This Mexican-Inspired Shakshuka is a twist on the classic, featuring roasted peppers, smoky chiles, and poached eggs. It’s a delicious, bold dish that’s perfect for any meal of the day and ready to spice up your routine.
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What is shakshuka?
Shakshuka is a classic Middle Eastern and North African dish made by poaching eggs in a spiced tomato sauce. The eggs absorb all the flavors from the rich sauce, which is usually made with ingredients like onions, garlic, and peppers.
My take on shakshuka puts a flavorful spin on the classic with smoky dried chilies, roasted red peppers, and a hint of cumin and Mexican oregano, bringing out a distinctly Mexican flavor.
The sauce itself comes from a technique I picked up during my time in Mexico, learning from both cooking videos and a hands-on cooking class I attended. This experience gave me a deeper appreciation for Mexican cooking, and I used these dried chiles often while I lived there.
I've seen a lot of Mexican tomato sauces start by either charring or boiling the onion and tomato before blending. I use charring here to match the smokiness of the guajillo chile.
If you love shakshuka, you’ll probably enjoy similar dishes like menemen, a Turkish take where eggs are scrambled into a tomato and pepper sauce, or Huevos Ahogados, a Mexican dish with poached eggs in spicy tomato salsa.
Flamenco eggs (also known as huevos a la flamenca) is a Spanish dish with similarities to shakshuka. This dish typically involves poaching eggs in a sauce made from tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, and sometimes chorizo or ham.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- onion + garlic: for a savory base. Leave the garlic whole (peel it) and quarter the onion - you'll cook these in a dry pan.
- jalapeno: I use a whole jalapeno because I like things spicy. This sauce is slightly spicy for me sometimes, depending on the jalapeno, but I have a high spice tolerance. If you don't tolerate spice well, use ¼-1/2 a jalapeno or skip it entirely. I also serve this with extra hot sauce.
- tomato: Roma tomatoes are firm and juicy, making them ideal for the sauce. They provide a subtle sweetness that balances the spices. You'll cook them in a dry pan to get blistered black spots.
- dried chiles: Guajillo chiles are large and add a smoky, mild heat, while chiles de arbol are small and spicy.
- roasted red peppers: Roasted red peppers bring a smoky-sweet flavor to the dish.
- spices: salt and sugar help balance the tomato sauce. Cumin is essential for any Mexican-inspired dish, adding warm, earthy notes. I use Mexican oregano plus some paprika, which is typical (as well as cumin) in shakshuka. You'll bloom these in oil to bring out their flavor.
- eggs: 1-2 eggs per person
To serve
I like to serve this dish with sliced avocado for a creamy addition. Pickled red onions add a delicious acidity with some lime wedges, while fresh cilantro adds a fresh herbiness. Thin yogurt to a drizzling consistency and serve with crumbled Mexican cheese, fresh corn tortillas, or tortilla chips, for dipping.
Substitutions
- No tortillas or tortilla chips? I recently enjoyed this with buttery garlic toast - an easy last-minute substitution.
Soaking dried chiles
Let the dried chiles sit in boiled water to soften. Discard the soaking water, which can be bitter.
How to Make a Mexican-inspired shakshuka
Prep Tips
Here’s how to make Mexican Shakshuka at home, with step-by-step photos. Watch a tutorial video in the recipe card below.
- Cover the dried chilies in boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes so they can soften. Drain.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, but don’t add oil. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and tomatoes. Heat, turning occasionally until blackened.
- Add the garlic, onion, jalapeno, and tomatoes to the jar of a blender. Add the jar of roasted red peppers, the drained chiles, a teaspoon of chicken stock powder, and sugar.
- Blend well.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil. Add the spices and cook for about a minute, stirring. Carefully add the tomato mixture. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Taste and season with salt.
- Make a well and crack in an egg.
- Repeat for the other eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Add a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Serve with any or all of the optional garnishes.
Tips for making a Mexican style shakshuka
- Blister the vegetables: When blackening the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and jalapeno, ensure that they get a nice char. This step is key to developing the deep, smoky flavors in the sauce.
- Use the same skillet for the sauce: After blackening the vegetables, use the same skillet to cook the spices. The leftover bits from the vegetables add extra flavor to the dish and the skillet will still be hot.
- Adjust the heat level: The chiles provide heat, but you can always adjust the spice level by adding or reducing the amount of dried chiles or the jalapeno. If you want a milder version, simply use less jalapeno or skip it altogether. Also, the heat level is a bit different every time I make this because the spice amount differs in jalapenos - some are spicier and some are milder.
- Simmer the sauce until it thickens: Let the sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. The longer it simmers, the more intense the flavors will be. (I have simmered this for an hour before; I feel it deepens the flavor, but 10 minutes is good for weeknights.)
FAQs
Yes, you can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you're ready to eat, simply reheat the sauce, make a well, crack in your eggs, and cook until the eggs are just right.
To store leftovers, allow the shakshuka to cool to room temperature. Transfer it into an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
More One-Pan Recipes
Recipe
Mexican Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 1 onion peeled and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 jalapeno deseeded
- 5 roma tomatoes
- 4 dried chile de arbol
- 2 dried guajillo chile
- 300 ml roasted red peppers drained
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- 4 large eggs
To Serve, optional
- avocado sliced
- quesco blanco crumbled
- fresh cilantro
- pickled red onion
- tortilla chips corn tortillas, garlic toast
- yogurt cream
Instructions
- Place the dried chilies in boiled water. Set aside for about 10 minutes so they can soften. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium. Don’t add oil.
- Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and tomatoes. Heat, turning occasionally until blackened and blistering. The garlic will be done first.
- Transfer the garlic, onion, jalapeno, and tomatoes to the jar of a blender. Add the jar of roasted red peppers, as well as the drained peppers, a teaspoon of chicken stock powder, and sugar. Blend well. (You’ll add salt later, if needed.)
- Heat a skillet over medium I use the same skillet). Add a drizzle of oil. Add the spices and cook for about a minute, stirring. Carefully add the tomato mixture. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed. (This will depend on how salty your stock powder is, if you used it.)
- Make a well and crack in an egg. Repeat for the other eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Add a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the eggs are done to your liking.
- Garnish with crumbled cheese, chopped cilantro, pickled red onion, sliced avocado, and yogurt or sour cream. Serve with fresh corn tortillas or tortilla chips for dipping. (Garlic toast is also good!)
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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