A savory brunch recipe that will hopefully become your new favorite: shakshuka with feta & avocado salad. Eggs poached right in a spicy red pepper tomato sauce and served with a fresh avocado salad full of feta cheese, greens olives, scallions, and lemon. It’s a bold, flavorful dish that’s beyond simple to make and extremely satisfying. Serve it all with some bread toasted in olive oil for the ultimate spring brunch feast!
shakshuka with feta & avocado salad – the details
If you’re unfamiliar with shakshuka, it’s a North African and Middle Eastern dish that consists of eggs “poached” in a spicy tomato sauce. The sauce is full of caramelized onions, red peppers, red chiles, and garlic.
I added in extra vibrant, warming spices – smoked paprika, harissa, cumin, and coriander – which toast up in the skillet until nice and fragrant. After you add in the canned tomatoes (I like to use whole peeled tomatoes and crush them with a wooden spoon for the freshest tomato flavor; crushed tomatoes work well, too), the sauce simmers for just about 10 minutes.
Then, you’ll add in the eggs.
You’ll want to make little “wells” in the sauce so that you can crack each egg into its own spot. Turn the heat all the way low, cover the skillet with a lid, and let the eggs cook right on the stove in the flavorful spiced sauce. The result is absolutely delicious eggs, with plenty of extra tomato sauce for spooning on top of toasted bread.
To make things even better, I’m serving this shakshuka with a bright, zippy avocado salad that’s bursting with lemon, salty feta cheese, briny olives, scallions, and fresh parsley. This of course is also great on top of the toast. I think the best approach is to get a little of everything in each bite.
Trust me, you’ll want to make this shakshuka all spring and summer long. It’s great for brunch, but truly works any time of the day!
If you’re looking for more egg recipes, here are a few favorites:
Brussels Sprout Frittata with Bacon & Parmesan
Herby Egg Salad On Toast
Jammy Eggs with Croutons & Whipped Feta
Shakshuka with Feta & Avocado Salad
traditional “shakshuka” (eggs poached in a spicy red pepper tomato sauce) topped with a fresh feta & avocado salad
servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large red pepper, cored + thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- 1 red fresno chile, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp harissa powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 8 eggs
- 2 avocados, pitted + sliced ¼”
- ½ cup pitted + halved green olives
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- freshly cracked black pepper
- fresh bread toasted in olive oil, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a 12” skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion and red pepper. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until caramelized and tender.
- Add the red fresno chile and garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the paprika, harissa, cumin, and coriander. Cook the spices for a minute or so.
- Pour in the tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes into bite-size pieces. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
- Make 8 “wells” in the sauce and crack the eggs into each one. Turn the heat up to medium-low. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the egg whites are set and the egg yolks are still slightly runny (or to your liking).
- Meanwhile, combine the avocado, olives, feta, scallions, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, and parsley in a mixing bowl. Stir well. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve the shakshuka with the avocado salad and toasted bread alongside.
shop the dish: shakshuka with feta & avocado salad
Do you think you can use harissa paste in place for powder? (:
Yes! I would say about 2 tablespoons of harissa paste would do the trick. Enjoy!
Made this for breakfast and it was such a hit!! The tomato sauce is unreal, the avocado/olive combination is a game changer, and all of the flavors mesh together beautifully. Will 150% be making this again!
This looks amazing! It’s going to be on our dinner table tomorrow 🙂
Oh, I am so glad!! It really is a delicious one..super easy and flavorful. I hope you love it! Let me know what you think 🙂