Shakshuka with the Thermomix® is our go-to breakfast when we have a little time but still want to keep things simple. The trick: the tomato sauce simmers in the mixing bowl while the eggs poach above in the Varoma. Everything is on the table in 30 minutes.
Shakshuka is an Israeli breakfast dish of poached eggs in a spiced tomato sauce. We make it regularly because it fills you up without feeling heavy. The Thermomix® handles both at the same time: the sauce cooks below, the eggs cook above in the steam. No separate pot, no hob.
Shakshuka with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 15 ✓
- 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 red pepper
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 30 g olive oil
- 40 g tomato puree
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (tinned)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 pinch sugar
- 4 eggs
- 100 g feta
Instructions 0 / 7
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1
Chop the parsley.
Wash the parsley, shake dry, pick off the leaves, place in the mixing bowl and chop for 4 seconds / speed 7. Set aside.
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2
Chop the vegetables.
Peel and halve the onion, peel the garlic, wash and quarter the pepper (remove the core). Add the chilli flakes, onion, garlic and pepper to the mixing bowl and chop for 7 seconds / speed 6.
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3
Sweat the ingredients.
Add the olive oil and tomato puree and sweat for 5 minutes / 100°C / speed 1.
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4
Simmer.
Add the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and sugar and simmer for 10 minutes / 90°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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5
Line the Varoma.
Meanwhile, line the Varoma tray with baking paper.
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6
Steam the eggs.
Crack the eggs into a cup and carefully place them side by side on the baking paper. Place the Varoma on top and steam for 8 minutes / Varoma / reverse direction / speed 1.
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7
Serve.
Spoon the tomato sauce onto plates and place the eggs on top. Serve scattered with parsley and feta.
Note: When lining the Varoma tray with baking paper, make sure the steam slits on the sides remain clear.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the tomato sauce needs to be sauteed first
The tomato puree is sauteed for 5 minutes at 100°C before the tinned tomatoes are added. This step caramelises the natural sugars in the puree and removes the raw taste. If you add the tinned tomatoes straight away without this step, you end up with a flatter sauce with a slightly sharp aftertaste.
The olive oil goes in together with the tomato puree. It distributes the heat evenly and stops the puree from sticking to the base. Speed 1 keeps the temperature steady without the puree spattering.
Reverse direction for the tinned tomatoes
The chopped tomatoes are simmered for 10 minutes at 90°C in reverse direction. Reverse direction stops the tomato chunks from breaking down into a puree. Shakshuka should have a rustic sauce, not a smooth soup. Without reverse direction the blades would chop the tomatoes too finely.
Cumin gives the sauce its earthy depth, which is what sets Shakshuka apart from a regular tomato sauce. If you do not have ground cumin, toast whole seeds briefly in a dry frying pan and then grind them in the Thermomix® at speed 10. This intensifies the flavour even further.
8 minutes in the Varoma for soft, runny eggs
The eggs are cracked into a cup and carefully placed on the lined baking paper. 8 minutes at Varoma temperature with reverse direction at speed 1 gives you soft, slightly runny eggs. The whites are set and the yolks still run a little.
If you prefer firmer eggs, extend the cooking time to 10 minutes. Going shorter than 8 minutes is risky: the whites stay too liquid and run into the sauce when you serve.
The parsley is chopped first at speed 7 and set aside. It goes over the eggs only when you serve. If the parsley is cooked with the sauce it loses its colour and freshness.
How to line the Varoma tray correctly
The Varoma tray is lined with baking paper so the eggs do not run through. Important: the steam slits on the sides must stay clear. If the paper blocks the slits, the steam cannot circulate properly and the eggs will cook unevenly.
Steaming paper works even better than baking paper. It is more porous and lets more steam through. Regular baking paper does the job too though.
Pepper and onion at speed 6
The onion, garlic and pepper are chopped for 7 seconds at speed 6. Speed 6 chops the vegetables finely enough without turning them to mush. The pieces should still have a little texture when the sauce is finished. Speed 7 or higher chops too finely and makes the sauce too uniform.
The chilli flakes go in directly with the vegetables. Half a tsp is enough for a gentle heat. If you like it spicier, use 1 tsp or add fresh chillies.
Do not cook the feta
The feta goes over the eggs only when you serve. If feta is cooked with the sauce it falls apart and makes the sauce milky rather than savoury. Crumbled cold over the warm eggs it stays creamy and gives a salty contrast to the sweet tomato sauce.
Goat’s cheese or grated Pecorino also works well instead of feta. The key is that the cheese is salty and full of flavour.
Serve immediately after cooking
Shakshuka is served straight away. The eggs cool quickly and the yolks firm up. Spoon the tomato sauce onto plates, carefully place the eggs on top and scatter with parsley and feta.
Fresh bread for dipping or toasted flatbread goes brilliantly alongside. The sauce is flavoursome enough to work as a dip on its own too.
Goes well with: Flatbread, Pita and Baguette.
If you want to get ahead: the tomato sauce can be cooked a day in advance and kept in the fridge. Reheat before serving, then steam the eggs fresh in the Varoma. The eggs themselves cannot be prepared in advance.
Similar Thermomix® recipes for breakfast and brunch: Courgette spaghetti with nut pesto, Tzatziki with the Thermomix®, Quick soft flatbread with the Thermomix®.
