Shakshuka Sandwich

Eggs baked in a rich tomato sauce then stuffed inside a toasted ciabatta roll. This truly is the best way to eat Shakshuka!

If you’re like me you love dunking bread into a shakshuka. Well, today we’re going to flip that idea on its head and stick the shakshuka inside the bread. Trust me, this is going to be one of your new favourite brunches. Follow me…

The Ultimate Shakshuka Recipe

What is Shakshuka?

Just to clear out any cobwebs – Shakshuka (or Shakshouka) is essentially eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce. It’s got Tunisian/Middle Eastern origins and is often shared between a group of people for brunch.

For most, this dish is an opportunity to almost use as a dip to dunk in bread. For me, the guy who runs a sandwich blog, I see this as an opportunity to build a delicious sandwich. Think of it as an ‘elevated’ egg sandwich. You’ve got those gorgeous poached eggs wrapped in a rich tomato sauce, then wedged inside some ciabatta rolls. Chuck in some runny egg yolk and you’ve got yourself one heck of a breaky sandwich.

Exhibit A:

How to make Shakshuka

Shakshuka is insanely easy to make. Here’s what you’ll need:

• For the Base: The base of the sauce consists of Red Pepper, Onion and Garlic. If you want to bulk it out a bit more you can add Chorizo.
• For the Sauce: Chopped Tomatoes make the bulk of the sauce. I recommend chopping up plum tomatoes in the can as they tend to be sweeter/richer, but a can of good quality chopped tomatoes works just fine.
• For the Seasoning: Paprika, Smoked Paprika, Cumin and Cayenne Pepper. You won’t need much cayenne, but just a pinch adds a really nice kick.

Alongside this you’ll obviously need some eggs too.

How to cook Shakshuka?

Once you’ve created the sauce and cracked in your eggs, you’ve got two options for cooking the eggs. Most recipes pop on a lid and steam the eggs, but I find this not only causes the yolks to turn white (we want them orange and runny), but also causes too much moisture to get trapped and rest on top of the shakshuka. Because we’re turning this into a sandwich, we want the shakshuka to reduce slightly and get nice & thick. We also want a nice runny yolk. As such, baking is a much better option here. Just 10-15mins will do the trick.

Process shots: add pepper and onion to olive oil (photo 1), fry then add garlic (photo 2), pour in tomatoes and add seasoning (photo 3), simmer then create holes (photo 4), crack in eggs (photo 5), bake in the oven (photo 6).

Shakshuka Sandwich

What bread to use?

Because the filling is quite wet you’ll want something nice and sturdy to hold it in. As such, your best option here is a Ciabatta roll. You’ll want to open it up and toast it either on a griddle pan or under the grill.

Once you’ve loaded up the roll I recommend sprinkling over some feta and parsley (or coriander/cilantro). This finishes things of nicely!

• Crisp/Chip Recommendation: Prawn cocktail works nicely alongside this sandwich flavour-wise, preferably Pringles or some form of ridged crisp. Something nice and sturdy to scoop up any filling that falls out!
• Side Recommendation: I LOVE Garlic Parmesan Fries with this sandwich, or even Hash Browns!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this Shakshuka sandwich shall we?!

How to make a Shakshuka Sandwich (Full Recipe & Video)

Shakshuka Sandwich

Eggs baked in a rich tomato sauce then stuffed inside a toasted ciabatta roll. This truly is the best way to eat Shakshuka!

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Brunch

Cuisine: Middle Eastern, North African

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings (click & slide): 4 sandwiches

Calories per serving: 336kcal

Author: Chris

Cost per serving: £1.50 / $2

Equipment

• 10" Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Serving Spoon

Ingredients

Shakshuka

• 1x 14oz/400g can of Chopped Tomatoes (see notes)
• 4 Eggs
• 1 small Red Pepper, finely diced
• 1 small White Onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced/minced
• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp EACH: Cumin, Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
• pinch of Cayenne Pepper, to taste
• Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Sandwich

• 4 Ciabatta Rolls, halved & toasted (see notes)
• Crumbled Feta, to taste
• Parsley or Coriander/Cilantro, finely diced (to taste)

Instructions

• In a frying pan add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add pepper & onion and fry until they begin to soften/brown. Add in garlic and fry for another 1-2mins longer.
• Pour in tomatoes and add 1/2 tsp cumin & paprika, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika and salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Give it a good stir then leave on a gentle simmer until it starts to thicken and the tomatoes have burst (around 10mins). Pre heat oven to 356F/180C.
• Create 4 spaces in the sauce then carefully crack in the eggs. Pop in the oven for 10-15mins, or until the eggs are cooked through to your liking.
• Open up your ciabatta rolls and scoop an egg and some sauce into each one. Sprinkle over feta and parsley or coriander/cilantro. Enjoy!

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Tomatoes - I usually get a can of peeled plum tomatoes and dice them up in the can. Plum tomatoes are a little sweeter than regular chopped tomatoes and slightly richer in flavour. If you find the tomatoes you're using are a touch sour just add a pinch of sugar to taste.

b) Ciabatta Rolls - Best way to toast the rolls is to open them up and lightly brush the inside with extra virgin olive oil. Place on a smoking hot griddle pan until nice and charred. You can also place them under the grill and broil them.

c) Chorizo - Diced chorizo goes nicely in this. If it's already cured just chuck it in with the garlic to fry it off slightly. If it needs completely cooking just fry it off with the onion and pepper. Around 3.5oz/100g should be fine!

d) Calories - per sandwich assuming 1 tbsp feta and 1 tsp parsley perfect sandwich:

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Shakshuka Sandwich

Amount Per Serving

Calories 336 Calories from Fat 136

% Daily Value*

Fat 15.12g23%

Saturated Fat 5.257g33%

Trans Fat 0.035g

Polyunsaturated Fat 4.399g

Monounsaturated Fat 4.29g

Cholesterol 181mg60%

Sodium 537mg23%

Potassium 326mg9%

Carbohydrates 35.33g12%

Fiber 2.9g12%

Sugar 6.74g7%

Protein 14.98g30%

Vitamin A 1270IU25%

Vitamin C 33.2mg40%

Calcium 237mg24%

Iron 3.67mg20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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