Easy Cast-Iron Shakshuka with Feta - Eggs in Tomato Sauce

Easy Cast-Iron Shakshuka with Feta! 

As I was processing the photos for this post, I tried recalling when I first had Shakshuka and for some reason I just can't picture it. Maybe it's because each time we make and share this with friends, our friends then share their first memory of shakshuka and it all blends together. I do recall how enamoured I was by how a dish with simple ingredients becomes so flavourful! Since that time period, I have seen Shakshuka literally everywhere! Sometimes you might see Shakshuka under a different name like Eggs in Purgatory. However, the essence of the dish is all the same. It is essentially cooking whole tomatoes with onions and spices in a skillet or cast iron and slowly poaching your eggs in said delicious sauce. This makes it easy to add your personal twists to the dish making a great comfort food.

Here is a version of our Shakshuka topped with feta cheese. Typically you would top your Shakshuka with parsley but I only had green onions on hand that day when I made this particular shakshuka.

Recipe for Shakshuka with Feta (serves up to 4 people)

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 yellow onions; diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 cans of whole tomatoes
• 2 tsp of smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt, more as needed
• 1/4 tsp pepper, more as needed
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 4 large eggs 
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• handful of chopped flat leaf parsley or green onion

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet for approximately 2 minutes.
2. Add garlic slices, stir until onions become soft and translucent (approx. 8 minutes).
3. Add onions, with a pinch of salt & pepper. Stir for 1 minute.
4. Stir in smoked paprika with the cooked onions and garlic until it all 
5. Slowly pour in the cans of whole tomatoes. Gently crush tomatoes until both cans are added into the skillet. Mix in the sugar and simmer sauce until it thickens (approx. 12 minute)
6. Once sauce has thickened, make 4 wells in your sauce and crack eggs into the wells.
7. Allow eggs to simmer until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. I prefer mine to be sunny-side up, but you could also baste the eggs (by gently pouring sauce over) as they cook.
8. Turn off the heat, crack with pepper & salt. Scatter feta and green onion (or parsley) all over.

Serving Shakshuka with a good bread; home-made or artisanal helps to sop up all the sauce. For this particular meal, we had it with a home-made cheese sourdough that my hubby had made. I've also served our shakshuka with quinoa.

The beauty of the Shakshuka is that it is perfect for any occasion. I hope you make this Shakshuka too and create more amazing food memories with friends and family.