Growing up, our parents always made us start the day with egg – half-boiled, sunny-side up, omelets, or scrambled. If we got lucky, there was a “sidish” with it (meat curry left-overs from dinner, the previous night). Then I stumbled on Shakshuka, an Israeli dish – a one-skillet recipe of eggs baked with a tomato-red pepper sauce and a mix of spices. Served with a pile of pita or challah bread, it’s a delicious start to the day. Another great add to the list of egg recipes for breakfast. (And, I’ve also used it for a quick dinner meal, when I was just too tired to prepare something more elaborate).

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped (we love garlic!)
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder or to taste
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• Hot sauce
• Optional: Feta or other cheese

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium.
2. Add onion and bell pepper. Saute until very soft, and onions are translucent
3. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes
4. Stir in cumin, chili, and paprika, and cook 1 minute
5. Pour in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper
6. Simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed
7. Using a large service spoon, make wells in the tomato sauce
8. Gently crack eggs into skillet in tomato wells
9. Season eggs with salt and pepper
10. Cover and cook until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes or to your liking
11. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.
12. Optional: Sprinkle feta cheese or other cheese
13. Serve hot with pita or challah