April 2, 2024 12 Comments
This healthy shakshuka recipe is for those who have never heard of shakshuka.
I hadn’t heard of it either until I found it on a brunch menu in Mexico (over a year ago). What is this mysterious “shakshuka”? He knew I was going to like it because he has tomatoes and eggs (a great combination).
Shakshuka (also spelled shakshouka or chakchouka) is a large casserole of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and olive oil. It can be seasoned with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. The recipe has existed in Mediterranean cultures for centuries.
Since I found it in Mexico, I was quite confused to see that it was Mediterranean. But, if you think about it for a second, Mexican food includes tomatoes, peppers, eggs, cumin… It makes sense that he emigrated to Mexico.
Anyway, I fell in love and was excited to find recipes that confirmed my suspicion that shakshuka is healthy. YEAH!
I added feta cheese to this shakshuka but it’s not necessary. If you skip it, you will have almost no points for Blue or Purple WW program members. The only thing that counts in the recipe is the tablespoon of olive oil.
I added the feta cheese because I think it makes it tastier. Plus, my kids will eat anything with cheese in it. It’s still a healthy shakshuka with feta since I don’t use too much.
How do you do it? First, you make a thick tomato sauce. Then you put some eggs on top and send the pan to a preheated oven. The oven cooks the eggs and then you eat them with good bread (or not).
You can eat this healthy shakshuka for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like to make an extra one and eat it all week. It’s delicious microwaved but doesn’t freeze well.
You can freeze the sauce part before adding the feta cheese and eggs.
Have you tried a healthy shakshuka? What do you think about that?
Healthy Shakshuka Recipe
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 min.
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Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes with their juice, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
6 eggs
chopped cilantro or parsley to serve (optional)
Instructions
Heat oven to 375 F. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat and add oil, onion, and bell pepper. Sauté until softened but not browned, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the cumin, paprika and cayenne. Toast the spices for one minute. Add the tomatoes and black pepper and cook for about five minutes on medium-high heat to reduce the tomatoes slightly. Add the feta cheese and taste for flavor (the dish may need more salt depending on the canned tomatoes). Add salt, cumin, more cayenne, whatever makes it taste better.
Crack the eggs one by one, adding them on top of the sauce. Place the pan in the oven and roast the shakshuka until the eggs are to the desired doneness (about 7 minutes for runny eggs and 11 minutes for firmer yolks).
Serve with cilantro or parsley.
nutritional information
A portion: 188 calories, 12.2 grams fat, 5.3 grams saturated fat, 10.7 grams carbohydrates, 6.6 grams sugar, 10.7 grams protein, 2.5 grams fiber, 334mg sodium, 5 green, 3 blue, 3 purple WW SmartPts
Point values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for informational purposes only. See all Snack Girl recipes
