Shakshuka with red beans and Feta
Shakshouka is a Maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion and garlic, and commonly spiced with cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Shakshouka originated in Ottoman North Africa in the mid-16th century after tomatoes were introduced to the region by Hernan Cortés as part of the Columbian exchange. It is only known that to Israel, the dish came from northeast African cultures, and more specifically, from the Lybian-Tunisian region. When immigration to Israel from North African countries was in its prime, immigrants suffered financial difficulties and this hearty and affordable dish, containing eggs, vegetables and bread, became a household favourite. Today, shakshuka is most strongly associated with the Middle East and Israel in particular, where it was introduced by Jewish immigrants from Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Libya.Today, shakshuka is one of the most popular dishes in Israel is enjoying its moment in the spotlight in many places around the world, due to its hearty, comforting nature and healthy ingredients. Practically any dish in which eggs are cooked in the sauce is called shakshuka in Israel and that’s how variations like green shakshuka made with spinach, mangold and cream became popular.The dish’s name, shakshuka, essentially means ‘all mixedup’ and that’s what it really is, a warmly spiced vegetarian dish of saucy tomatoes. Shakshuka is so easy to make, all you have to do is to make a thick tomato sauce and crack some eggs in it, but beyond that, there are lots of ways to shake up your shakshuka. You can add read beans, chickpeas, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, even variations of cheese like Feta, soft cheese, blue cheese and so on. If you want to add some meat to your shakshuka, you can add sausages like merguez or chorizo, ground beef, lamb, or chicken.Shakshuka is also healthy. Shakshuka is a naturally vegetarian, gluten free and vegetable-filled dish. With a tomato-based sauce, this recipe packs a lot of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. In addition, tomatoes are an excellent dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene. Furthermore, eggs are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins A, D, E, and K, and lecithin.You can have your shakshuka with pita, homemade flatbread, challah, or slices of any rustic crusty bread for sopping up the sauce. Shakshuka is a quick and easy one-pan dinner/lunch/breakfast recipe, is fresh tasting and healthy, full of vegetables and you can easily add other ingredients to mix up the flavors in the traditional shakshuka recipe. I tried a shakshuka recipe with red beans and Feta cheese and it was so good, definetly one of my favourite recipe so far. If you don’t have any idea about what to have for breakfast, lunch or dinner, I’m telling you, the answer is SHAKSHUKA!
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 400 g canned red beans
- 400 g tomatoes in tomatoe sauce
- 3 eggs
- 100 g Feta cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- a pinch of pepper
Instructions
- Add the oil in a pan and cook the onion for about 2-3 minutes, until it turnes golden. Add the tomatoes in sauce and let it cook for 5-10 minutes at low heat. Drain the liquid from the canned beans and add the red beans. Add salt and pepper and mix.
- Add eggs in different places, cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 1 minute. Take the lid, add the crushed feta cheese, put the lid back on and let it simmer for another 2-4 minutes, depending on how you prefer the eggs.
- You can add some fresh parsley and serve the dish with fresh or toasted bread. Bon appétit!