Mediterranean Baked Eggs (variation of North African Shakshouka)

Eggs are a great source of nutrition, one large egg containing 6 grams of protein and an array of vitamins and minerals.  Eggs, along with vegetables, are also a mainstay of many of several popular diets, including the slow-carb-diet, the Paleo diet and keto.  This wonderful rendition of  a North African version of ratatouille, called Shakshouka (aka Chakchouka), is a perfect one-pot dish for any meal throughout the day…breakfast, lunch or dinner.

There are a number of versions of this type of egg dish, from the Latin American Huevos Rancheros to the Tunisian Shakshouka.  The Tunisian version of this egg and vegetable dish is traditionally served in a cast iron pan with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.   The recipe below started with the vegetables that I had on hand, added harissa and cumin as the primary spices, and baked the eggs in the simmering ragout in a hot oven.

There are endless variations to this dish, depending on the vegetables and spices you like.  My family was quite pleased with this version, which I am calling  Mediterranean Baked Eggs.

Mediterranean Baked Eggs

serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp grapeseed oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 14 oz. can roasted peppers
• 5-6 mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 15-oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp harissa sauce
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 large eggs
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. In a 8-in cast iron skillet, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add roasted peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes and cook until soft and thoroughly mixed in with onions.  Add cumin and harissa and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).  Simmer all together 5-10 minutes
4. Remove pan from heat and stir in parsley. Taste and season with salt and more harissa, if desired.
5. Spread the ragout evenly over the bottom of the cast iron pan.
6. Make 4 shallow wells in the ragout and gently crack 1 egg into each well, being careful not to break yolks.  Season to taste with salt and pepper
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until eggs are barely set.  Eggs can overcook quickly so check them often and remove from oven when they still look a little underdone as they will continue to cook in the hot ragout.
8. Sprinkle with parsley if desired and serve immediately