Fresh vegetables and spices are simmered in tomato sauce along with gently poached eggs and fresh herbs. This Shortcut Shakshuka is a tasty one-skillet recipe that is traditionally served as a savory breakfast, but also makes a delicious and unique brunch, lunch or dinner. This shortcut recipe uses store-bought marinara sauce as the base. I love using RAO’S Marinara because the homemade taste combined with the sautéed fresh veggies and spices really takes this dish to the next level of flavor in under 30 minutes.

Variations of Shortcut Shakshuka

Cheese This recipe uses crumbled Feta cheese but goat cheese is also a tasty option.
Beans For added protein and fiber, add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas or Cannellini beans and mix into the sauce before adding the eggs.
Extra Veggies In the Summer I like to add thinly sliced zucchini or a handful of fresh tomatoes (cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes) from the garden, to my shakshuka. Sauté it along with the onions and peppers. In the colder months, I usually add some greens to the sauce. Try adding few handfuls of rinsed fresh baby spinach or kale to the sauce and stir to combine, before adding the eggs.
Breakfast sausage Try adding about 1/2 lb breakfast sausage. Sauté the breakfast sausage until it’s just about fully cooked before adding the onions and peppers to the pan and allow it to finish cooking while the onions and peppers soften.
For a healthier variation, skip the egg yolks and use only the egg whites.

Have some fun with toppings

This recipe tops the sauce and eggs mixture with crumbled Feta and fresh cilantro and parsley. These are my favorite Shashuka toppings, but have fun trying other options and find your favorite combination. Here are a few suggestions.

Sliced avocado There’s no need to warm the avocado so simply add a few slices to each serving.
Sliced Katamala olives
Capers
Fresh mint or dill
Greek yogurt This creamy ingredient comes in handy when I’m making this Shashuka for spice-lovers, like myself. I increase the red pepper flakes from 1/2 teaspoon to 1 -2 teaspoons and add a dollop of yogurt with each serving.

Cooking tomatoes in a cast iron pan

I don’t typically prepare acidic recipes in cast iron skillets because the combination can produce a metallic taste. This recipe is the exception. Because it’s a shortcut recipe using tomatoes that have already been simmered to create that homemade taste, we’re simply heating our sauce and using it to poach the eggs. If you choose to use cast iron to prepare your shakshuka, make sure your skillet is fully seasoned as that will also protect it from the acidity of the tomatoes. Cast iron isn’t necessary to prepare this recipe. Feel free to use your regular skillet to prepare your Shakshuka.