Josie
The writer, cook and photographer behind Your Ultimate Menu
Ingredients
Shakshuka
- 1 large red capsicum
- 1 large courgette
- 1 brown onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 x 400 g cans crushed tomatoes (try basil & oregano flavoured) (2 x 14oz)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- 60 g baby spinach (2.1oz)
- 6 eggs
- 100 g feta cheese (3.5oz)
To Serve
- ½ large loaf Turkish bread + butter
- Large handful fresh basil
Instructions
1. Prepare Ingredients
Slice capsicum into thin strips. Grate courgette, thinly slice onion and crush garlic.
2. Cook Shakshuka Ingredients
Heat oil in a large oven-safe frying pan (see tips below) over medium heat. Add the capsicum, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft (about 5 minutes). Stir in the cumin and paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, courgette, sugar and vinegar and simmer until reduced and thickened (10 minutes).
3. Bake the Shakshuka
At this stage, preheat oven to 190ºC (375ºF) fan bake. Once sauce has thickened, stir in spinach and season with salt and pepper (adjust quantities to taste). If you don’t have an oven-safe frying pan, you can transfer the mixture to a baking dish at this point. Make 6 wells in the mixture and crack an egg into each. Sprinkle with feta and bake until eggs are just set (approximately 10 minutes).
4. Add Turkish bread
Halfway through cooking eggs, add Turkish bread to oven and cook for 5 minutes, until warmed through.
5. Serve
Scatter shakshuka with basil leaves and dish out individual portions. Serve with slices of warmed Turkish bread and butter.
Recipe Notes
- Wine Match: A light-bodied red. Try a Pinot Noir.
- Gluten-Free Option: Use a loaf of gluten-free bread instead of the Turkish bread.
- Equipment Tip: If you don’t have a large oven-safe frying pan (I don’t either!), try wrapping the handle in tinfoil before putting it in the oven. Usually it’s just the handle that’s the issue, and that seems to protect it well. Just be very careful not to pick the pan up by the handle after you’ve taken it out the oven! Alternatively, you can transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish before baking.
- Ingredient Notes / Swaps: Coriander can be used in place of basil.
- Storing and Reheating: Store individual portions in airtight containers in the fridge. Keep bread separate. Reheat shakshuka in the microwave and bread in the toaster. Eggs won’t stay runny unfortunately.
Did you know that olive oil is a monosaturated dietary fat that is beneficial to our health? To learn more about the different types of fats and which are “good” and which are “bad” fats, we suggest reading Types of Fats: Healthy and Unhealthy Dietary Fats.
A bit more about the master chef behind this recipe…
Cooking, baking and creating recipes have always been Josie’s passions. She has a Bachelor of Food Technology and works as a freelance recipe developer, food stylist and photographer.
Josie launched her website, Your Ultimate Menu, as a way to help others solve the dreaded “what’s for dinner?” question. Each week she provides recipes for three easy meals together with an organised shopping list.
Her sister’s recent diagnosis with coeliac disease has inspired Josie to provide gluten-free options for all of her recipes.
Like this recipe? Check out Josie’s website for more cooking inspiration! https://www.yourultimatemenu.com/
