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Home » Recipes » Breakfast

Shakshuka with Spinach and Feta

May 28, 2020 Updated November 20, 2022 by Lisa Goldfinger 21 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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shakshuka in a cast iron skillet with 6 eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce

Shakshuka is one of the world's great egg dishes. This shakshuka recipe, given to me by Israeli chef Einat Admony, has baked eggs in thick richly spiced tomato sauce with bell peppers, spinach and feta. Though this dish is traditionally served for breakfast, I also love this shakshuka for brunch, lunch or dinner.

shakshuka in a cast iron skillet with parsley sprigs to garnish

My friend Jim Solomon invited me to his restaurant, The Fireplace, for an Israeli brunch, prepared by chef Einat Admony. Einat, originally from Tel Aviv, now lives in NYC where she runs two critically-acclaimed restaurants, Taïm and Balaboosta. I was introduced to shakshuka at that brunch and was completely bowled over by it.

Einat's hearty, flavorful shakshuka is one of those supremely satisfying vegetarian dishes that makes everyone at the table happy. I'm  thrilled that Einat gave me permission to share her incredible shakshuka recipe here on Panning The Globe.

 

The concept of Shakshuka is very simple: baked eggs in spiced tomato sauce. But the particular spices that Einat uses are something special. And I love the added kick from the jalapeños. I decided to add feta cheese which melts into the spicy sauce, adding a salty creamy component. But feel free to leave it out if you prefer to go non-dairy.

How To Make Shakshuka:

This whole dish can be cooked in an oven-ready skillet, if you have one. If not, you can cook the sauce in a pot and then assemble and bake the shakshuka in a casserole dish. You can make this with fresh or frozen spinach.

  1. Start by Making the Tomato Sauce: Sauté onions, bell peppers and jalapeños until soft. Add tomato paste, canned tomatoes, chopped garlic and spices. Simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes and then stir in chopped spinach and simmer for another few minutes to wilt the spinach. The sauce can be made several days ahead of time.
  2. Assemble the Shakshuka: If you cooked the sauce in a pot, transfer it to an oven-ready skillet or casserole. Using the back of a tablespoon, make 6-8 evenly-spaced depressions in the sauce. Crack an egg into each depression. Press cubes of feta into the sauce, around and between the eggs.
  3. Cook the shakshuka: Bake it in a 375ºF oven for 20-30 minutes, just until the egg whites turn opaque.

ingredients for making shakshuka: onions, bell peppers, jalapeno, spices

how to make the sauce for shakshuka

how to make shakshuka: thick tomato sauce in a cast iron skillet with three eggs cracked in, tucked into the sauce.

how to make shakshuka, raw eggs and feta in rich thick tomato sauce in a cast iron skillet, ready for the oven

Serve shakshuka hot, with crusty bread for sopping up all the delicious sauce. If you're making shakshuka for dinner, this green salad with lemon-dijon vinaigrette will work well on the side, or this butter lettuce salad with citrus honey vinaigrette.

You may also like:

  • Huevos Rancheros: Mexican Breakfast
  • Gallo Pinto: Costa Rican Breakfast
  • Asparagus Goat Cheese Frittata

shakshuka in a cast iron skillet with parsley sprigs to garnish

Here's the shakshuka recipe. If you make this, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think.

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shakshuka in a cast iron skillet with parsley sprigs to garnish

Shakshuka with Spinach and Feta


★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Lisa
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Yield: 4-6 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Baked eggs in spicy tomato sauce with spinach and feta, a hearty vegetarian dish that satisfies for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Adapted from a recipe by Einat Admony


Ingredients

Scale

This whole recipe can be cooked in an oven-ready skillet or you can cook the sauce in a pot and then bake the shakshuka in a casserole.

  • For The Spices
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground caraway seed (or buy whole seeds and grind them)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • For The Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
  • 1 large red or green bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded, ribs removed, and finely minced
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 5 tablespoons minced garlic (6-7 large cloves)
  • 1 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes with their juice, tomatoes crushed by hand
  • 2 packed cups spinach leaves, roughly chopped (see below for substituting frozen spinach)
  • For The Eggs and cheese
  • 6-8 eggs
  • 4-5 ounces feta cheese cut into ½-inch cubes.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375ºF

  1. Measure all the spices into a small bowl: bay leaf, sugar (1 tablespoon), salt (½ teaspoon), Cumin (2 teaspoons), paprika (2 teaspoons), pepper (1 ½ teaspoons), caraway seeds (1 teaspoon), and turmeric (½ teaspoon).
  2. Heat oil (2 tablespoons) over medium heat in a large pot or oven-ready skillet. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 8 minutes. (don't let them brown) Add bell pepper and jalapeno, and cook until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add tomato paste (4 tablespoons) and minced garlic (5 tablespoons) and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until tomato paste is incorporated. Add canned tomatoes and spices. stir through. Turn heat down to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Mix in the chopped spinach and simmer for 5 minutes more to wilt the spinach. Remove the bay leaf. Sauce can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for 3 days or frozen for several months. Reheat sauce before proceeding.
  3. Add eggs and cheese, and bake: If you used a saucepan to cook the sauce, transfer the sauce to an oven-ready skillet or casserole. Using the back of a tablespoon, make 6-8 evenly-spaced depressions in the sauce. Crack an egg carefully into each one, keeping the yolk intact. Press the cheese cubes evenly into the sauce, around and between the eggs. Place the skillet in the middle of the oven and cook just until the egg whites turn opaque, 20-30 minutes. Keep watch every few minutes, starting at 15 minutes. Serve shakshuka hot, with crusty bread for sopping up the sauce.

Notes

If using frozen spinach, defrost a 10-ounce pack of frozen chopped spinach and use a third of it. Squeeze out the excess water before using it.

[This post first appeared on Panning The Globe in March 2013. It was updated in May 2020 with new photos and a few tweaks to the written post. Same delicious recipe!]

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: breakfast or brunch
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: Israeli

Keywords: Israeli shakshuka, baked eggs with tomatoes, spinach and feta, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce with spinach and feta

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

 

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Asia, Breakfast, Lunch and Brunch, main course, Middle Eastern Recipes, Special Features, Vegetarian Tagged With: casserole, eggs

Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Kim Alwan

    May 18, 2021 at 10:22 pm

    You forgot to mention that shakshouka شكشوكه originated in North African countries of Libya and Tunisia and it means a "mixture" or "shaken" in Tunisian Arabic dialect. Shakshoka is the quintessential meal of Arab cuisine traditioally served in acast iron pan.

    Reply
    • Germaine

      August 02, 2021 at 9:55 am

      This is one dish I’ve been wanting to try, I was wondering- other than spinach for the sauce, what other vegetables can be used.
      I just discovered your site and will thoroughly enjoy browsing through your recipes for a future meal recipe..

      Reply
      • Lisa

        August 02, 2021 at 11:01 am

        I think this would be delicious with any greens - kale or chard would be my top choices in place of spinach. If you'd rather do it without any greens, you could add shredded carrots or simply double the amount of bell peppers. I hope that helps! And I'm so glad you're browsing around - I hope you find some recipes that you love!

  2. jen

    May 30, 2020 at 8:39 pm

    YUM!! Love a great new vegetarian recipe!!! Thank you, Lisa!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Clif

    May 29, 2020 at 8:41 pm

    Looks so good...can't wait to give this a try! Thanks Lisa!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      May 30, 2020 at 7:08 am

      Hi Clif, It's tasty! I've been making it frequently during lockdown. I hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Betsey

    May 29, 2020 at 8:20 pm

    Going to make this as soon as I get the hot pepper. It was a riot though that one of the advertisers, Pepto Bismol appeared in its noxious pink self right below the directions. Funny!!!!!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      May 30, 2020 at 7:10 am

      Oh no! That's hilarious but also a little unsettling. I may have to have a chat with my ad network and get that one removed. Not a good ad for a food blog!!

      Reply
  5. Jonas

    January 30, 2019 at 1:14 pm

    Before this recipe, I was intimidated by Shakshuka, but now I can do it and its no biggie! Amazing

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Alex G

    January 28, 2019 at 11:20 am

    My coworker asked me if I had a shakshuka recipe and I gave him this. At the time I hadn't ever cooked it but he raved about it enough that I had to make it. Delicious.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Jennifer

    November 08, 2014 at 10:56 pm

    This looks absolutely delicious, but unfortunately, I'm not a big Feta cheese fan. How do you think Goat Cheese would be in this recipe. I was also thinking of substituting fresh Mozzarella. I would appreciate any comments! Thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Lisa Goldfinger

      November 09, 2014 at 8:57 am

      Hi Jennifer. You can make this with no cheese at all - I've done it without and it's still delicious! For those who like cheese, you can serve crumbled feta on the side as an optional garnish. I'm not sure how goat cheese would taste - it might be too strong a flavor, along with all of the other strong flavors in the dish. The feta doesn't compete as much with the flavors in the dish - it just adds a richness and a saltiness. I hope this helps! ~ Lisa

      Reply
  8. Terry

    July 25, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    Have enjoyed all your recipes! My daughter Kellie went to school,with you in Redding and recommended your site!

    Terry

    Reply
    • Lisa Goldfinger

      July 26, 2014 at 8:48 am

      Thanks Terry! Yes, I know your daughter from when I lived in Ridgefield - right near Redding. Say "hello" to her for me!

      Reply
  9. Hallie

    April 09, 2014 at 8:35 am

    Love this website and every dish I've made so far! Shakshuka was as delicious as it looked in the picture, but I would lighten up on the salt next time. The sauce gets an extra dose of salt by adding the cheese, which puts over the top. Thanks!

    Reply
  10. Meryl

    March 17, 2013 at 1:27 pm

    What a gorgeous dish to serve for Brunch!

    Reply
  11. Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com

    March 17, 2013 at 3:58 am

    This sounds AMAZING. I've seen this recipe floating around a lot lately (I think because of the new Jerusalem cookbook?) and every time I see it I vow to try it soon. It must happen this week!

    Reply
  12. Betsy

    March 16, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    I cannot wait to make this!

    Reply
  13. Sara

    March 16, 2013 at 4:35 pm

    I've always wanted to make this, Lisa. Now I will use your recipe! Thanks!

    Reply
  14. Eddie

    March 16, 2013 at 4:09 pm

    This is unbelievably delicious!!

    Reply
  15. Jean

    March 16, 2013 at 3:28 pm

    This looks amazing. Thanks Lisa!

    Reply

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