The 20-Minute Skillet Shakshuka That Rescues Any Tuesday
Eggs poached in a smoky, garlicky tomato sauce, straight from one pan to the table. Dinner, sorted.
Shakshuka is the dinner you make when the fridge looks empty and it turns out it isn’t. A tin of tomatoes, an onion, a few eggs and a heavy pan are all it asks for. Twenty minutes later you are tearing bread into something that tastes like you planned it.
Why it works
The sauce does two jobs at once. It reduces into something thick and sweet, and it becomes the poaching liquid for the eggs. Because the eggs cook gently in the sauce and not in the dry heat of a pan, the whites set while the yolks stay soft.
What you need (serves 2–3)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, a pinch of chilli flakes
- 1 × 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 4–5 eggs
- Feta, parsley and good bread, to finish
How to cook it
- Soften. Warm the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and pepper with a pinch of salt for 6–7 minutes, until soft and just golden at the edges.
- Bloom. Add the garlic and spices. Stir for 30 seconds, until the kitchen smells of them.
- Simmer. Pour in the tomatoes and half a tin of water. Simmer for 8 minutes, until the sauce holds a line when you drag a spoon through it. Season well.
- Poach. Make small wells and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the whites are opaque.
- Finish. Scatter with feta and parsley. Carry the pan to the table.
Three ways to change it
Green: stir a few handfuls of spinach into the sauce before the eggs. Meaty: brown some sliced chorizo with the onion. Creamy: spoon in a little yoghurt at the end and let it marble.
The lid matters. Without it the yolks overcook before the tops of the whites have set.
A cast iron skillet is ideal here because it holds its heat when the cold eggs go in, and it looks right in the middle of the table.
