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Whether you’re looking for a way to vary up your weekend breakfast or want to try a quick way to pull together dinner in about 40-60 minutes, Shakshuka is a tasty and easy option to consider.

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According to a Wikipedia source, it appears Shakshuka may have originated in Libya or Tunisia in the 1950s and was brought to Israel by the Tunisian Jews during their exodus from the Arab and Muslim lands.

Shakshuka means ‘all mixed up’ and has become a popular breakfast in Israel, and it has gained popularity in Europe and America as an affordable and filling breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is often served with pita bread, challah, or naan. But, for us Ketonians, we are going to skip the bread this time, at least until someone comes up with a really good recipe for naan. 😉

Dietary Notes for Those with Food Allergies & Autoimmune Conditions
For those of you who are struggling with food allergies, autoimmune or chronic inflammatory conditions that you haven’t quite figured out or gained control of, I want to put out information about possible inflammation-causing foods/ingredients so that you are not possibly weakening your immune system any further.

Shakshuka contains:
— Dairy, optional feta cheese (made from goat’s milk);
— Nightshades: tomatoes, red bell pepper, and paprika;
— Pasture-raised eggs; and
— FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols): onions and garlic.

Dairy
Dairy is an inflammatory trigger for roughly 70 percent of the population, which may often lead to gastrointestinal distress, such as gas, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, stomach pain, and nausea.

Night Shades
Night shades, for a much smaller number of people, can cause similar digestive distress as caused by dairy. Other troubling signs of food intolerance to night shades may include hives, skin rashes, excessive mucus, and red or itchy eyes.

But, what are night shades? Night shades are a group of fruits and vegetables that are a part of the Solanaceae plant family, all of which contain an alkaloid called solanine. This group of foods includes: eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tobacco, tomatillos, tomatoes, and their powered derivatives, such as the paprika used in this dish.

Solanine is toxic when eaten in high concentrations and has not shown to be a problem for many of the common night shades we eat. Yet, it’s believed by some that the solanine in night shades is responsible for inflammation (even though research has not shown that) and that it may contribute to worsening symptoms in those with autoimmune disease.

Eggs
For a small segment of people, eggs may create an intolerance or allergic reaction. Symptoms of an egg intolerance may include the same reactions for those with a dairy and night shade intolerance and may also include sneezing, runny nose, wheezing or difficulty breathing and, in rare cases, may cause anaphylaxis, which is life threatening.

If you feel that you may have a food intolerance or sensitivity, a four to six-week elimination diet may be helpful to see which foods are creating these reactions. For some people a slow reintroduction of these items may be tolerated and for others, the food intolerance may continue. If you already know you have an intolerance to any of these food ingredients, you may choose to use replacements or omit those ingredients altogether.

Otherwise, enjoy this easy recipe for your next breakfast, lunch or dinner! And, if you did enjoy it, please consider leaving a review on this page or tagging it on my Instagram page @ketoliciouseats.

Middle Eastern Shakshuka

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Recipe by J. Irish, Ketolicious Eats Course: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerCuisine: Middle Eastern, TunisianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

hour

Serve up a variation on your egg breakfast or a Middle Eastern dinner with this easy, one-skillet meal. Pair with a bed of cauliflower rice to make this a full meal with a low-carb veggie. (Macros are for a quarter serving of the Shakshuka only, using 6 eggs. Adding more eggs will not increase net carbs, only protein and fat.)

Macros: 257 calories | 13.2g protein | 6.1g net carbs | 17.9g fat

Ingredients

2 tablespoons 2 avocado oil
1 1 large red bell pepper
1/2 1/2 yellow or red onions, chopped
1/2 cup 1/2 fresh organic cilantro, chopped; 1/3 of it will be used for a garnish on top when finished
1-1/2 teaspoon 1-1/2 ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 paprika
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 red pepper flakes (optional)
3 cloves 3 garlic
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 Himalayan pink salt
2 tablespoon 2 organic tomato paste
ground pepper, to taste
5 5 Roma tomatoes that will be boiled (instructions below) to make approximately 16 ounces of crushed tomatoes
6-8 6-8 organic pasture-raised eggs
2 ounces 2 goat milk feta (optional), chopped

Directions

Preheat the your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium pot, fill to about half full with filtered water, and then boil the water. You will use this boiled water to set your tomatoes into once you’ve washed and cut them in the step below. You can skip this item if you buy store-bought crushed tomatoes, preferably from a glass jar since tomatoes are acidic and can leach chemicals from a can. However, you may find making it at home will reduce carbs.
Wash and cut the ends off each of the tomatoes. Then, with a knife make an “x” across the bottom of the tomatoes. Then, put into them into your boiling water. Leave in the boiling water for about five minutes, or until the skins start to peel.
Next, in a small- to medium-sized bowl, add ice cubes so the bowl is about half full. Then add the hot tomatoes to it to cool. When they appear to have cooled, remove with your hands the skins and cut into quarters.
Then place the cut tomatoes into a food processor and select the chop function to process the tomatoes until you get a semi-chunky sauce. Then set aside.
Then, in an on oven-safe 10″ – 12″ skillet (preferably cast iron or stainless steel skillet), warm the oil on medium heat. Next, add the bell peppers, onions, salt and pepper. Stir frequently until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Now, add the garlic, cumin, tomato paste, paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium low. Then, add the crushed tomatoes and about half of the cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat. And, with a spatula, create a divot in the tomato-based sauce and crack an egg into it. Then spoon a small amount of sauce over the perimeter of the egg whites to help it set into place. Repeat these steps for the remaining eggs. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the eggs when you’re done.
Now, carefully transfer your skillet to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how long you want your eggs to cook, then remove from the oven onto the stovetop or a trivet, using oven mitts. Note: The eggs will continue cooking in the sauce when removed from the oven.
Now, garnish with feta and the remaining cilantro, and serve. You may serve this with your favorite toasted keto bread or along side sautéed spinach or other veggies when making this a breakfast. Or, double up your servings for a simple 12-net carb dinner (ideal for the intermittent faster).