Aubergine shakshuka

A spicy, garlicky, saucy shakshuka with aubergine (eggplant) that makes a substantial breakfast, brunch or dinner. Serve with salad, and pita bread to soak up the sauce.

When I attended Gefiltefest, a highlight of my day was watching Itamar Srulovich of Honey & Co cooking up a delicious shakshuka. I found myself craving shakshuka for days afterwards, until something had to be done. I took decisive action, and headed into the kitchen to make shakshuka!

Don’t hold back

When I set out to make my own shakshuka, I remembered that Itamar had used 15 cloves of garlic in his, saying, “It sounds like a lot of garlic….. and it is!” Well, who am I to argue with an expert? I used 15 cloves of garlic.

However, after that, our shakshuka paths diverged. Itamar’s was a simple sauce of garlic, spices, tomato puree and water. However I decided to make mine more substantial by the addition of a couple of aubergines (eggplants) and tinned chopped tomatoes rather than puree. I did use a similarly generous hand with the spices though. 

Aubergine shakshuka – ingredients

Shakshuka is a relatively simple dish, with a relatively simple list of ingredients. To make this tasty aubergine shakshuka you will need:

• aubergine – obviously!
• garlic – lots of
• olive oil
• tinned tomatoes
• eggs – you can’t make shakshuka without breaking eggs!
• spices – cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, cayenne
• fresh herbs for sprinkling – I used Greek basil, but torn basil leaves, fresh parsley or coriander (cilantro) would also be delicious.

Aubergine shakshuka – Something on the side?

Shakshuka is usually served with some kind of bread, which is perfect for soaking up the delicious sauce.

My daughter Kipper used a pitta to dip and scoop her shakshuka. Meanwhile DH simply shovelled his aubergine shakshuka into a tortilla wrap, rolled it up, and ate it! I’m not sure what he was saying through mouthfuls of delicious shakshuka, but it sounded appreciative, and it certainly disappeared very quickly!

Kipper polished hers off too – aubergines and eggs are among her favourite foods, so I’m not surprised she enjoyed it. I’d toned down the heat for her benefit, which DH complained about – you can’t please all of the people etc. – so adjust the cayenne to your liking if you prefer it hotter.

Scattered herbs

I scattered what I thought was a generous handful of chopped basil over the top, although in retrospect it could happily have handled more. Use plenty, and maybe throw a little parsley on there too.

This aubergine shakshuka was extremely tasty, and the eggs added plenty of protein and made it a very satisfying and filling meal. Although we ate this for dinner, in Israel shakshuka is more commonly served for breakfast or brunch, so you can enjoy it any time of day! Just be sure to have some bread to soak up the sauce, and ideally a dish of chopped Israeli salad alongside. 

We scoffed the lot! This serves 2-4.

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Aubergine (eggplant) shakshuka

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A spicy, garlicky, saucy shakshuka with chunky aubergine (eggplant), that makes a substantial breakfast, brunch or dinner.

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Total Time 30 mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Israeli

Servings 4

Calories 352 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 2 small/medium aubergines (eggplants)
• 6-7 tbsp olive oil
• 15 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• pinch cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 4 eggs
• Generous handful of Greek basil leaves, torn basil leaves, or chopped parsley
• Pita or crusty bread to serve (optional)

Instructions

 

• Cut the aubergines (eggplants) into 1cm (½ inch) dice. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet and saute the aubergine pieces for a few minutes until they soften and begin to colour.
• Peel and crush the garlic and add to the aubergines with the cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon and cayenne. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until the spices are toasted and fragrant.
• Add the tinned tomatoes and stir well. If the sauce seems very thick, add a splash of water to thin it down slightly.
• Cook the sauce for around 15 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and the sauce has darkened. Make four indentations in the sauce with the back of a spoon, and crack an egg into each one.
• Cover the pan and continue to cook for another 4-6 minutes until the egg whites are cooked – the yolks should still be soft.
• Scatter over the basil/parsley and serve at once.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Aubergine (eggplant) shakshuka

Amount per Serving

Calories

352

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

26

g

40

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Cholesterol

 

164

mg

55

%

Sodium

 

217

mg

9

%

Potassium

 

877

mg

25

%

Carbohydrates

 

23

g

8

%

Fiber

 

9

g

38

%

Sugar

 

11

g

12

%

Protein

 

10

g

20

%

Vitamin A

 

688

IU

14

%

Vitamin C

 

18

mg

22

%

Calcium

 

128

mg

13

%

Iron

 

4

mg

22

%

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

Keyword aubergine, egg, eggplant, tomato

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More delicious shakshuka recipes

Other shakshuka recipes you might enjoy include:
Easy green shakshuka from Family Friends Food.
Shakshuka with  mushrooms from Family Friends Food.
Braised eggs (shakshuka) from Ceri Jones Chef.
Chokshuka – chocolate shakshuka with goats cheese from Choclette at Tin and Thyme.