The tomato and pepper version is a good starting point. Feta, spinach or chickpeas change both the flavour and the preparation. Here you’ll find out when to add the ingredients to the pan and what to watch out for.
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Our basic recipe serves two and uses four eggs, 400 g tomatoes, one pepper and one onion. First, gently cook the vegetables, then reduce the sauce with the lid off. Only add the eggs once the base is thick enough. This lets you control the cooking of the sauce and eggs separately.
Crumble feta over the finished dish or add it shortly before the end of cooking. Salt the sauce sparingly at first, as the cheese adds salt too. Drain the mozzarella and tear it into small pieces: too much brine would thin the sauce. Both cheeses are optional additions and contain the allergen milk.
Let the spinach wilt in the sauce before adding the eggs, and allow any water it releases to evaporate. Cut the courgette into small pieces and gently cook it with the other vegetables. Do not add large quantities of raw ingredients with a high water content at the same time as the eggs: otherwise, the base will become watery while the egg whites are already setting.
A green base might contain leeks, spinach, peas and herbs, for example. Cook the vegetables first and reduce any excess liquid, then make room for the eggs. Simply leaving the tomatoes out of the red version is not enough, as this changes the quantity, moisture content and flavour of the base.
Add cooked chickpeas or rinsed, drained tinned chickpeas to the sauce before the eggs and heat through thoroughly. Without eggs, this becomes a vegetable variation. To make it vegan, leave out feta, yoghurt and other dairy products too.
It is best to change one ingredient at a time and watch the consistency. The basic rules remain the same: a thick base, enough space and gentle heat. The precise quantities and timings on this website apply to the main red shakshuka recipe; these suggestions are not a substitute for a complete recipe for the green version.
Oven-baked shakshuka with feta and Kalamata olives for two: simmered tomato sauce, four gentle eggs and creamy browned feta, ready in 35 minutes.
Shakshuka with chickpeas for two: a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, four gently cooked eggs and optional feta, with tips for the right consistency.
Green shakshuka for two with spinach, leeks, courgette and peas: four gently poached eggs in spiced greens with fresh herbs, ready in 35 minutes.
Shakshuka with spinach for two: ripe tomatoes, sweet paprika, tender baby spinach and four poached eggs cooked under a lid in 40 minutes.
Spicy shakshuka with harissa for two: authentic Tunisian pepper sauce, ground caraway, garlic and four eggs poached to perfection in 40 minutes.
Shakshuka with merguez for two: spicy browned lamb sausages, sweet peppers, rich tomato sauce and four eggs poached under a lid in 45 minutes.
Fresh tomatoes, tinned tomatoes or passata for shakshuka: choose your base, reduce the sauce to the right consistency and season to taste.
Choose a pan for shakshuka with the right size, lid and material. Find advice on space for four eggs, gentle heat and tomato sauce in cast iron.
Serve shakshuka with bread, salad, feta or yoghurt. Find sides for a meal for two and get everything ready before the eggs finish cooking.
