my type of dish!

How To Make Shakshuka

This dish really is as simple and lightly frying some vegetables in a thick, rich tomato sauce, cracking some eggs into it, and voila. However, here is my favorite easy shakshuka recipe.

What’s needed

• Peppers, cherry tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, onion
• Eggs
• Olive oil, paprika, chillis, parsley, salt and pepper

The Steps

Start by prepping the veg – chop the onion and peppers.

Warm a skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and pepper to the pan.

Sauté the onion and pepper over high-medium heat for a couple of minutes until the peppers have softened.

Add the chilis, paprika, salt, and pepper, and then stir. You could also wait to season with salt and pepper just before adding the eggs, to get it exactly right, to your tastes. 

Throw in the cherry tomatoes and leave to simmer for a couple of minutes. I throw them in whole. However, you can also add diced tomatoes. 

Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato paste and stir well, to thoroughly combine. 

Carefully crack the eggs into the pan. Cook for a few minutes until desired. I prefer to cook until my egg whites are cooked, but the yolks are still a little runny. 

You can cook this uncovered, but then it will take longer to cook the eggs through. If covering the pan, then it’s best to place a kitchen towel between the lid and pot. This will capture the condensation from the steaming pan, allowing your eggs to steam, but without the pan dropping liquid back onto your shakshuka and making it “watery”. 

I then like to top my easy shakshuka with parsley. 

How to Serve

My favorite way to serve this delicious shakshuka is with homemade pita bread or crusty bread, like this Simple Homemade Multigrain Bread Recipe or a sourdough. 

I’ll sometimes even add a cheeky swipe of Homemade Butter to my toast/bread too. 

If serving as a main meal, then you may want to serve it alongside brown rice, quinoa, or other grains. 

Recipe Notes and Variations

• Choose your tinned tomatoes wisely. Just like with this Homemade Marinara, tomatoes are the key ingredient here, so you don’t want to use just any old tiny. My favorite options are either crushed fire-roasted tomatoes or DOP ‘San Marzano’ tinned tomatoes.
• Some people don’t have much luck when cooking the eggs just in the skillet. If you have issues, then transfer the pan, uncovered, to your oven and baking until the egg whites are set.

Shakshuka is exceptionally customizable and can easily be tweaked towards different tastes, for example:

• swap out vegetables – or add more. For instance, eggplant, potatoes, squash, carrot, zucchini, spinach, kale, chard, etc.
• For Vegan shakshuka – you can omit the eggs and add tofu instead. Also, feel free to crumble over vegan feta or other vegan cheese. 
• For More spice – add extra chilis, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, etc. 
• Swap Spices – you can easily change the entire flavor of the dish with your choice of spices. Cumin, paprika, curry powder, za’atar, etc. All add their spin to the dish.
• Add Cheese – crumbled feta is delicious when combined with the sumptuous, hearty tomatoes and eggs. 
• Swirl In Pesto – like this Delicious Vegan Basil Pesto (with pistachios) or Carrot Leaf Pesto: Waste reduction pesto recipe. It adds a lovely, salty, richness to the dish. 
• Other toppings – include homemade creamy labneh, different types of cheese, olives, fresh avocado slices, your herbs of choice, etc. Sometimes, I even like to add a sprinkle of Simple Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips.

Other Breakfast/Brunch Dishes You May Like

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I’m breakfast obsessed here, so I have plenty of options to choose from. Whether you want something savory like these Simple breakfast tacos, Tofu Scramble, or Green Protein Pancake. For something sweet, you might prefer these Healthy Smoothies, Mini Pancake Cereal, or Salted Caramel Overnight Oats. Here are some other suggestions:

• Easy Turkish Menemen (Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes)
• Homemade British Baked Beans (GF & Vegan Breakfast Beans Recipes!)
• French Baked Eggs in Oven (Shirred Eggs/Oeufs Cocotte)
• Eggs In Purgatory (Italian Baked Eggs)
• Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash (Vegetarian Hash)

If you have any questions, leave a comment below. Also, I love seeing your recreations so feel free to tag me on Instagram @AlphaFoodie.