Eggs in Tomato Sauce (Shakshuka)

- August 16, 2020

Welcome back, Chemists!

Today, I bring you a very popular Middle-Eastern food. It's most commonly called shakshuka in Arabic-speaking nations, but in Persian, we simply call it "omelet-e-goje", or tomato omelet. It consists of eggs poached in a delicious tomato sauce and is often eaten with toast on the side.

In my family, we often have it for Sunday breakfasts, and it certainly is delicious! Traditionally, Persians only cook this dish on the stovetop, but many like to bake it in the oven too, so I'll show you both variations.

Make sure to grab an adult chemist to help you with this dish - heat involved!

Ingredients:
serves 6-8

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small red onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 roma tomatoes, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Red pepper flakes, if desired, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 jar of marinara with no salt added or 1 can of crushed tomatoes

8 large eggs

2-3 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Chopped parsley to garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat.

2. Add the onion and peppers, and cook until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft, about 8-10 minutes.

3. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute (not too long, garlic can burn easily!). Add cumin, red pepper flakes, paprika, and thyme. Add as much salt and pepper as desired.

4. Add in chopped tomatoes and crushed tomatoes/marinara. Simmer sauce until it's thickened, about 10-15 minutes.

5. Turn off the heat. Stir in the crumbled feta. Crack the eggs into the tomato sauce, seasoning each with salt and ground pepper.

*NOTE: If you wish to make this recipe on the stovetop rather than in the oven, complete Step 5 on low heat. Then, cover the pan and allow to simmer until the eggs are cooked to your liking, about 5-10 minutes based on how cooked you enjoy your eggs.