Name: Shakshuka with Spinach and Feta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Israeli
Ingredients: For The Spices; 1 bay leaf; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 teaspoons sweet paprika; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon ground caraway seed (or buy whole seeds and grind them); 1/2 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 1/2-inch cubes.

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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.

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.

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.
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.
Cook the shakshuka: Bake it in a 375ºF oven for 20-30 minutes, just until the egg whites turn opaque.

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.

Recipe

Shakshuka with Spinach and Feta

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5 from 5 reviews

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

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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.

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375ºF

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).
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.
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

Shakshuka with Spinach and Feta

How To Make Shakshuka:

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