If there was ever a recipe worthy of “breakfast for dinner” it would be shakshuka. This rich, saucy dish is full of smoky spices, hearty beans, and rich eggs. Make sure to buy or make some homemade crusty bread for dipping, because you’re not gong to want to waste a drop of this delicious tomato sauce!
What is Shakshuka??
Shakshuka is delicious dish cooked all across the Middle East and North Africa. It’s an incredibly simple and hearty dish consisting of eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce. I decided to take my shakshuka in a slightly different direction by adding cannellini beans to bulk it up a bit, plus a hefty dose of smoked paprika to give it a deep, fire-roasted flavor.
How to Serve Shakshuka
Most people in the U.S. eat eggs mostly for breakfast, but this delicious dish is great for breakfast, brunch, OR dinner. You’ll want to serve the shakshuka with some crusty bread, pita, or naan to sop of the delicious sauce. No bread? No problem. Spoon the saucy mix over a bowl of grits or rice (like we do here in the south). Just don’t let one drop of that sauce go to waste, promise? K.
Smoky White Bean Shakshuka
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.16)
- 1 28oz. can whole peeled tomatoes ($1.69)
- 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.15)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste ($0.02)
- 1 15oz. can cannellini beans ($1.19)
- 4 large eggs ($1.10)
- 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped ($0.20)
- 2 oz. feta, crumbled ($1.12)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and finely dice the onion. Cook both in a large deep skillet with olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the canned tomatoes and their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them to the skillet. Add the smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and some freshly cracked pepper as well. Stir to combine.
- Allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, or until it has thickened slightly. Add 1/4 tsp salt, then taste the sauce and adjust the salt or other spices to your liking.
- Drain the white beans, add them to the skillet, then stir to combine. Allow the skillet to return to a simmer. Simmer for 2-3 minutes more.
- Crack four eggs into the skillet, then place a lid on top and let them simmer for 5 minutes, or until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft. Top the skillet with the crumbled feta and chopped parsley.
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Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Shakshuka – Step by Step Photos
Start by mincing 4 cloves garlic and finely dicing one yellow onion. If you want to, you can also dice a jalapeño and toss it in there as well. Add the garlic and onion to a large skillet along with 2 Tbsp olive oil and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
Add a 28oz. can of whole tomatoes (with the juices) to the skillet. Use your hands to crush the tomatoes as you add them to the skillet. Word on the street is that the best tomatoes are reserved for the “whole” canned variety, while lesser tomatoes are used for “diced” or “crushed”. I’m not sure if that’s true, I just liked the organic shapes of the hand crushed tomatoes rather than perfectly diced bits. You can use diced or crushed if that’s easier for you.
Along with the crushed tomatoes, add 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill). Stir to combine.
Let the sauce come to a simmer over medium heat. Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until it’s slightly thicker and saucy. It starts out more watery, but you want it closer to the thickness of V8 juice (if you’re familiar with that!).
Now that the sauce has thickened, it’s time to add the salt. Stir in 1/4 tsp salt, then taste and adjust to your liking. You can also add more smoked paprika or red pepper flakes, if you like an extra punch.
Drain a 15oz. can of cannellini beans and add them to the sauce. Cannellini is the best white bean to use for this recipe because they are larger, tend to be more firm, and don’t break down as easily as navy or great northern beans. Garbanzo beans also work well in this.
Stir in the beans and let it come back up to a simmer. Let it simmer just a few more minutes…
Finally, crack four eggs into the sauce and place a lid on the skillet. Let the eggs simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft. The yolks will be cloaked in a white veil when they begin to cook, so you’ll have to watch the vibrations in the simmering sauce. When they’re still liquidy, they’ll shake from the popping bubbles of the simmering sauce. :)
As it simmers, the sauce will settle some, so I always take a spoon and stir the sauce around the eggs to remix the beans and tomato pieces.
Finally, top the eggs and sauce with 2oz. crumbled feta and a handful of chopped parsley. NOM.
And seriously, every beautifully golden runny yolk deserves some bread for dipping, don’t you think?
Smoky White Bean Shakshuka, it’s what’s for break… dinn… BRINNER!
I love this dish. SOO yummy and simple and healthy. We eat it over couscous. It makes such an amazing combo.
My husband and myself loved this dish. I have also made it with potatoes instead of beans since I had leftover potato hash. Also amazing. And I sub the feta for goat cheese because I just love it that much more. YUM.
Would you recommend any changes if I take the leftovers to work to reheat?
Nope. :)
I’m going to try bringing this to eat at work too. I’m pretty sure the egg will be overcooked in the microwave though so I plan to remove the egg part before microwaving and add it back to the warm sauce afterwards. :)
Ohhh my glob, this was so good. And easy. And healthy! I was worried about it not being enough food for myself and my black hole of a partner, but we had enough left over for us each to have lunch the next day. My grocery store was out of feta, so I subbed in sundried tomato goat cheese and it was life changing. Definitely queue this up in your recipe rotation.
I made this over grits last night and it was amazing. So simple, so cheap, so healthy! I’ve been looking forward to lunch leftovers pretty much since I finished dinner. Three hours to go…
Awesome recipe! I usually make just a simple Chaldean breakfast cooked the same way but only fresh tomatoes and olive oil but this was a great twist on it almost like a chili but super simple! We ate it with flatbread and it was very filling and delicious! Love your recipes!
Delicious.
Just finished cooking it, and it’s fabulous! I let the eggs cook a bit longer, hoping the dish will hold up better for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the great recipe :)
Can I use fresh tomatos?
I may turn out slightly different because those canned tomatoes are cooked slightly and usually contain salt.
This is so good!!! Easy, cheap, quick, and delicious. Everything I love in a recipe. This one is definitely going to be a go-to from now on!
This was so good!! It was perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, and very filling. Should be even better as leftovers. Thanks for another great recipe, I have yet to come across one on your blog that I haven’t enjoyed.
Quick and easy to make, and the leftovers are great for breakfast! I have made this recipe many times, exactly as listed.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a handful of times and am making it again this week. I throw this in the rotation when I want something that’s not super heavy, but is still very filling and satisfying! I make it as written except I add a sliced jalapeno with the garlic and onion. Since I make this just for myself, I cook the egg separately each time, and eat with Trader Joe’s frozen garlic naan. The timing to reheat everything is so quick – perfect for weeknight dinners!
Made this with tonight for dinner. I just used riccota cheese in place of the feta cheese and it tasted delicious.
This is delicious, and easy!!! We abosultely loved it – the servings are large and delicious – I made a 3 serving dish for myself and my husband, and we had exaclty one serving left over. Delicous with naan, and cheap to boot!