Shakshuka – Moroccan Egg & Tomato

This Moroccan Egg & Tomato Breakfast also known as Shakshoukaat Al’Bayd uses eggs and tomatoes as the main key ingredients. The eggs in this recipe are traditionally pouched in a tasty tomato, onion & pepper sauce that’s infused with beautiful Mediterranean flavours, perfect for waking you up!

Growing up I never saw my mother making it with onion and chopped fresh pepper when having it for breakfast, but she did when we had it for a quick lunch, I have no idea why this was, but it just stuck on me like that. So this healthy comfort dish is just as good for brunch, lunch or dinner as it is for breakfast.

Ingredients needed for Shakshuka

• 5-6 fresh tomatoes (peeled and chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic finely grated or crushed
• 1 handful chopped parsley or coriander (save some for garnish)
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp erythritol or sugar optional to balance the flavour
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 onion sliced or diced (optional.)
• 1/2 pepper sliced or diced (optional)

Charmoula Paste for Shakshuka

Today, as we had it for breakfast; I didn’t stir fry the onions and pepper first before adding the garlic and tomato, I use my pre-made chermoula as a herb & spice base and this cuts the prep time in half. I use 1 full tbsp of chermoula paste for 4 eggs and 6 fresh tomatoes and you can easily adjust this to your taste preference.

When using chermoula paste, just add this to some olive oil in a pan and heat up a bit before adding the onions, and peppers followed by the chopped tomatoes. When the mix stews into a thick sauce, you can crack the eggs on top.

Health Benefits of Shakshuka

Eggs are one of the most extraordinarily nutritious foods. In addition to being rich in proteins, they provide a variety of vitamins and minerals, including choline, which is a building block for cell membranes, nerve and liver function as well as in heart health. By combining them with tomatoes, we can get many important nutrients.

Tomatoes are low in calories and are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K

Eggs have had a bad reputation as they are a rich source of dietary cholesterol. However, research has shown that dietary cholesterol does not have a huge impact on blood cholesterol levels. For only about 70 calories, eggs are an excellent source of high-quality protein and contain mostly unsaturated fat. The antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin in eggs are protective for the eyes.

This is a delicious breakfast recipe that’s very popular in North Africa and the Arab world, where it originally comes from, but now it’s well known worldwide and proved to be quite a hit in the West too!

Where I’m from, Moroccans call it Baayd bi’madicha which means eggs with tomatoes 😉

Shakshuka – Moroccan Egg & Tomato Breakfast

The eggs in this recipe are traditionally pouched in a tasty tomato, onion & pepper sauce that's infused with beautiful Mediterranean flavours, perfect for waking you up!

Growing up I never saw my mother making it with onion and chopped fresh pepper when having it for breakfast, but she did when we had it for a quick lunch, I have no idea why this was, but it just stuck on me like that. So this healthy comfort dish is just as good for brunch, lunch or dinner as it is for breakfast.

Today, as we had it for breakfast; I didn't stir fry the onions and pepper first before adding the garlic and tomato, I use my pre-made chermoula as a herb & spice base and this cuts the prep time in half.

I use 1 full tbsp of chermoula paste for 4 eggs and 6 fresh tomatoes and you can easily adjust this to your taste preference. When using chermoula paste, just add this to some olive oil in a pan and heat up a bit before adding the onions, peppers followed by the chopped tomatoes when the mix stews into a thick sauce you can crack the eggs on top.

For those of you that don't have pre-prepped chermoula paste, you can follow the recipe below:

This recipe serves 2 people if you want 2 eggs each or 4 people if you want 1 egg each.

Servings 4

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 5-6 Fresh Tomatoes peeled and chopped or you can use 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 Cloves of Garlic finely grated or crushed
• 1 handful Chopped Parsley or coriander and save some for garnish
• 1/2 tsp Sweet Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tsp Salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Erythritol or sugar optional to balance the flavour
• 4 Eggs
• 1/2 Onion sliced or diced this is optional. If you choose to add this to your shakshouka, stir fry it first in the olive oil before adding the other ingredients
• 1/2 Pepper sliced or diced this is optional. If you choose to add these to your shakshouka, stir fry them first in the olive oil before adding the other ingredients

Instructions

• Heat the oil up in a frying pan then add the garlic, herbs and spices, stir fry for a bit and then add the chopped tomatoes followed by the sugar if you're using it. (a freshly chopped chilli is optional)
• When the tomatoes have dissolved into a pulp you can indent a small hole in each corner to crack the 4 eggs straight into the corners of the pan, leaving room between each for expansion. Sprinkle a little salt and black pepper on top Cover and leave under low heat until the egg whites are set and yolks still runny.
• If you are like me and prefer your eggs a little bit more well done, you can transfer your pan to the oven to finish baking it at 400 degrees F for 6 to 10 mins depending on how well done you like your eggs. Or if you're not bothered about the eggs keeping shape you can alternatively flip them over on the pan!
• Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley and serve with olives and hot moroccan tea 😉
• If you're on a low carb or Keto diet you might want to top with some fresh feta cheese & have it with a side salad
• 

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Moroccan

Keyword: Keto