Easy Shakshuka with Feta Cheese for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner
This easy shakshuka with feta is a cinch to prepare and is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Shakshuka is eggs poached in a seasoned tomato sauce with or without additional vegetables. Its origin is believed to be in North Africa from where it was brought to the Middle East and ultimately across the globe. Because it is so easy to prepare, infinitely changeable, filling, delicious and affordable, shakshuka has been adopted and adapted throughout the world.
I love tasty recipes where I can easily use up whatever is in the fridge. Whether it’s leftover potatoes, dark leafy greens, roasted vegetables, chickpeas, half a jar of salsa or leftover corn or peas, they’re all possible additions. The only must have ingredients for us are eggs, tomato sauce of some sort, seasoning and feta cheese. The salty, tangy flavour of the feta is perfect with the tomatoes and eggs. Especially when you have a high quality feta like Chaeban Artisan Feta.
If you’re in Winnipeg, you’ve got to try Chaeban Artisan Feta – you’re going to love it! There’s a soft creamy style feta and a firm feta. For this recipe, I like using the firm feta. Of course, the soft feta will work too, it’s just so deliciously creamy it’s a little trickier to get off the fork as crumbly bits.
Easy Shakshuka Recipe
Easy Shakshuka with Feta
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz/796ml) or sauce
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups dark leafy greens, roughly chopped (optional)*
- 1 cup leftover or frozen cooked vegetables (optional)**
- 4-6 eggs
- 3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley, cilantro or dill for garnish
Instructions
- Heat large, deep fry pan. Add oil and heat.
- Sauté onions until translucent and soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add diced tomatoes, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Break or squish tomatoes into smaller pieces if desired.
- Add leafy greens and cooked vegetables, if using. Stir and cook until heated through and greens have wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Make 4 to 6 wells in the sauce and carefully crack in eggs. Scoop a little of the sauce over the outer edges of the egg white.
- Cover pan and cook until eggs are poached to your desired level – 5 minutes for soft and 8 minutes for hard cooked. Remove from heat (remember eggs will continue to cook a little) and sprinkle with feta and parsley or cilantro.
- Serve with oven roasted potatoes, fresh sourdough or flatbread to soak up extra sauce.
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Egg Notes
The great thing about shakshuka is that you decide how many and how hard to cook your eggs. Make a large pan with six eggs or a little pan with one or two eggs. Make them soft and runny or cook them all the way through – you get to choose every time you make this dish.
To get the eggs just the way you like them, remember they will continue to cook once you remove the pan from the heat, so take the pan off a minute before they’re done the way you like them. I find that somewhere between 5-8 minutes is ideal.
Cover the pan while the eggs cook to get opaque egg whites. Cook 5 minutes or less if you like your eggs runny and cook 8 minutes or longer if you like them hard cooked.
What to Serve With Shakshuka
Shakshuka offers up full servings of protein and veggies, so you don’t need to add a lot. Consider adding something to dip into the soft egg and the tasty tomato sauce. And maybe a nice green salad on the side.
- Sweet potatoes or cooked squash for a hint of sweet to go with the tomato sauce and feta.
- Bread to dip into the eggs and tomato sauce. Sourdough, No-knead Artisan bread, 50/50 Whole Wheat Bread or any kind of flatbread.
- Potatoes, especially roasted potatoes like chili cheese oven roasted potato slices or rosemary roasted potatoes.
How Long Does Feta Last?
For best quality and longest shelf life, always buy feta in brine. The brine not only extends shelf life, but it also maintains the flavour and creamy texture of feta. Feta sold in packages without brine will have a much shorter shelf life and must be used with 5-7 days once opened.
Unopened Feta in Brine: One to two weeks past Best Before Date. And that Best Before Date gives you lots of time to eat your feta. My current package of Chaeban Feta has a Best Before Date of March 2022 and it’s April 2021!
Opened Feta in Brine: Once opened, keep remaining feta in the brine, covered, in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.
How to Store or Freeze Feta
Store Feta
As you saw in the above, feta in brine has a long shelf life as long as it is handled and stored well.
Always use a clean utensil when dipping into the feta container to prevent contamination. As much as you’d like to, avoid dipping the cracker right into the container! And please, don’t reach in with your fingers.
Store in the original container, fully submerged in the brine with the lid on in the fridge.
If you bought feta without the brine or for some reason, you don’t have enough brine to cover the feta, you can make your own. Simply dissolve 1 tsp kosher salt in 1 cup water. Make enough to fully submerge the feta in a sealed container.
Freeze Feta
Did you know that you can freeze feta? Just remove from the brine, pat dry, wrap really well in plastic wrap and place in freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to six months. The texture will be a little less firm, but it will still taste great in your favourite recipes.
Enjoy your shakshuka with great tasting feta.
Have you tried making shakshuka? What are your favourite additions and sides? I’d love to hear from you, please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @getgettys and Facebook @GettyStewart.HomeEconomist.
This recipe was written in paid partnership with Chaeban Artisan. As always, opinions are my own and a sincere reflection of life in my home.
