Easy Shakshuka with Runny Eggs in 35 Minutes

Shakshuka is a one-pan Middle Eastern classic: eggs gently poached in a smoky, garlicky tomato and pepper sauce. It's cheap, forgiving and endlessly satisfying, whether for a lazy weekend brunch or a quick meat-free supper. Serve it straight from the pan with plenty of bread for dunking.

This is proper comfort food from one pan. You build a deeply savoury sauce from onion, pepper and tinned tomatoes, spiced with cumin, paprika and a little chilli, then crack eggs straight in to poach until the whites set around gloriously runny yolks. It’s forgiving, cheap and ideal for a slow weekend brunch or a fast meat-free supper.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion — finely chopped
• 1 red pepper — deseeded and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves — crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 0.25 tsp chilli flakes — or to taste
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 0.5 tsp caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• to taste salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander or parsley — roughly chopped, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and starting to colour.
2. Stir in the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the tomato purée and cook for another minute to take off its raw edge.
3. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and sugar, season well with salt and pepper, and refill the empty tin about a third with water, swirling it in. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to hold a trench when you drag a spoon through it.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning — it should be punchy. Using the back of a spoon, make four shallow wells in the sauce, spacing them out.
5. Crack an egg into each well. Cover the pan with a lid or a sheet of foil and reduce the heat to low.
6. Cook for 6-8 minutes for runny yolks, or a couple of minutes longer for firmer eggs. The eggs are ready when the whites are fully set and opaque with no translucent, jelly-like patches remaining, and the sauce is piping hot throughout.
7. Scatter over the chopped coriander or parsley and bring the pan to the table. Serve at once, straight from the pan, with warm bread for scooping.

Serve it with

• Warm crusty bread or toasted pitta for dunking
• A spoonful of thick Greek yoghurt
• Crumbled feta scattered over the top
• A handful of dressed rocket or a simple green salad
• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Why this works

Blooming the spices in oil and cooking out the tomato purée builds a deep, savoury base, while poaching the eggs directly in the simmering sauce keeps the whites tender and lets the yolks stay soft.

Common swaps

• Swap the red pepper for a jarred roasted pepper to save time and add smokiness
• Use a 400 g tin of cherry tomatoes for a sweeter, chunkier sauce
• Stir in a handful of baby spinach with the tomatoes for extra greens
• No fresh chilli or flakes? A dash of harissa paste brings warmth and depth
• Crumble in feta or spoon over dollops of soft goat's cheese before adding the eggs

Common mistakes to avoid

• Rushing the sauce — a watery base means the eggs sink and overcook, so reduce it until thick first
• Cooking the eggs too fast on high heat, which sets the yolks hard before the whites cook evenly; keep it gentle and covered
• Forgetting the lid — it traps steam that cooks the tops of the eggs so the whites set through
• Under-seasoning the sauce; taste and add salt before the eggs go in, as it's harder to fix afterwards

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Shakshuka is best eaten fresh, but leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The yolks will firm up on storing.

Reheating: Reheat gently in a covered pan over a low heat until piping hot throughout. The sauce can also be made ahead and refrigerated, then reheated before poaching fresh eggs.

Allergen notes: contains Egg. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.