Vegetable packed spicy shakshuka with poached eggs
The Story
This North African dish is one of my favorite recipes to pull out when I’m looking for a warm and comforting vegetarian dish that will truly leave me feeling full. It’s really the perfect dish. You can adapt it to any time of day and customize it in a million ways depending on the vegetables you use and even what sauce you serve it with (try my cucumber dill yogurt with ranch vibes for a spin on the classic accompaniment of plain yogurt).
Unfortunately, one thing that can wind up happening with vegetarian dishes is feeling like they’re a collection of side dishes all on one plate. That is definitely not the case with shakshuka. The hearty tomato-based sauce combined with eggs served alongside crusty bread or even spooned over rice (if you like brown rice, try using the pasta method I describe in my recipe for brown rice bowls with veg…another great vegetarian dish, by the way) leave you feeling more than satiated.
Popular all across the U.S. and the Middle East, there are plenty of shakshuka recipes in the interverse like this one from Serious Eats or this one from New York Times Cooking. What makes my recipe different is I load it up with extra vegetables like eggplant and zucchini to make it feel like a more complete meal. I also add tomato paste and harissa to create some extra depth and turn up the spiciness dial.
I like to use room temperature eggs to ensure they cook more evenly. If you don’t have room temperature eggs, make sure you take them out of the refrigerator right when you start cooking to have them come as close to room temperature as possible by the time you need to add them to the shakshuka sauce mixture.
Difficulty: 2 on a scale of 1-5
Active time to prepare: 45 minutes
Total time to prepare: 1 hour (including sauce simmering time)
Serves: 4 (2 eggs per person)
The Ingredients
For the spicy shakshuka sauce/“poaching liquid”:
5 Tbsp./70 g olive oil
1 small eggplant large diced
1 zucchini large diced
1 onion large diced
1 red pepper large diced
5 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbsp./20 g smoked Spanish paprika
1 tsp./4 g ground cumin
1 tsp./4 g red chili flakes
2 Tbsp./34 g tomato paste
2 Tbsp./34 g harissa
28 ounces/800 g canned tomatoes lightly crushed with your hands and their juices
8 large room temperature eggs
Salt and pepper
For the assembly:
Toasted crusty bread with olive oil (I like to rub the bread with a clove of garlic after it’s toasted)
Optional garnish: a small handful of fresh tender herbs like cilantro, mint, dill, parsley, basil, etc. for each plate
The Recipe
For the crab cakes:
In a large wide heavy-bottomed pot (like a cast iron or Dutch oven, make sure it has a lid), add 2 Tbsp./28 g olive oil to heat up over medium heat.
Add the diced eggplant in one layer. Cook until softened and browned, turning halfway through the cooking to brown the pieces more evenly (10 - 12 minutes approx). Set aside.
Add 1 Tbsp./14 g olive oil to the pan. Add the diced zucchini and cook until slightly softened and browned, turning halfway through the cooking to brown the pieces more evenly (5 - 7 minutes approx.). Set aside with the eggplant.
Add the last 2 Tbsp./28 g olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the red pepper. Cook until the onions and peppers are softened and deeply browned (6 - 8 minutes approx.).
Add the garlic and cook until softened and fragrant (2 -3 minutes approx.).
Add the cooked eggplant and zucchini.
Add the paprika, cumin, and red chili flakes and stir to evenly distribute them amongst the vegetables. Toast the spices in the oil for 1 - 2 minutes.
Add the tomato and harissa paste. Stir until the mixture is homogenous. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes until the tomato and harissa paste darken in color.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the tomatoes with all their juices. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 10 - 15 minutes, allowing for the flavors to combine.
With the help of a wooden spoon, make 8 egg-sized divots in the sauce.
Individually crack each egg in a ramekin or small bowl and carefully drop them into the divots. Make sure you leave the top of the egg uncovered.
Season each egg with salt and pepper.
Cover the pot and cook over low heat until the egg whites are set and the yolks are runny (6 - 8 minutes approx.).
For the assembly:
To serve, gently scoop two eggs for each plate.
Top with tender herbs.
DO AHEAD: You can make the sauce (through step 10) up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Thoroughly warm the mixture through before adding the eggs.
LEFTOVERS: Reheated eggs aren’t my favorite, so it’s my preference to eat any leftovers at room temperature.
