We love a good one-pan meal and shakshuka fits the bill perfectly. Shakshuka is a North African and Middle Eastern dish that is typically eaten for breakfast but can really be eaten for any meal (hello quick, late-night meals!). We love this dish because it takes basic ingredients and transforms them into a delicious and hearty stew. Who doesn’t have eggs in their fridge?
Of course, we wanted to give our own twist to it using what we have in the house and as it starts to get warmer, our small garden’s bounty is full of eggplants. The combination of the sweet red bell peppers, acidic tomatoes, and tender and slightly sweet eggplants is to die-for. The eggplant soaks up the flavor of all the spices and is perfect to dip into a runny egg yolk.
The spices we used are pretty traditional, but we added some mint to add some extra oomph to an already tasty dish. As you may have noticed, we like our food on the spicier side so we also added a jalapeño to the aromatics and added another layer of heat with some cayenne pepper.
We love eating this with some toasted bread rubbed with garlic to scoop up the sauce and swirl into the runny egg. It’s kind of the perfect brunch dish that can easily be shared with a group of people.
Eggplant and Red Bell Pepper Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup red onions chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeño minced
- ½ cup parsley minced plus some extra for garnishing
- ½ tbsp dried mint
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp cayenne powder
- 1 red bell pepper ½-in pieces
- 1 medium eggplant ½-in cubes
- 5 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 6 eggs
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and reduce the heat to medium. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes, until they are softened.
- Add the garlic and jalapeño and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add the parsley, mint, cumin powder, and cayenne powder and mix well. Add salt to taste. Sauté for about 2 more minutes.
- Add the red bell pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, until the peppers are soft. Then add the eggplant and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Use a large spoon to create small nests for each egg and crack each egg into each nest. Sprinkle each egg with some salt. Cover the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the eggs are done to your liking. Traditionally, the eggs should be cooked till they are still slightly runny. Garnish with some minced parsley. Serve warm with some toasted bread or a warm pita.
