North African · Free recipe
Skillet Shakshuka for Slow Sundays
Eggs poach gently in a brick-red sauce of blistered peppers, garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika until the whites set and the yolks stay runny. Bring the skillet straight to the table with torn bread for dragging through every spoonful of sauce.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Method
-
Warm the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, then add the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and just starting to brown at the edges.
-
Stir in the garlic, cumin, paprika, and pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute, until the spices smell toasty and the garlic loses its raw bite.
-
Pour in the hand-crushed tomatoes with their juices and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough that a spoon dragged through it leaves a brief trail. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Use the back of a spoon to make 6 wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each one, seasoning the tops lightly.
-
Cover the skillet and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until the whites are opaque but the yolks still jiggle when you nudge the pan.
-
Scatter the feta and cilantro over the top and serve right away from the skillet with thick slices of bread.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Crack each egg into a small cup first, then slide it into its well; this keeps the yolks whole and lets you fish out any stray shell before it disappears into the sauce.
