From the roundup: 22 Easy High Protein Fall Dinners the Whole Family Will Actually Eat
Runny yolks breaking into a smoky tomato and black bean sauce is the moment this black bean and eggs shakshuka goes from good to something everyone actually talks about at the table. I check the eggs at the four-minute mark every single time, because one extra minute is the difference between a yolk that runs beautifully and one that is completely set through. The whole skillet takes about 25 minutes, and most of that is hands-off simmering while I help with homework or sort through backpacks. Bring the pan straight to the table with warm flatbread for scooping and there is nothing left to do.
How this landed in our regular rotation
The first time I made shakshuka for my family, two of my kids refused to touch it because the eggs looked “weird.” So I started cracking their eggs into a separate little corner of the pan where the sauce was thinner, and they cooked faster and more evenly. Problem solved, and now those same two kids request this dish by name.
I started adding black beans after a night when I needed the dish to actually hold us through until morning. The beans bulk it up enough that it works as a real dinner, not just a breakfast-for-dinner novelty. We have had it on repeat ever since.
Why you will love this
- Ready in 25 minutes with 5 minutes of actual prep work.
- Uses pantry staples: canned tomatoes, canned beans, and spices you likely already have.
- One skillet means one pan to wash.
- The black beans add enough protein and bulk that this works as a filling dinner, not just a light meal.
- Feta crumbled on top right before serving adds a salty, creamy contrast that pulls the whole dish together.
Tips for success
- Do not rush the onions. Five to six minutes over medium heat until the edges turn translucent gives you a sweeter, more developed base. Undercooked onions make the sauce taste sharp.
- Bloom the spices for a full minute before adding the tomatoes. Thirty seconds is not enough. You want the mixture to smell toasty, not raw.
- Cover the skillet the moment you crack in the eggs and resist lifting the lid before the four-minute mark. Every time you peek, you lose steam and the whites take longer to set.
- Pull the skillet off the heat the second the whites look opaque. The residual heat in the sauce will continue cooking the eggs for another minute or two, so err on the side of early.
If your eggs are not cooking evenly
- Uneven wells cause uneven cooking. Use the back of a large spoon and press down firmly to create a defined pocket before cracking the egg in.
- If your burner runs hot on one side, rotate the skillet halfway through the covered cook time.
- Eggs near the edges of the pan cook faster than eggs in the center because the sauce is shallower there. Crack the smaller eggs toward the edge and the larger ones toward the middle.
- If the whites are set but the yolks are still completely liquid after 6 minutes, your lid is not sealing well. Tent a sheet of foil over the top for the last minute.
Substitutions
Black beans can be swapped for chickpeas or kidney beans with no changes to the method. Fire-roasted diced tomatoes work in place of crushed tomatoes and add a little extra smokiness, though the sauce will be slightly chunkier. If you are out of smoked paprika, use regular sweet paprika and add a small pinch of cayenne to get some of that depth back.
For kids who do not love spice, skip the red pepper flakes entirely and serve them on the side for adults. Feta is optional but worth it if you have it. Goat cheese crumbled on top works just as well. Any flatbread, pita, naan, or thick crusty bread is fine for serving.
Make-ahead and storage
The tomato and black bean base can be made up to 2 days ahead. Let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, reheat the sauce in the skillet over medium heat until it is simmering, then create your wells and add the eggs as directed. The sauce also freezes well for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.
If you have leftover sauce with eggs already cooked in it, store the whole thing in the fridge for up to 3 days. The eggs will be fully set after reheating, which is fine for lunch the next day but not ideal if you want runny yolks. For the best results with leftovers, reheat only the sauce and crack in fresh eggs to finish.
Black Bean and Eggs Shakshuka
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Set your large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the diced onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and turns translucent at the edges. You are building the flavor base here so do not rush this step.
- Add the minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to the skillet. Stir everything together and cook for about 1 minute until the spices are fragrant. The mixture will smell toasty and warm, which means the spices are blooming properly.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir well to combine with the spiced onion mixture. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it cook uncovered for about 8 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until the sauce thickens slightly and darkens a shade in color.
- Stir in the drained black beans and taste the sauce. Adjust salt or red pepper flakes if needed. The beans will absorb some of the sauce flavor as they heat through over the next minute or two.
- Use the back of a spoon to create 6 small wells in the sauce, spacing them out as evenly as you can. Crack one egg into each well carefully. The yolk should sit right in the center of each well so it cooks evenly.
- Cover the skillet with its lid and cook on medium-low heat. Check the eggs at the 4-minute mark. You are looking for whites that are fully set and opaque, with yolks that still have a slight jiggle in the center. This usually takes 4 to 6 minutes depending on your stove. Pull the lid off the moment the whites look set so you do not overcook the yolks.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Scatter the chopped parsley or cilantro over the top and add the crumbled feta if using. Bring the whole skillet to the table and serve immediately with warm flatbread or crusty bread on the side for scooping up the sauce.
Notes
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