Skillet Shakshuka with Goat Cheese & Fresh Herbs
Simple ingredients. Bold flavor. One pan.
Some recipes feel far more impressive than the amount of effort they require, and shakshuka is one of them. It's rustic, colorful, and endlessly adaptable—a bubbling skillet of spiced tomatoes with perfectly baked eggs, creamy goat cheese, and handfuls of fresh herbs. Whether you're making a slow weekend brunch or an easy weeknight dinner, this is the kind of meal that invites everyone to gather around the table with a loaf of good bread.
The beauty of this version is its balance. Sweet onions melt into the tomato sauce, warm spices add depth without overwhelming the dish, and the tangy goat cheese softens into creamy pockets that pair perfectly with rich egg yolks. Finish it with fresh basil and mint for brightness, then serve it straight from the cast iron skillet.
Ingredients
2 large sweet onions, diced
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
¼ cup fresh garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
6–8 eggs (or however many your skillet comfortably holds)
Goat cheese, crumbled or dolloped
Fresh basil, chopped
Fresh mint, chopped
Crusty bread or toasted sourdough, for serving
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onions with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until soft and translucent, about 8–10 minutes.
Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for about a minute, just until fragrant.
Add the cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and Aleppo pepper. Stir constantly for 30 seconds to toast the spices and wake up their flavors.
Pour in the diced tomatoes and stir everything together. Let the sauce simmer for 10–15 minutes until it thickens slightly.
Using the back of a spoon, make small wells in the sauce and crack your eggs directly into them.
Scatter generous dollops of goat cheese over the top.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still slightly runny, about 10–15 minutes depending on your preference.
Finish with plenty of chopped fresh basil and mint.
Serve immediately with warm crusty bread or toasted sourdough for dipping into every bit of that rich tomato sauce and silky egg yolk.
Rex Living Tip
The secret to a great shakshuka isn't adding more ingredients—it's giving the onions time to fully soften and letting the spices bloom before adding the tomatoes. Those few extra minutes build layers of flavor that make the finished dish taste like it simmered all day.
And don't skip the bread. You'll want something sturdy enough to soak up every last bite.
A Recipe Worth Repeating
One skillet. Minimal cleanup. Big, comforting flavor. This is the kind of recipe that becomes part of your regular rotation because it's as satisfying on a quiet Sunday morning as it is for a casual dinner with friends. Rustic, unfussy, and packed with flavor—that's exactly the kind of cooking we love at REX | Living.
