Sweet Sausage Shakshuka
Sweet Sausage Shakshuka
A bright, spicy way to start your morning - this shakshuka features a rustic and flavorful tomato sauce, runny eggs, and an -optional- rich sweet sausage base.
Ingredients
- 3 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large sweet Vidalia onion, halved and thinly sliced
- Optional: 1 large sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (about 1/2 lb) *You could also use bacon or even ground beef or turkey
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne, or to taste
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1 tsp black pepper, plus more as needed
- 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 6 to 8 large eggs, see cooking note below**
- Chopped cilantro, for serving and garnish
- Warm crusty bread, for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-low. You can use a cast-iron skillet.
- Step 2 Add the onion and sausage and cook gently until the onions are very soft and the sausage is browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add cumin, paprika and cayenne and stir to combine.
- Step 3 Pour in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.
- Step 4 For super runny eggs: Make a few wells within the thick sauce, then crack an egg white into each, reserving the yolks. Toss the pan in the oven and cook just until the whites are just firming up, about 6 minutes, then plop the yolks on top and bake until just set. (4 more minutes)
- Step 5 For baked eggs: Crack your whole egg into the sauce. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Step 6 Remove from oven. Sprinkle with s+p, cilantro, and serve with warm bread.
Shakshuka has been on my short list of recipes to make for too long. I don’t know what has kept me from making it, it really isn’t nearly as labor-intensive or time consuming as I thought. But since our weekends have now become endlessly long black holes of time (thank you covid-19), what even is time? So I bookmarked this project for the weekend and been looking forward to it all week. I also find it’s easier to drag myself out of bed if I know I have a fun breakfast to look forward to.
This dish, for those -like my Dad- who are unfamiliar, is essentially a Mediterranean tomato “stew” with baked eggs. It’s hearty and dense, and can be served either as a bright, spicy start to the day or the ultimate breakfast-for-dinner. It’s all made in one skillet (so easy clean up!) and it’s pantry-friendly. You really only need a large can of tomatoes, eggs and some spices. Optionally, you can also add cheese (traditionally Feta) and/or crumbled sausage, our own twist, which makes this a truly epic breakfast.
**Important note about cooking the eggs. I am trying to conserve eggs right now (well trying to conserve everything really), so you’ll see I only used three eggs, but by all means you should use more if you can spare them. Any shakshuka connoisseur knows, the real trick with this recipe is getting the poaching time just right. The yolks should be just runny enough that they can be mixed in with the tomato sauce. If you’d prefer the eggs to be a little more runny than that (the way I like them!), let the sauce reduce for a few minutes longer before cracking the eggs on top. Whatever cook on your eggs you prefer, I got you covered – I included two cooking methods above, just in case.
You really can’t go wrong with this dish, no matter when you eat it. Tomatoes, cheese, runny eggs – this is totally my love language. I highly recommend seasoning it with fresh cracked black pepper and flaky white sea salt, along side some delicious, warm, crusty bread – maybe even my Cast Iron Focaccia? Give it a whirl and let me know your thoughts, comment below!
