Shakshuka with Red Peppers and Feta
Eggs gently cooked in a paprika-and-cumin tomato sauce with sweet red peppers, finished with feta and parsley. Four breakfast portions.
A pan of shakshuka turns eggs and vegetables into a colourful breakfast to share. Red peppers soften with onion before tomatoes, sweet paprika and cumin create the sauce. Four eggs cook directly in shallow wells, then crumbled feta and parsley finish the pan.
This Middle Eastern-inspired version makes four portions, with one egg and a quarter of the vegetable sauce in each. The eggs are cooked until both whites and yolks are firm. Bread is an optional accompaniment, separate from the recipe quantities and nutrition.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Softening the peppers before adding tomatoes gives them time to become tender. Reducing the sauce uncovered makes it thick enough to support the eggs while retaining moisture for covered cooking. Feta is added at the end so small pieces remain distinct, and the parsley gives a fresh finish.
Before you start · Equipment
Kitchen scale, wide deep 28 cm frying pan with a fitted lid, wooden spoon, small bowl for cracking eggs and a thin-probe food thermometer.
Everything you’ll need.
Get your ingredients ready, then follow the quantities in the recipe below.
See ingredient amounts
This guide describes the original 4 portions. Use the recipe card for amounts adjusted to your chosen yield.
A breakfast pan with a generous vegetable sauce
Each portion has one egg and a quarter of the tomato-and-pepper sauce. Feta adds a salty finish, so the added salt stays at a measured 3 g for the whole pan. This is a home variation, not a claim to reproduce one regional tradition.
Let the peppers soften first
Tomatoes go into the pan after the onion and peppers have softened. Stir during this first stage and use moderate heat so the edges do not burn before the centres become tender.
Reduce the sauce before making wells
A shallow well should hold its shape long enough to receive an egg. A very watery sauce lets the whites spread too widely, while a dry sauce can catch on the bottom. Keep a moist, gently simmering base.
Use the lid and check the eggs
Covered low heat helps the tops cook while the eggs sit in the sauce. Cooking time is only an estimate: check for firm whites and yolks and at least 160°F (71°C) in the egg dish.
Add the cheese after cooking
Scatter feta and parsley around the cooked eggs just before serving. The measured finish is divided equally among four portions. Toast or flatbread can accompany the pan, but neither appears in the ingredient list or nutrition.
Store and reheat leftovers safely
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Keep at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within 3 days. Reheat to 165°F (74°C) throughout, checking both eggs and sauce. Eggs may become firmer during reheating. For advance preparation, make the sauce alone, chill promptly, then bring it back to a simmer before cooking fresh eggs.
About the ingredients
- Red peppers and onion
Weigh the peppers after removing stems and seeds. Thin short strips soften more evenly than large chunks. Use 300 g pepper and 150 g peeled onion; both cook before the tomatoes enter the pan.
- Crushed tomatoes
Use 800 g no-salt-added canned crushed tomatoes with all their juice. Simmer until the sauce can hold four shallow wells. Seasoned sauces, tomato paste or fresh tomatoes are not equivalent replacements for this measured formula.
- Paprika, cumin and pepper
Use sweet paprika and pure ground cumin, with 1 g black pepper. There is no cayenne in this version. The spices get only a short stir before tomatoes stop them scorching.
- Four whole eggs
Use four large eggs, about 200 g without shells. Cook both whites and yolks until firm and check the egg dish reaches 160°F (71°C). Small changes in egg size, pan heat and lid fit can extend cooking. A runny yolk variation is outside this method.
- Feta and parsley
Use feta made from pasteurized milk. All 80 g feta and 10 g parsley are included in the four servings and nutrition. Add after cooking the eggs; the feta stays in distinct small pieces. Extra cheese or bread changes the meal nutrition.
How to make Shakshuka with Red Peppers and Feta
Soften onion and peppers, simmer a spiced tomato sauce, make four wells and cook the eggs under a lid until firm and at least 160°F (71°C). Finish with feta and parsley.
1. Soften the onion and red peppers
2. Simmer the paprika and cumin tomato sauce
3. Cook four eggs in the sauce until firm
4. Finish with feta and parsleyWatch How To Make It
chefzelish.com
Shakshuka with Red Peppers and Feta
Eggs gently cooked in a paprika-and-cumin tomato sauce with sweet red peppers, finished with feta and parsley. Four breakfast portions.
Ingredients
0 / 12 readyIngredient amounts for 4 portions
Tomato and pepper sauce
Eggs and finish
Let’s make it.
Soften the onion and red peppers
Heat 20 g olive oil in a wide deep 28 cm frying pan over medium heat. Add 150 g onion and all 300 g red pepper strips. Cook for about 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is translucent and the peppers have softened. Reduce the heat if the edges begin to scorch.
Simmer the paprika and cumin tomato sauce
Lower the heat and add 10 g garlic, 4 g sweet paprika, 2 g cumin and 1 g black pepper. Stir for 30 seconds without scorching the spices. Add all 800 g tomatoes and juice, plus 3 g salt. Simmer uncovered for about 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to hold a shallow well but still moist. If it spits, lower the heat. Do not reduce it to a dry paste.
Cook four eggs in the sauce until firm
Make four shallow wells in the gently simmering sauce. Crack each egg into a small clean bowl first, then carefully slide one into each well; use all four eggs, about 200 g without shells. Wash hands and utensils after handling raw eggs. Cover with a fitted lid and cook over low heat for about 10–14 minutes, checking regularly, until both whites and yolks are firm. Check the centre of the eggs with a thin-probe thermometer without touching the hot pan: the egg dish must reach at least 160°F (71°C). Continue cooking if needed. This version does not serve runny or undercooked eggs.
Finish with feta and parsley
Take the pan off the heat once the eggs are cooked. Scatter all 80 g crumbled pasteurized-milk feta and 10 g parsley over the sauce around the eggs. Serve promptly, giving each of four people one egg, one quarter of the sauce and 20 g feta. Bread, extra cheese and other sides are optional and are outside the listed quantities and nutrition.
Nutrition per serving
1 of 4 portions: one egg and quarter of sauce, including20g feta. Estimates may vary with ingredients and brands.
- Calories
- 249 kcal
- Protein
- 12.3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 18 g
- Fat
- 15.1 g
- Saturated fat
- 5.4 g
- Fiber
- 6.6 g
- Sugar
- 11 g
- Sodium
- 573 mg
Checked 10/13/2026. Values are per the serving described above, regardless of recipe yield.
Notes from the kitchen.
Helpful tips
Allow about 50 minutes including 15 minutes preparation and 35 minutes cooking. Pepper thickness, tomato moisture and egg temperature can extend the estimate. Check tenderness and egg doneness rather than relying only on a timer.
Make it your own
This formula uses sweet paprika, no-salt-added tomatoes and pasteurized-milk feta. Smoked paprika, seasoned sauce, different cheese or additional eggs changes flavour, timing and nutrition.
Storage & freezing
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days and reheat throughout to 165°F (74°C). For better texture, prepare and store the sauce separately, then cook fresh eggs.
At the table
Four equal portions include one egg each, all sauce, 20 g feta per portion and all parsley. All 20 g olive oil and 3 g salt are included. Bread and extra toppings are excluded.
A little something delicious.
Keep this recipe close for the next time the craving strikes.
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