Shakshuka is the kind of dish that looks like it took work. It did not. The sauce comes together in about twelve minutes — onion, pepper, a few spices, canned tomatoes — then the eggs go in and cook in the steam while you set the table. Use the best canned tomatoes you can find; they are most of the flavour. Late summer works well with fresh ripe tomatoes if you have a glut.

Skillet Shakshuka

Scale

Method

Set a large, deep skillet over medium heat and warm the olive oil. Add the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to colour at the edges.
8 min
Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, and cayenne. Stir continuously until the spices smell fragrant and the garlic is no longer raw.
1 min
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, stir well, and season with the remaining salt. Simmer uncovered, stirring every couple of minutes, until the sauce thickens and the colour deepens from bright red to a deeper brick red.
10 min
Use the back of a spoon to make 6 shallow wells in the sauce. Crack one egg into each well. Cover the pan tightly and cook over medium-low heat until the whites are fully set but the yolks still jiggle when you tilt the pan — they carry-cook for about 30 seconds after the lid comes off, so pull them just before they look perfect.
6 min
Take the pan off the heat. Scatter over the feta if using, and the parsley. Serve straight from the skillet with crusty bread for scooping.

Substitutions

Crushed tomatoes — About 1.5 lb of ripe fresh tomatoes, cored, roughly chopped, and crushed in your hand as they go into the pan. Add 2–3 extra minutes of simmering to drive off the extra water.
Red bell pepper — Poblano or Anaheim pepper for a mild background heat, or omit entirely and use a second onion.
Feta — Goat cheese or small spoonfuls of ricotta. Or leave it out entirely — the dish stands fine without it.
Smoked paprika — Sweet paprika plus a small pinch of chipotle powder to replace the smokiness.

Storing leftovers

The tomato sauce keeps up to 4 days in the fridge. Do not store eggs that have been poached into it — they turn rubbery when reheated. Reheat the sauce alone in a skillet until simmering, then crack in fresh eggs and continue from step 4.

Questions

How do I know when the eggs are done?

The whites should be completely opaque with no translucent patches near the yolk. Tilt the pan — if the yolk slides slightly but the white holds firm, they are ready. Err on the side of underdone: the residual heat finishes them.

My sauce is watery and the eggs are spreading. What went wrong?

Canned tomatoes vary a lot in water content. If the sauce looks thin after the 10-minute simmer, give it another 3–5 minutes on slightly higher heat, stirring more often, until it coats the back of a spoon. Runny sauce means the eggs can't hold their shape.

Can I make the sauce ahead?

Yes. The sauce keeps 4 days refrigerated. Reheat it in the skillet until simmering, then proceed from step 4 with fresh eggs.