Picture this: a rich, spicy tomato sauce bubbling away in a large skillet, cradling perfectly poached eggs begging to be scooped with a slice of crusty bread.
Sounds mouthwatering, right? That, if you haven't guessed yet, is shakshuka. Today, we're adding eggplant, red bell peppers, and mushrooms. These delicious veggies add fiber and delightful texture and flavor to this dish. Whether you’re a shakshuka enthusiast or someone hearing about it for the first time, this recipe for eggplant shakshuka is a fabulous meal for any time of the day.
What is Shakshuka?
Traditional Shakshuka is a delightful Mediterranean dish, of eggs poached in a thick spiced tomato sauce. It’s a hearty, flavorful, versatile dish suitable for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Origins and Global Spread
Shakshuka’s roots trace back to North Africa, particularly Tunisia, where it was commonly enjoyed as a breakfast dish. Over time, it traveled across the Middle East and Mediterranean, gaining popularity in Israel, where it's considered a staple.
How to Eat Shakshuka
The dish is typically served straight from the skillet, placed in the center of the table, encouraging everyone to scoop it into their plate or eat it communally straight from the pan ( no judgment here ;-)). It’s best enjoyed with crusty bread or pillowy pita bread to scoop up the delicious, eggs and the savory tomato sauce.
Ingredients For Eggplant Shakshuka
- Vegetables: Eggplant, mushrooms, red bell peppers, onions, and garlic cloves.
- Spices: Ground cumin, coriander, paprika, Aleppo pepper, turmeric, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Tomato Base: Tomato paste and canned crushed tomatoes.
- Others: Extra virgin olive oil, eggs, and feta cheese.
- Optional: Harissa paste for extra heat.
Why Add Veggies to Shakshuka?
Adding eggplant, mushrooms, and peppers to your shakshuka enhances its nutritional value and adds a delightful texture and depth of flavor. The eggplant absorbs the spicy tomato sauce, becoming wonderfully tender and flavorful. Trust me, once you try this version, you'll want to add veggies to your shakshuka every time you make it!
How to Make Eggplant Shakshuka
Prep Your Veggies: Dice the eggplant, slice the mushrooms and red bell peppers, and finely chop the onions and garlic.
Sauté the Vegetables: Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet or cast iron pan. Add onions and garlic, cooking until they’re fragrant and translucent. Next, add eggplant, mushrooms, and red bell peppers, stirring occasionally until tender.
Season Generously: Sprinkle in your spices – paprika, ground cumin, coriander, Aleppo pepper, turmeric, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir well to coat the vegetables evenly.
Add Tomato Paste and Crushed Tomatoes: Stir in the tomato paste, followed by crushed canned tomatoes. Let the mixture simmer, allowing the flavors to meld together and the sauce to thicken. This flavorful thick tomato sauce will be the heart of your shakshuka.
Create Wells for the Eggs: Make small wells in the tomato sauce using the back of a wooden spoon. Crack the eggs into the wells, one at a time.
- Poach the Eggs: Cover the skillet and let the eggs poach in the sauce until the egg whites are set but the yolks remain runny.
- Finish with Feta: Crumble some feta cheese over the top, letting it melt slightly into the sauce.
- Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle with fresh parsley or cilantro, and bring the skillet to the table. Serve with plenty of crusty bread or pita bread for dipping.
Shakshuka, A Meal For Busy Days
Family, work, responsibilities, finding balance in all of it... Somehow sometimes 24 hours in a day seem not to be enough! For those days, you need a dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes and is comforting nutritious, and satisfying at the same time, or order takeout!
- If you know you will have a busy week, you can prepare the sauce 2-3 days ahead without adding the eggs or cheese. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to make this eggplant shakshuka recipe, reheat the sauce in a large skillet, and add the eggs and feta cheese.
- If you don't have time to prepare the sauce use a store-bought tomato sauce or pizza sauce as a base and add frozen veggies like broccoli and cauliflower, a can of chickpeas and you are all set! Check out our 20-minute shakshuka recipe using store-bought sauce.
- Share and eat the shakshuka right out of the pan and you won't have any dishes to clean!
Shakshuka Variations
Shakshuka is so easy and versatile that it can be made as fancy or simple as you like. A basic shakshuka recipe is just eggs poached in tomato sauce. Here are some variation ideas:
- Experiment with other veggies: Add other veggies such as spaghetti squash, green beans, butternut squash, fennel, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, zucchini, etc.
- Add more flavor to the sauce: Put pesto or schug into the tomato sauce for extra flavor.
- Make it spicy: Add harissa paste or your favorite hot sauce.
- Make it cheesy: Add fresh mozzarella, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, or goat cheese to your shakshuka.
- Use Seasonal Produce: In the summer, use fresh tomatoes and herbs for a vibrant, fresh taste.
- Add more protein: Use chickpeas for extra protein.
- Make it green: A fun variation of shakshuka is too make it with a green creamy sauce, full of green leafy veggies instead of tomato sauce. Check out our Green Shakshuka recipe!
Freezing Instructions
If you want to freeze the shakshuka sauce, let it cool first. Transfer the sauce to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the sauce overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in a skillet. Cook the eggs and feta just before serving.
Did you like this Eggplant Shakshuka recipe? Check out our other eggplant recipes!
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
PrintEggplant Shakshuka Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Shakshuka is a versatile dish of eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce. We made our eggplant shakshuka with eggplant, mushrooms, red bell, and creamy feta cheese. It is ideal to serve for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced small
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
- 1 small eggplant unpeeled, diced small (½" pieces). About 2 ½ cups diced.
- 10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- 1 jalapeño pepper, diced small
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Spanish paprika or sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp Aleppo pepper or hot red pepper flakes
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/1 -1 teaspoon harissa paste (optional for heat and smokiness)
- 1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8 eggs
- 1 ounce crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large deep nonstick skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until translucent.
- In a small bowl add paprika, cumin, turmeric, coriander, Aleppo pepper and black pepper, and mix well.
- When the onions are translucent, add eggplant, mushrooms, bell pepper, jalapeño, spice mix and salt. Stir and cook covered on medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the eggplant is soft. Halfway through the cooking process, check the vegetable mixture. If it is starting to stick to the bottom of the pan add ¼ cup of water and continue cooking.
- Once the eggplant is soft stir in tomato paste and harissa paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, lower the heat to medium, and cook covered for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- With the back of a wooden spoon make wells in the tomato sauce and add one egg to each well.
- Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until the whites are set and the yolks are slightly runny.
- Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and serve immediately with crusty bread, warm pita bread, or matzo on Passover.
- Sprinkle fresh parsley or cilantro on top for color and flavor.
Notes
- The Shakshuka tomato sauce can be made 2-3 days ahead of time. Heat it and add eggs and cheese right when you are ready to enjoy your meal.
- The spiced sauce can be frozen in a tight sealed container for 3 months. When ready to make shakshuka, thaw it and add egss and feta cheese.
- Count two eggs per person
- If you are feeding a crowd, count two eggs per person.
- You can either make the shakshuka in a 10" deep skillet or make it 2 eggs at a time in a smaller skillet for a fun personal-size shakshuka.
- Re-heat leftovers in a pan or microwave
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Breakfast, Dinner
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 eggs with sauce
- Calories: 266
- Sugar: 5.5
- Sodium: 921
- Fat: 16
- Saturated Fat: 5.2
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 9.4
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 22.6
- Cholesterol: 205
Paleo Kosher Kitchen
I love shakshuka, this looks great! Where do you find Kosher for Passover cumin (I know it is considered kityniot by many)
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you Shoshana. I think Pereg has KP cumin, we did not read the small print to see if it was kitniot. I guess each person has to decide what spices and ingredients they can use based on their Passover customs
Josie
Wow, this looks so delicious and colorful! Love eggplant 🙂
Vicky & Ruth
Thanks!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much Josie!
Marie @ Not Enough Cinnamon.com
Oh I love shakshuka and yours is definitely mouth watering! Look at all these beautiful colors! YUM!!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you Marie!! 🙂
Showhan
I just surprised to see the post !! Really, it is a great recipe and looking so yummy !! I can't wait to try making this awesome recipe on later today. Anyway, the pictures are really incredible, I can't explain to you how they look good.
Fareeha - faskitchen
Wow, Vicky and Ruth.. It looks amazing.. Gotta try this out soon
VegOut Cuisine
What do you suggest for a plant-based substitute for fried eggs and cheese? We don't use corn polenta on Pesach...
Vicky & Ruth
Hi!
You could use seared or baked eggplant slices instead of eggs. We follow a blogger who uses avocado halves, so that's a great idea too! For cheese, you can add dollops of cashew ricotta (blend soaked raw cashews in the food processor with some salt, basil and a touch of lemon juice until creamy). Hope this helps!
Petra Abbam
Thanks for this recipe. It's my new favourite meal. I add garlic to the onions and also throw on whatever veg I have available.
Vicky & Ruth
Yum! Thank you for sharing!