Shakshuka a.k.a. Eggs in Purgatory (Paleo, Gluten Free & Vegetarian)

Shakshuka.

Also known as Eggs in Purgatory, Shakshuka is a Middle Eastern egg dish that is super easy to make, not to mention lusciously delicious and the perfect brunch for a crowd. Or just for you in a smaller skillet. Or this whole big skillet to yourself.

I’m not judging…

You simply make a flavorful tomato sauce, drop a few eggs in it and cook them to your liking.

The eggs in the photo above are on the more well-done side, because the hubs likes his egg yolks hard (which is such a sad thing in my opinion). If I was making this for myself or my friends, the yolks would be glorious and runny.

But don’t cry for me Argentina, I got one runny yolk to soothe my soul and fill my belly:

Mmmmm…. Runny yolk is the the nectar of the gods.

I use it as my facial moisturizer.

Ew.

Ok, so you need the following aromatics to give your tomato sauce flavor:

Chop all this stuff up.

Begin by sautéing the onion and bell pepper with these spices:

(You can use a fresh chili like jalapeño instead of the chili flakes if that’s what you have or prefer)

Sauté until the onion and bell pepper have browned, then add the garlic.

Cook the garlic for a minute, not too long because you don’t want it to burn and turn bitter.

Once it’s cooked, add the tomato sauce. I used a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, but you can use whole peeled tomatoes and crush them yourself. I wouldn’t recommend fresh tomatoes for this recipe because you would need a huge amount of tomatoes and time to make the sauce.

Stir the sauce and let it bubble up, then taste and adjust for seasonings. Tomatoes have a tendency to by very acidic, which mine were, so I like to add some sweetness to offset them. To keep it Paleo add honey or maple syrup. Otherwise you can join me while I go crazy, live on the edge and add sugar: