Cheesy Red Shakshuka
We threw some extra protein in there for you too, babe.
She’s a beauty!!!
It’s only natural that we carry on the tomato love affair straight into this gorgeous cheesy red shakshuka. But first… what is shakshuka? Or is it shakshouka?? (We’ll stick with the first spelling for the sake of consistency, though seemingly both spellings are recognized.)
The dish is most commonly associated with the Maghreb region in Northern Africa, though countries across the world have their take on eggs in a warm, scoop-able, tasty tomato bed (think huevos rancheros or eggs in purgatory). Some linguists & researchers believe the name originated from the indigenous Berber language word shakshak, citing the reproduction of morphemes in Ber-ber, shak-shak, and even cous-cous to support that belief. Take the repeated sound and the idea that shakshuka as we understand it in modern Arabic roughly translates to "mixed” or “mixture” and the dish is aptly named: the best bite comes after the dish is all mixed together and with the language originating from Northern Africa, tomatoes eventually arriving from South America, and immigrants later taking it with them to the Iberian Peninsula and the Middle East, it really is quite the cultural, culinary mix.
But hey, we’re not historians, we’re just kinda nerdy - teach us more if you can!
Anywayyyyy, despite the lengthy ingredient list, this is a pretty straightforward yet impressive dish with a lot of opportunity to put your own spin on it. Megan’s spin (and that extra protein I told you about)… BEANS. Ms. Snacks would be so proud (we hope!!).
The bean of choice for the shakshuka was the navy bean (no, they’re not navy-colored, they were a staple food on the shelves of wartime ships). They’re mild in flavor compared to other beans and when cooked with other ingredients, they tend to absorb their flavors and cook to a soft, smooth, velvety texture. Top it all off with some burrata cheese and the dish is a good way to kickstart the day with a balance of protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates.
Enough backstory? Great - let’s make that at home! 🏡👩🏾🍳 (Spoiler alert… if you’d rather Megan make it for you, peep your opportunity after the recipe!)
Cheesy Red Shakshuka
Maybe you’re wondering why we’re prefacing this shakshuka with “cheesy red,” rather than just sticking to the mononym (à la Shakira or Rihanna). Naming it as such implies the existence of other versions of shakshuka that will make some sexy, sultry appearances before their grand recipe debut in Megan’s eventual New York Times bestselling cookbook… we’re manifesting, people!!
Ingredients:
1 small shallot, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
6-8 cloves garlic confit
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
3 Calabrian chilis (or more if you like it spicy 🌶️)
1 tbsp herky jerk spice
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 can (14 oz) navy beans
4 eggs
1 ball (8 oz) burrata
zest of 1 lemon
a pinch of black pepper (to taste)
In a skillet, sweat your shallots in olive oil over medium heat until translucent (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly. Add champagne vinegar and continue cooking about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. In large shallow cast iron (or stainless steel) skillet, add crushed tomatoes, garlic confit, herky jerk spice, chilis, bay leaves, salt, shallots and mix. Cover and cook over low heat about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Your mixture should soften & combine, incorporating flavors & ingredients evenly, as it thickens. Add beans, mix to combine, & continue to simmer over low heat until bubbly. Use the back of a spoon to dig wells in mixture, then crack eggs into each well. Season each egg with a pinch of salt. Recover and let cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on preferred doneness of eggs. Remove from heat. Garnish with black pepper and lemon zest (seriously, the zest is SO GOOD). Tear burrata and scatter as much as your cheesy little heart desires. Best accompanied by crusty bread.
Not a chef? Let us feed you!
Great news!! Spud’s Coffee Summer Supper Club Series has officially begun for the 2025 season! Join Megan, Julia, & our cute team of foodies & friends for our next event on Saturday, May 17th at Spud’s Coffee in Fort Lauderdale. We’ll take care of the food & hospitality, you just show up hungry (& BYOW!) 😋🍷
In Case You Missed It
Thanks for stopping by! We hope to feed & host you soon. If you’ve made this or any of our recipes, let us know in the comments 🤎