Shakshuka is a hearty middle eastern staple that is served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eggs are poached in a flavorful, warmly spiced sauce of tomatoes, sweet peppers, garlic and onions. These ingredients come together to create a warm, homey dish that is popular world wide.
Although commonly served as a vegetarian or vegan dish, I love adding ground lamb to my shakshuka, especially when I am serving it for dinner. If you cannot find lamb, ground beef works great too… or you can leave the meat out completely.
Shakshuka is healthy, filling and full of beautiful mediterranean flavors. Serve it with some warm crusty bread for breakfast, a light salad for lunch or over some rice for dinner.
Let’s get it started…
Shakshuka comes together in less than 30 minutes and will serve 4. Begin by adding 16 ounces of ground lamb into a large skillet and season with 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.
Cook the lamb until it is browned all over.
While the lamb is browning, finely mince 4 cloves of garlic and dice 1 medium yellow onion and a yellow sweet bell pepper. Once the lamb is browned and beginning to caramelize, add the garlic, onions and sweet bell peppers.
Stir to combine and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions and peppers are softened and the garlic is fragrant. Add 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes and 1/3 cup of finely chopped cilantro and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Simmer for a few minutes to allow the mixture to thicken slightly and taste to see if additional salt or black pepper is necessary.
Use a large spoon to form four small nests evenly spaced throughout the skillet…
… and add a large egg into each nest.
Cover the skillet and simmer the eggs until they are done to your preference. Usually, at around the 7 minute mark, you should have nice runny yolks with set whites. If you prefer your eggs to be be fully cooked, I would leave them in for 10-12 minutes.
Once your eggs are cooked to your liking, remove the skillet from the heat and garnish the shakshuka with crumbled feta and a little more cilantro.
This colorful skillet full of goodness is just begging to be dug into. I highly suggest having a baguette or some crusty Italian bread on hand, because you will not want to leave one bit of this sauce behind.
If you are serving shakshuka for breakfast, I suggest serving it with toast and some fruit. If you are serving it for lunch or as a brunch dish, I love pairing it with some mixed greens. If you want to serve this lamb shakshuka for dinner, it goes really well over some fluffy rice.
Whatever you end up pairing it with, it will be over shadowed by how incredibly delicious the shakshuka is and there is nothing wrong with that…
From the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and sweet bell peppers to the earthy goodness of the garlic, cumin and paprika this shakshuka is absolutely delicious. It has a bit of heat, loads of flavor and the ground lamb adds a great heartiness to this wonderful middle eastern classic.
Beteavon!
Lamb Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ground lamb
- 2 teaspoons of paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 4 large eggs
- feta, crumbled (optional)
- cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Place 16 ounces of ground lamb in a large skillet and season with 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- Place the skillet over medium heat and cook until the lamb is browned all over
- Add the garlic, onions and sweet bell peppers and cook for 5-7 minutes or until they begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant
- Add 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes and 1/3 cup of finely chopped cilantro
- Bring the mixture up to a simmer
- Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the tomato sauce begins to thicken a bit
- Use the back of a large spoon to make 4 wells in the sauce
- Add one egg into each well and season with a pinch of salt and pepper
- Cover the skillet and cook for 7-8 minutes for soft yolks or 10-12 minutes for set yolks
- Garnish the shakshuka with the additional cilantro and crumbled feta
- Enjoy with some crusty bread
