Besides being exceptionally entertaining to say, Shakshouka is a simple and homey meal. It can be found in most cafes, breakfast places, and sometimes even dedicated shakshuka spots everywhere in Israel. Equally popular as a Saturday brunch or a breakfast outdoors as a high energy meal before taking down camp. It’s usually served in it’s pan with a bread basket companion. This dish is basically a tomato sauce with eggs easy-over eggs atop. Definitely one of the best “pantry raid”, “one pot meal”, AND “leftover reviver” I’ve ever known. On those lazy nights I always remember my dad (the resident cook in my house growing up) taking stock of the fridge and somehow managing to whip up an always delicious shakshouka that left the whole family satisfied.
One of the many wonderful qualities of this dish is it’s versatility. The beauty of it, in my eyes, is the fact that you can turn out a great shakshouka just with what you have on hand. A great place to use up that extra bit of pasta sauce, the last half of the tomato paste from the can, extra veggies that managed to sneak away to the back of the drawer and aren’t looking so fresh.
In this version of shakshouka we chose it as our “brunch” on a mini picnic to the Ben Shemen forest. Easy to make, even outside, minimal prep time, and it turned out excellently on the small burner we had to cook on.
Here’s how we made it, but really, no shakshouka I’ve never managed to recreate a shakshuka.
Click to read the recipe!
Shakshouka on the Fly
(for 2 people)
1 onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tomatoes, diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
spices to your liking – (in this recipe) salt, pepper, dried chilis (can also include) parsley, cilantro, thyme, etc.
3-4 eggs1. Fry the onions and the garlic in a large oiled pan
2. Add peppers and cook until soft
3. Add the tomatoes (fresh, paste, canned, or pre-made sauce)
4. Let sit until bubbling and juicy. Best to cover it at this point, we forgot the cover so had to improvise a bit.
5. Season the sauce to taste, once you are satisfied with the sauce you can crack the eggs right into the pan.
6. Let the eggs cook. Once the egg whites are white, remove from the heat, and serve hefty portions right from the pan.
Delicious with a nice crusty bread… maybe some day old Challah even.
- Onions, garlic, tomatoes, yellow peppers, and dried chilis
- Only a few more minutes until it’s ready!
- And it’s done!
Jewish Food in the Hands of Heathens 
Shakshouka is awesome! I’ll have to try your version with the yellow bell peppers. I’ve made it with roasted red bell peppers, which impart a wonderful smoky flavor. When I’m really pressed for time, I use pasta sauce and chili flakes. It’s not as crisp as the fresh tomatoes and peppers, but it works when you need to make breakfast or lunch in less than ten minutes.