Southwest Shakshuka is my riff on a dish I fell in love with while visiting Israel for the first time. Variations of it were in just about every restaurant we walked past. Most importantly, it was cooked in its own pan and traditionally was not made with gluten! This celiac was jumping for joy inside. Especially after realizing how incredible it is. Fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, bell peppers, herbs, and spices are quickly cooked into a rich and flavorful sauce. Then eggs are poached on top, soaking up all of the flavor beneath them. That is the basic Shakshuka. Most restaurants had at least 3 of their own variations.
A Bit of Heat
This variation adds mild poblano peppers and smoky chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. If you haven’t had these peppers, they are great for newbies. Poblanos offer more heat and flavor than a bell pepper but won’t knock your socks off. Chipotle peppers are smoked and dried red ripe jalapeno peppers. They offer more heat and smoky flavor than the poblano and come canned in a tomato-based adobo sauce. Adobo sauce is tomato based with vinegar, spices, sugar, and dried peppers. The sauce balances out the pepper’s heat with sweetness and acid perfectly. You can control how spicy the Southwest Shakshuka will be by how many chipotles you put in the dish. This recipe uses 2 medium peppers and it results in it being mild.
All in the Pan
After rinsing and chopping the vegetables and tomatoes, making the dish is pretty quick and easy. Begin by heating a pan with olive oil. Saute the onion and fresh peppers until softened. Then add in the garlic, tomatoes and chipotles in adobo. Let the mixture simmer, allowing the tomatoes to break down. This happens in less than 10 minutes! Finally crack the eggs right on top of the sauce and put the lid on top of the pan to trap in the heat. The eggs will cook in a minute or two.
Serve the Southwest Shakshuka
There’s only one tip to keep in mind, make sure everyone is ready to eat when you add the eggs to the pan. The eggs cook quickly and continue cooking in the hot sauce, so you want to get it to the table as soon as they are cooked to your liking. Sprinkle the top generously with cojita cheese and fresh cilantro. Then ladle out portions with fabulous fresh gluten free bread.
Just Thinking…
Some of the other variations that I came across while traveling were made with basil and huge chunks of fresh mozzarella, feta, avocado, and pesto. Countless types of vegetables were mixed in. It is usually a vegetarian dish, but I don’t see why you couldn’t add bacon, ham or sausage. Shakshuka was also available all day and night. Just because it had eggs in it, didn’t mean it was only for breakfast!
Great with Southwest Shakshuka
- Cornbread Muffins
- Enormous Waffles
- Classic Irish Soda Bread
- Cornbread Madeleines
- Irish Soda Bread with Cheddar & Bacon
Southwest Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion small dice
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper small dice
- 1 large poblano pepper small dice
- 3 large cloves fresh garlic finely minced
- 2 pounds vine ripe tomatoes quartered or large dice
- 2 medium chipotles in adobo minced
- 8 large eggs
- 3 ounces cojita cheese crumbled
- 1 handful fresh cilantro chopped
- gluten free bread or pita for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan or cast iron pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil to coat the pan and saute the onion, bell and poblano peppers. Season with salt and pepper and stir from time to time.
- Once they are softened and the onion is almost translucent, add the garlic. Stir and let heat through until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes and chipotle peppers, stirring again to combine the ingredients well. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and let simmer. Stir and mash the tomatoes as they break down. This should take about 5-10 minutes.
- Taste and re-season the sauce with salt and pepper if needed.
- Turn the heat to medium low, then carefully crack the eggs onto the top of the tomato sauce. Cover and let the eggs cook to your preferred done-ness.
- Top with crumbled cojita cheese and chopped fresh cilantro along with warm crusty gluten free bread.
- *This recipe will serve four if you plan to ladle 2 eggs with an extra scoop or two of the sauce per person.