Middle Eastern · main

Shakshuka with Feta and Crusty Bread

Name: Shakshuka with Feta and Crusty Bread
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 32 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: olive oil — 41 g; yellow onion — 110 g; red bell pepper — 100 g; garlic — 12 g; tomato paste — 15 g; cumin — 7 g; sweet paprika — 5 g; red chili flakes — 3 g; tomatoes — 1588 g; salt — 6 g; black pepper — 1 g; eggs — 600 g; feta cheese — 113 g; cilantro — 15 g; crusty bread — 100 g

Shakshuka with Feta and Crusty Bread reads salinity 5.1, allium 4.5 and richness 3.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Middle Eastern main, about 32 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 5.8 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.3 / 10
Sour & Bright — 3.2 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.5 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.2 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Salinity 5.1 · Allium 4.5 · Richness 3.9 · Umami 3.9 · Sweetness 3.5 · Sourness 2.9 · Herbaceous 2.7 · Funk & Ferment 2.7 · Fruity 2.5 · Earthy 2.4 · Warm Spice 1.9 · Heat 1.7 · Marine & Briny 1.1 · Bitterness 1.1 · Nutty 1.0 · Citrus 0.9 · Floral 0.9

What's in it (15)

olive oil — 41 g
yellow onion — 110 g
red bell pepper — 100 g
garlic — 12 g
tomato paste — 15 g
cumin — 7 g
sweet paprika — 5 g
red chili flakes — 3 g
tomatoes — 1588 g
salt — 6 g
black pepper — 1 g
eggs — 600 g
feta cheese — 113 g
cilantro — 15 g
crusty bread — 100 g

Time & effort: about 32 min (30 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 72.8 kcal, 4.4 g protein, 3.6 g fat, 5.6 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden at the edges, 7-8 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens slightly and the spices smell toasted, about 1-2 minutes.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes with their juice, then stir in 1 tsp of the salt and the black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and no longer looks watery, 12-15 minutes.
Taste the sauce and adjust salt if needed; it should taste bold, since the eggs and bread are unseasoned. Using the back of a spoon, make 6 shallow wells in the sauce, spaced evenly around the pan.
Crack one egg into each well, sprinkling each egg with a pinch of the remaining 0.25 tsp salt. Cover the skillet and cook over medium-low heat until the egg whites are fully set but the yolks are still jammy and soft when the pan is jiggled, 6-8 minutes for a runny-to-soft yolk, or 9-10 minutes for a firmer set.
Uncover and scatter the crumbled feta and chopped cilantro over the top. Let the pan sit off the heat for 1-2 minutes to warm the feta before serving directly from the skillet with the warmed crusty bread for scooping.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Spiced Chickpea Shakshuka Skillet — Middle Eastern
Greek Butter Beans in Tomato Sauce (Gigantes Plaki) — Greek
Greek Eggplant and Chickpea Skillet — Greek
Lentil and Tomato Shakshuka — Middle Eastern
Classic Home-Style Chicken Curry — Indian

Keep reading: what salinity, allium, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.