Name: 20-Minute Shakshuka
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 lb jar tomato based spaghetti or pizza sauce, or your choice or jarred Shakshuka sauce if available; 1- 15 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained; 6 eggs; 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (1 1/2 ounce/45gr) (You can sub goat cheese, mozzarella, cheddar cheese or your favorite non-dairy cheese); Hot red pepper flakes to taste (optional) or use the spices we used in this shakshuka recipe; 4 tsp Schug, pesto sauce or just some chopped parsley or cilantro (optional) (See notes for other ingredient suggestions)

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 5 reviews

Have you heard of Shakshuka? It’s been gaining popularity over the last few years and we’re not surprised! It’s a spicy and savory dish made with tomatoes, warm seasonings, and eggs all simmered together. Can you think of anything more comforting?

Dipping a piece of sourdough bread into shakshuka sauce

On those days where our energy is playing hide and seek and time seems to be slipping through our fingers, we love this super fast, super easy Shakshuka recipe. Eggs, spaghetti sauce, chickpeas, cheese, garlic, 20 minutes, and done! Dinner is served! Add a piece of baguette and your favorite salad, and in less than 30 minutes you have a balanced, delicious dinner no one will complain about. Just let someone else do the dishes! Growing up in a Middle Eastern home, this was one of our favorite comforting dinners.

Adding chickpeas to tomato sauce in a cast iron pan

Adding eggs to tomato sauce in a cast iron pan

Adding feta cheese to tomato sauce in a cast iron pan

What is Shakshuka? Where Did it Originate?

Shakshuka is a North African dish most likely Tunisian. It’s traditionally made with eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce, meaning the recipe we make today is pretty true to the origin! “Shakshuka” means “a mixture” or “shaken” in Tunisian. Today it’s served all over the Middle East and enjoyed by people all over the world especially in Israel where we have tasted some pretty creative Shakshuka recipes This is one of those rare meals that works for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. We love those!

Is Shakshuka Spicy?

Shakshuka is filled with warm, savory spices! You can easily customize the level of spice heat you add to the dish. We add red pepper flakes to the top of ours, so use those with caution if you’re sensitive to heat!

How to Make Vegan or Egg-Free Shakshuka

Shakshuka is usually made with eggs, so a lot of vegans count it out. Don’t be so hasty, though! There are some really great substitutions to make if you don’t eat eggs (or if you don’t have eggs on hand!). In our cookbook, we made a vegan version using polenta instead of eggs: Tahini and Turmeric Cookbook - May I Have That Recipe. You could also do avocado halves instead of eggs. Yum!

What to Serve with Shakshuka

Crusty bread is our number one choice! French bread or even a couple slices of toast are so, so good for dipping into the egg and tomatoes. You could also add an easy side salad for a serving of greens with this flavorful vegetarian meal.

Variations on Shakshuka

You can add any veggies, veggie sausage, soy meat crumbles, or cheese that you like into this classic Shakshuka recipe. Make it your own! We even have a version with fresh mozzarella, mushroom, and eggplant. Adding goat cheese or feta is another way to make this meal your own!

More Middle Eastern Dinners

Did you like this Shakshuka recipe?

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.

This post was originally published in February 2012 and updated August 2nd, 2020.