Shakshuka with Feta
If you are looking to impress your family or friends at brunch time, the Israeli egg dish, Shakshuka, provides a bright, spicy start to the day. It’s a one-skillet recipe of eggs baked in a tomato-red pepper sauce spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne. First you make that sauce, which comes together fairly quickly on top of the stove, then you gently crack each of the eggs into the pan, nestling them into the sauce. The pan is moved into the oven to finish. Shakshuka originated in North Africa, and like many great dishes there are as many versions as there are cooks who have embraced it. This one strays from more traditional renditions by adding crumbled feta cheese, which softens into creamy nuggets in the oven’s heat. Eggs and feta cheese provide over 20 grams of protein while tomatoes and red bell peppers are packed with the antioxidants lycopene, vitamins A & C. If you are looking to reduce your sodium consumption, you can half the amount of feta called for or skip entirely.
Makes: 4-6 servings
Time to cook: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed
- 5 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1¼ cups)
- 6 large eggs
- Chopped cilantro, for serving
- Hot sauce, for serving
Cooking Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.
- Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.
Nutrition per serving
261 calories; 19 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 630 milligrams sodium.
Recipe: Melissa Clark, NY Times Cooking
