Fennel Shakshuka With Feta + Tutorial {Keto, Paleo, Gluten-Free}
A simple one pan fennel shakshuka with feta recipe aka eggs cooked in a rich spiced tomato sauce. Made entirely from pantry staples. Suitable for Keto, Paleo and gluten-free diets.
There has been a serious Indian summer this year. It is October and the weather has been absolutely fantastic, it has been properly warm, almost like August. So we spent a weekend outdoors.
Saturday was spent going to Framlingham Castle with its wall walk and brand new slide that both adults and children can go on. The slide is big enough for children to sit on adults’ knees, meaning you can go EVEN faster. Then a lovely walk, having borrowed my in-laws dog.
And Sunday started by the children wanting to learn how to light a fire without newspaper or firelighters. And luckily, being autumn, there are enough dry leaves around to act as kindling. Although they had a bit of adult help, they could still proudly dance round ‘their’ fire, which ‘they’ had lit.
Lunch came fast. A bit too fast for the stew we had planned to cook for the friends coming round. Luckily, we decided on a fennel shakshuka with feta which was pretty easy and straightforward to make especially as we had just done a mahoooosive shop to fill up on some pantry essentials. Cinnamon, tick, the finest juiciest chopped tomatoes, tick, free range eggs, tick….
What is Shakshuka?
If you’re new to shakshuka, let me fill you in. Shakshuka (also spelled ‘shakshouka’ or ‘chakchouka’) is most often made with poached eggs, tomato sauce, chilli peppers and onions. Shakshuka is seasoned with cumin.
It’s most commonly found in North African and Arab cuisine. The word shakshuka actually means ‘a mixture’ in North African dialect.
Why You Will Love This One Pan Shakshuka Recipe
- It is made entirely from pantry staples
- It is budget-friendly and easy to make
- The tomato sauce is a great make-ahead recipe, so just reheat and add in the eggs when needed. .
- It makes a great brunch treat, quick weeknight supper, a spiced breakfast and a fun mothers day recipe.
- It is highly adaptable, just check out some of the suggestions below.
- It is suitable for gluten-free, keto and low carb diets,
How to Make Shakshuka with Feta
The beauty of shakshuka is that it can be made entirely with pantry staples. All you need are onions, peppers, spices, tomatoes and eggs and you are good to go. Of course, you can add in a variety of vegetables, meat and fish to your taste – it is all good. And this version being a fennel shakshuka with feta has, yes you guessed it, fennel and feta.
The first step is to sautée your onions and fennel in olive oil till they are soft. A tip here is to cut these vegetables up very small so that they cook faster.
The next step is to make the rich spiced tomato sauce. Add the spices to the vegetables till fragrant before adding in the tomatoes and letting simmer away till the tomatoes change into thick sauce with a passata consistency. Keep an eye on this. If the sauce dries out before it finishes cooking, then you might need to add in a few tbsp of water.
The final step is making wells in the spiced tomato sauce to drop in the eggs and crumbling on some feta. Then eggs poached in this flavourful tomato sauce to your desired doneness.
You want to serve it warm with a bit more crumbled feta cheese and chopped herbs sprinkled on top. Best eaten with everyone tucking right in and mopping up those juices with warm flatbreads.
How to make a Great Shakshuka
Making this shakshuka with feta, or any shakshuka is easy – but you still need the right equipment. In this case, you need the right pan to take it from good to great.
And if you’ve got a good enamelled cast-iron skillet (the enamel makes a difference, as cast iron on its own can react with tomatoes), the job is easy, and it works out every time.
And it looks good too – so there are no worries about taking it through to the table which, if you’ve ever tried to decant shakshuka from the pan it was cooked into a serving dish, you will realise is very important.
So, with the right bit of kit, and some pretty basic pantry staples, and only a few minutes, it is really, really easy to knock up a great meal. No sweat.
Shakshouka With Feta Tips
- This recipe uses large eggs. If you have smaller eggs then add in a couple more.
- Add in some red pepper flakes or ground black pepper if you would like a little bit of heat.
- If some folk prefer firmer eggs, then add some eggs in about 4-5 minutes earlier than the rest of the eggs.
- Top your shakshuka with a teaspoon or two of different chopped herbs.
- You can add in ingredients like asparagus, chipotle and sausages to your taste.
Shakshuka With Feta and Chorizo
Prefer to make Shakshuka With Feta and chorizo instead? It is simple to do. Stir in some cooked chorizo into the spiced tomato sauce just before you crack in the eggs.
Shakshuka With Feta and Spinach
It is super easy to make Shakshuka With Feta and Spinach. Simply stir in a handful of baby spinach leaves just before you add in the eggs and you are good to go.
How to Make Shakshuka With Feta – Step-by-step Images
- Fennel shakshuka with feta: all the ingredients
- Warm cast iron skillet over medium heat and heat the cumin seeds
- Add in the olive oil and fry the onion, fennel and red bell peppers till soft
- Add tomatoes, herbs and spices
- The spiced tomato sauce
- Crack eggs in followed by crumbled feta
- Cook the shakshuka with feta till the eggs are just set
More Shakshuka Recipes
For more shakshuka recipes, try my
Easy Shakshuka Recipe – Potato Shakshuka
If you want some more eggy breakfast ideas then why not try these Easy Low Carb Pancakes?
Thank you for reading my Shakshouka with feta recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you. Thanks for reading Recipes from a Pantry, UK food blog.
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Fennel shakshuka with feta recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 onion finely chopped
- One medium sized fennel bulb finely chopped
- 1 pepper deseeded and finely chopped
- 0.75 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 (14 oz) (X 400 g) can chopped tomatoes or freshly chopped tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- sweetener to taste
- Salt
- 3 oz (100g) feta cheese, crumbled
- 6 eggs
- Herbs for garnish
Instructions
- In your large enamelled cast iron pan, dry-roast the cumin seeds on a high heat for 1 min. Add the oil, water, onion, fennel and peppers and sauté for 5 mins.
- Mix in the cinnamon and fry for 15 seconds till fragrant followed by the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, sweetener (if using) and salt, bring to the boil and reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 mins.
- Do keep an eye on the mix during cooking as you may need to add a couple of tbsp of water so that the tomato mix has a passata type consistency. Adjust the seasoning.
- Remove the bay leaves, add in the crumbled feta, make 6 wells in the mix and break the eggs into the wells and cook for about 10 mins until the eggs are just set. Cook for a little longer if you prefer more well-done eggs.
- Top the fennel shakshuka with extra feta with some herbs and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
I’d never have thought to add fennel here but I love the unique flavor!
This looks amazing! Yum.
I have not made shakshuka in a while. This looks epic and the fennel sounds like a great addition!
I adore shakshuka, and it’s such a great way to have a hearty vegetarian meal.
It is good to see a recipe with fennel, not many people use it. I love it raw in a salad but even better cooked. I will try this recipe.
I love the step by step instructions. This looks yummy.
This sounds amazing! My husband loves eggs so I’m definitely going to try this!
I love eggs baked in tomato sauce, this recipe sounds so delicious with the cinnamon and feta!
Ooh, I love Framlingham castle, and that slide sounds amazing! I’d never thought of fennel in shakshuka before but I bet it goes perfectly.
This looks so healthy and delicious. I need to make it soon.
I adore shakshuka and love the addition of fennel! Fennel has such great flavor – I can’t wait to try this!
I love Shakshuka and fennel sounds wonderful with it. Thanks for the step-by-step photos, they are very helpful!