Shakshukah! Simple, Easy, Oh So Satisfying

We've been exploring different cuisines and ways to make our daily dinners a little more interesting. Here's a recent favorite we made at home. This dish is an easy, make in one pan dish with great flavors that can help you break out of the winter doldrums.

Shakshukah with Feta is on the New York Times website. I'm sure it's on all sorts of other websites, but I trust the New York Times. Shakshuka originated in North Africa, and like many great dishes there are as many versions as there are cooks who have embraced it. This one strays from more traditional renditions by adding crumbled feta cheese, which softens into creamy nuggets in the oven’s heat.

When I served this for dinner, Jeremy couldn't believe that it was meet-free. The tomatoes are so hardy and the egg adds just a little bit of protein. You'll come back to make this one again and again and again.

Shakshukah with Feta

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste

1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed

5 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)

6 large eggs

Chopped cilantro, for serving

Hot sauce, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.

2. Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.