Israeli Shakshuka Meatballs

About This Recipe

This dish takes the beloved format of shakshuka — eggs poached in a spiced, bubbling tomato sauce — and adds small, well-seasoned meatballs to the sauce for a heartier, more substantial one-pan meal. Ground beef or lamb meatballs, seasoned with cumin, paprika and fresh herbs, simmer directly in the tomato sauce until cooked through, absorbing the sauce's flavor while contributing their own richness back into it, before eggs are cracked directly on top to poach gently in the wells created among the meatballs. The technique that matters most is building the tomato sauce properly first — cooking down onion, garlic and a good amount of paprika and cumin before the tomatoes go in, giving the sauce real depth rather than tasting like plain simmered tomatoes. The meatballs need to simmer long enough to cook through fully before the eggs are added, since the eggs only need a few minutes to poach and would overcook if added too early. Served straight from the pan with fresh bread for scooping, this dish reflects the flexible, one-pan spirit of Israeli home cooking, where a shakshuka base easily adapts to include whatever protein makes the meal more substantial.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gground beef or lamb
• 1 tspground cumin(divided)
• 1 tsppaprika(divided)
• 2 tbspfresh parsley(chopped, divided)
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt(divided)
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1onion(diced)
• 1red bell pepper(diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 800 gcrushed tomatoes
• 0.25 cupfresh basil(torn)
• 6eggs

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the meatballs

   Combine ground beef, half the cumin, half the paprika, half the parsley and half the salt. Shape into small meatballs, about 1 inch each.

2. 2

   Cook the sauce base

   Heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook onion and pepper until softened, about 8 minutes, then add garlic and remaining cumin and paprika, cooking 1 minute more.

3. 3

   Add tomatoes

   Stir in crushed tomatoes and remaining salt. Simmer 10 minutes to develop flavor.

4. 4

   Add the meatballs

   Nestle the meatballs into the sauce and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes until cooked through.

   Make sure the meatballs are fully cooked before adding the eggs — the eggs only need a few minutes and would overcook waiting on the meat.

5. 5

   Add the eggs

   Make small wells in the sauce between the meatballs and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes until the whites are set but yolks are still runny.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Scatter with fresh basil and remaining parsley, and serve straight from the pan with bread.

Variations

• •

  Use ground lamb instead of beef for a richer, more traditional Middle Eastern flavor.

• •

  Add crumbled feta on top just before serving for extra richness.

• •

  Add a pinch of cayenne to the sauce for more heat.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days; the eggs won't hold up as well as the meatball-tomato base. Reheat the base gently and consider adding fresh eggs when reheating for the best texture.

Frequently Asked Questions