Low Carb Shakshuka
Eggs poached in a spiced tomato and red pepper sauce, finished with feta and parsley. A one-skillet shakshuka with less onion than most.
- Prep10 min
- Cook25 min
- Total35 min
- Servings4
- Net carbs*8.7 g
- LevelEasy
Shakshuka is a North African and Middle Eastern dish of eggs gently poached in a warm, spiced tomato sauce. This version keeps the cumin, paprika and garlic and uses red bell pepper for sweetness, with a lighter hand on the onion. Crumbled feta melts into the sauce at the end. Eat it with a spoon straight from the skillet.
Simmer the sauce until it is thick before you add the eggs. A thin sauce lets the whites spread and run, and they cook unevenly. When a spoon dragged through the pan leaves a trail that holds for a second, the sauce is ready, and the eggs will sit neatly in their wells.
Ingredients
Makes 8 eggs in sauce (2 per serving). Tap an item to check it off.
Equipment
- 10- or 12-inch skillet with lid
- Wooden spoon
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook 6 to 7 minutes, until soft.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin, paprika and cayenne and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is thick.
- Make 8 shallow wells in the sauce with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each.
- Cover and cook over medium-low heat 6 to 8 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft.
- Scatter the feta and parsley over the top and serve hot from the pan.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 286
- Total carbs
- 11.3 g
- Fiber
- 2.7 g
- Net carbs
- 8.7 g
- Protein
- 16.6 g
- Fat
- 19.9 g
*These are estimates, calculated from the ingredient weights above and USDA FoodData Central data, divided by 4 servings. Net carbs = total carbs minus fiber. Values vary with brands, quantities, ingredient swaps and how you portion the dish. How we estimate nutrition.
Kitchen tips
- Crack each egg into a small cup first, then slide it into its well. Broken yolks are easier to fix that way.
- The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Reheat it until bubbling, then add the eggs.
Substitutions
- Feta → goat cheese Same amount. Creamier and tangier.
- Crushed tomatoes → marinara with no sugar added Same amount. Skip the garlic and salt, since the sauce is already seasoned.
- Red bell pepper → green bell pepper Same amount. A little more bitter and slightly lower in carbs.
Swaps change the nutrition estimate shown above.
Storage and reheating
- Fridge
- Store the sauce alone in an airtight container, up to 4 days. Leftovers with eggs keep 1 day.
- Freezer
- Freeze the sauce without eggs up to 3 months.
- Reheat
- Warm the sauce in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, then poach fresh eggs in it.
Questions cooks ask
What do I serve with shakshuka?
Sliced cucumber, a green salad or a few slices of avocado all work well.
