Egg

Eggs in Spicy and Minted Tomato Sauce

by:
April 13, 2021
3
4 Ratings
Eggs in Spicy and Minted Tomato Sauce
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 40 minutes
  • Serves 2 as a main dish, or 4 as an appetizer
Author Notes

This is a riff on shakshuka, the Israeli dish of eggs poached in tomato sauce. I love the combination of tomato, mint, and chili, especially with eggs. This is my go-to weeknight meal, because it's fast, cheap, and flavorful enough to feel really special. You can cook the eggs to whatever doneness you prefer; I like the yolks just barely set, so that they're still a little runny but don't dilute the sauce too much. —ieatthepeach

Test Kitchen Notes

I love cooking eggs in tomato-based sauces (I usually do so in a salsa of sorts), and I was intrigued by the use of mint here. The recipe comes together really quickly, and most people probably have a lot of the ingredients on hand. It did not specify a hot sauce in the ingredient list so I used Sriracha, but I think a smoky one would be great. I added a couple more tablespoons of mint to make it more noticeable. The spicy sweetness of the tomatoes blends wonderfully with the rich yolk and the whites soak up a good amount of flavor. —savorthis

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Eggs in Spicy and Minted Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced (up to 4)
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can Muir Glen crushed tomatoes
  • 1 dash Sriracha or other hot sauce to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
  • 1 pinch Salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 piece Crusty bread, for serving
Directions
  1. In a large, deep-sided skillet or frying pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. When the butter melts, add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add garlic and jalapeño and sauté for 1 more minute.
  2. Add crushed tomatoes, hot sauce, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to keep it at a steady simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and coalesced. Stir in mint.
  3. Use a spoon or spatula to make four depressions in the sauce, spacing them evenly throughout the pan. Gently crack an egg into each depression. Season the tops of the eggs with salt and pepper, then cover the pan and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are done to your liking.
  4. Serve the eggs straight from the pan, with plenty of crusty bread for mopping up the yolks and sauce.
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38 Reviews

Cecile
Cecile June 6, 2023
I found the dish okay. I laid it on top of some couscous. If I were to make it again, perhaps I’d add some anchovies. As for the reactionary cultural responses below, I wonder if people can give others the benefit of the doubt, not assume negative motives and to be patient with likely absences of knowledge or differences of opinion. Every platform is not a place to vent. I understand triggers, but I also know venting and accusing doesn’t have its place on this platform. Perhaps kindly sharing one’s cultural opinion or knowledge, but this isn’t the place for anger and accusations. Let’s keep it peaceful somewhere—maybe here.
 
Minimumsix13
Minimumsix13 January 3, 2022
I’ve never had this dish before and thought it was really good—I’ll second another commenters suggested of a nice crusty bread.

Also want to shout out James, he’s been tirelessly defending this dish’s alleged origin with gusto. But it sounds like no one actually knows where this dish is from 😂 It’s not technically shakshuka—the author said it’s just inspired by it. It’s just eggs and tomatoes, folks, no geopolitical disputes necessary.
 
DJ C.
DJ C. March 25, 2020
I wish fresh mint was a staple in my house! It's got quite a short life in my produce drawer. I don't suppose this is a recipe where dried mint really imparts the same flavor.
 
Cindy Y.
Cindy Y. April 5, 2020
I've had pretty good luck prolonging the life of fresh mint by cutting off about an inch of stem and placing in a jar of water. Cover with a baggy and place in the fridge. I've had mint in my fridge for about 2 weeks and it still looks fresh! Good luck.
 
woofnaser
woofnaser September 4, 2019
Israel was made in 1948. Shakshuka is a Palestinian traditional dish that aged hundreds of years. Stop your blind bias to Israel
 
Yayita
Yayita January 28, 2017

Disclaimer: I have never had Shakshouka but I have always wanted to try it because I have an affinity for tomatoes. I know this is a riff on Shakshouka but I figured I'd love this since it's full of tomato sauce. I modified this recipe by omitting the jalapeños and adding two small anchovies and tomato paste.

This recipe was good but I guess I was expecting more...this is not a diss on the recipe as my high expectations are at fault here. I hope to have the opportunity to have authentic Shakshouka someday to truly know. This recipe by itself is a tangy savory breakfast recipe I'd have on a cold lazy Saturday morning. A crusty bread is a must in order to soak up the sauce and runny yolk. Next time I cook this I will add some Greek yogurt on the side to balance the sauce out and will add a bit more mint.
 
Moonaty L.
Moonaty L. July 17, 2016
Since when Shakshuka is an isreali dish !!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????? O.o
 
James
James January 1, 2019
Shakshuka has been an Israeli staple dish for years. Originally a Jewish Libyan dish brought by immigrants to Israel. Your attitude, however, is unprofessional, inappropriate, borders on being antisemitic and has no place in this blog!
 
Jennifer N.
Jennifer N. March 16, 2016
Not sure why, but for some reason this is my least favorite shakshuka recipe. It just doesn't have the richness usually imparted in the dish. What went wrong?
 
Kitty M.
Kitty M. February 29, 2016
This is a very good recipe and very versatile! We had vegetarian chipotle sausage instead of eggs, and added extra mint and fresh flat leaf parsley. Definitely going into dinner rotation at my house!
 
anaj
anaj January 1, 2016
I love shakshuka so much, nothing like this fantastic Israeli dish to wake you up in the morning!
 
Amber L.
Amber L. December 21, 2015
Great recipe, but I hate seeing these sort of dishes called "Israeli" :/ Do your research- Along with stealing their land, Israelis also try to take credit for many foods that are actually of Palestinian/Middle-Eastern origin... :(
 
James
James January 1, 2019
Shakshuka has been an Israeli staple dish for years. Originally a Jewish Libyan dish brought by immigrants to Israel. Your attitude, however, is unprofessional and has no place in this blog!
 
lama
lama July 7, 2015
This is a Tunisian dish.! Defo not Israeli.
 
James
James January 1, 2019
Shakshuka has been an Israeli staple dish for years. Originally a Jewish Libyan dish brought by immigrants to Israel.
 
tom
tom February 21, 2021
Wow James you lose
 
Dana
Dana July 6, 2015
Didn't expect food52 to provide wrong information. It's a middle eastern Arabic dish. Not Israeli.
 
bobby B.
bobby B. March 14, 2015
Hi, just as clarification shakshuka is not Israeli, it has orgins in tunisian
 
Eva
Eva April 22, 2015
Also, this is essentially eggs in purgatory (uova in purgatorio), an Italian dish of eggs gently poached in spicy tomato sauce. With mint, which isn't traditional. It may have started as a riff on shakshuka, but the riff carried the author right into another existing dish. :)
 
Lacy
Lacy January 2, 2015
This is such a great dish. We've had it twice now with garlic bread and predict that it will be in heavy rotation in our dinner line up from now on. I love the flavors!
 
Gregory G.
Gregory G. January 1, 2015
Just made this for a New Years Day Communal Table Brunch with a fresh loaf of pugliese and some local butter. Huge hit.
 
koc
koc June 16, 2014
Fantastic! Made this tonight and everyone loved it. Made as written except increased mint to about 3 T. Thanks for the delicious and quick recipe.
 
M. W.
M. W. May 14, 2014
Made this a few times now, the most recent of which, I put directly onto a slice of garlic bread. Definitely a keeper!
 
Pittsburgher
Pittsburgher March 24, 2014
Lovely no-meat-Monday dinner. Made as recipe says, with a big pinch of smoked paprika and a tbsp of chipotle hot sauce. Topped it off with garlic/mint yogurt, side salad of spinach/avocado with lemon/garlic dressing. Next time might serve with some chorizo or feta. Yum!!!
 
Karin W.
Karin W. March 23, 2014
This is an amazing recipe. I just made it and it is very delicious. I substituted a package of frozen spinach for the mint and I served it over plain coucous. Yum! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
 
sazara
sazara March 17, 2014
it's not ?ak?uka, it's menemen