Shakshuka

Written By Josh Deri

Shakshuka, my absolute favorite weekend breakfast and brunch item to make.

I first discovered shakshuka when I was in Israel, right before I left for culinary school. I was in Tel Aviv with my cousin and he took me to THE shakshuka spot in the whole city, appropriately named, Dr. Shakshuka. I was blown away by the dish and we polished off a whole loaf of fresh challah to go with it. Yes, it was just the two of us, but we could not stop eating it!

Shakshuka comes from the Tunisia, in North Africa. Little did I know, my cousins father is Tunisian and so I asked my aunt if she knew how to make shakshuka and she is one of the best cooks I have ever been around so of course she knew how to make it. She even makes her own harissa from scratch for the dish. And I mean from scratch, like going to the shuk, hand picking her dried chilies, dries them in the sun, then grinds them down with olive oil, garlic and spices from scratch. So, since I was staying at her home while I was in Israel, she made it for me quite a few more times and I watched her make it over and over again and so I have adapted that recipe into my own.

We now serve shakshuka for our catering company, and once made four giant shakshukas, totaling over 200 eggs, all cooked at the same time in the biggest cast iron pans we have for a brunch style wedding! And almost every time I am with my dad, we make shakshuka together for our family. It has definitely become a tradition for my family and I believe my version of shakshuka will become a tradition for your family too! In this recipe, I add merguez spiced lamb meatballs and feta cheese at the end. Its a little bit different than most recipes, but the lamb takes it to another level!

So try out the recipe and let us know what you think!

Lamb Meatballs:

  • 2 pounds ground lamb

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • salt to season

  • 1 tsp toasted, ground fennel seeds

  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

  • 1 tsp cumin, ground

  • 1/2 tsp coriander, ground

  • 2 tsp aleppo chili flakes

  • 1/2 tsp onion powder

  • 2 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp ground sumac

  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

  • 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

  • 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced

  • 1 tsp Graza extra virgin olive oil

  • reserved 1/2 cup Graze Sizzle olive oil

  1. in a large bowl, add all of your ingredients and mix together very well, other than the reserved 1/2 cup of olive oil

  2. form small balls of the mix and roll into nicer balls, then set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

  3. in a large skillet, the same skillet you plan to use for the shakshuka, heat over high heat with your reserved 1/2 cup of olive oil, then add your meatballs and sear on the first side until golden brown, then flip your meatballs and repeat on the second side

  4. turn off the heat and remove your meatballs. set aside the pan until next steps are complete! (Pro tip! have all of your knife cuts and everything measured out while your meatballs are resting, raw, in the fridge!)

Shakshuka:

  • 2 yellow onions, peeled and sliced

  • 2 jalapeno, core, top and seeds removed, small diced

  • 12 cloves garlic, sliced thin

  • 2 bell peppers, charred, steamed, diced

  • 2 anaheim chilies, charred, steamed, diced

  • 1/2 pound butter

  • salt to season

  • 2 tsp ground turmeric

  • 2 tsp ground cumin

  • 2 tsp ground smoked paprika

  • 2 tsp ground aleppo chili flakes

  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

  • 2 tbsp New York Shuk harissa paste

  • 2 tbsp Bianco di Napoli tomato paste

  • 2 cans (56 Oz) Bianco di Napoli crushed tomatoes

  • Seared off meatballs

  • salt to taste

  • 6-8 eggs

  • 1 tsp olive oil

  1. in the same skillet that you seared your lamb meatballs in, turn back the heat to high and add your onions and garlic, and saute for about 2-3 minutes

  2. then add your jalapeno and diced, charred bell peppers and anaheim chilies and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes then season with salt

  3. then add all of your spices and the butter and saute for an additional 2 minutes

  4. turn the heat back to high and add your tomato paste and harissa paste and cook out the pastes for about 2-3 minutes then add your cans of crushed tomatoes, season again with salt and bring to a simmer over high heat

  5. add your seared meatballs and cook over low heat for at least 30 minutes, scraping the bottom of the skillet so that the shakshuka does not burn

  6. preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit

  7. make small dimples for your eggs into your sauce and crack your eggs into each dimple and season with salt and olive oil

  8. turn off the heat, then add your shakshuka to your preheated oven and cook for about 5-8 minutes or your desired doneness for eggs. everyone is different here!

To Serve:

  • fresh, crusty bread (we used a fresh whole grain sourdough, but ciabatta, focaccia or even pita and challah work too! you choose)

  • picked cilantro and parsley leaves

  • graza extra virgin olive oil

  • about 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

  • 1/2 store bought crispy shallots or onions


Amazon links down below for most ingredients and other amazing things found in this video that we highly recommend!

Josh Deri
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