A hearty, saucy shakshuka with tender white beans and lentils folded into a spiced tomato-pepper base, topped with baked eggs and brightened with lemon and parsley. Serve straight from the skillet with crusty bread or rice for dipping into runny yolks and chunky sauce.
Pantry-Ready Shakshuka That Feeds a Crowd
A saucy, smoky skillet of tomatoes, peppers, cannellini beans and lentils baked with eggs — perfect for a budget-friendly weeknight that still feels special.
This is shakshuka with a sensible, pantry-first twist: canned tomatoes and cannellini beans bulk up the sauce, cooked green lentils add body, and a few eggs turn it into a proper one-pan meal. It solves the dinner dilemma of "I want something comforting but I don't want to run to the store" by leaning on staples you probably already have.
Start with sweet, slightly caramelized onions and red pepper, then build the base with garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, crushed tomatoes and a spoonful of tomato paste. The spices give the sauce a warm, smoky lift while the beans and lentils keep it thick and spoonable — chunky enough to cling to torn bread, silky enough to cradle a runny yolk. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and chopped parsley to cut through the richness.
Practical bits: use a 10–12-inch oven-safe skillet, simmer the sauce to concentrate flavors, then nestle raw eggs on top and bake until whites set and yolks wobble (about 8–12 minutes at 400°F). It’s an easy make-ahead: cook the sauce through, refrigerate, then reheat and add eggs when you’re ready.
Serve straight from the skillet with crusty bread or rice for dipping. Leftovers reheat beautifully on the stovetop or under a low oven heat, and the recipe scales up if you’re feeding a crowd or want predictable, economical lunches for the week.
Ingredients
How to Make Stretch Eggs Tomato Pepper Skillet Shakshuka Tray
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a 10–12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Core, seed, and thinly slice the red bell pepper.
- Add the chopped onion and sliced pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, about 6–8 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, stir to combine, then bring the sauce to a gentle simmer; cook 6–8 minutes to thicken slightly and concentrate the flavors.
- Stir in the drained cannellini beans and cooked lentils, season with kosher salt and black pepper, and simmer another 4–5 minutes so the beans absorb some sauce.
- Use a spoon to make eight shallow wells in the sauce and carefully crack one egg into each well (or crack eggs into a bowl and drop them into wells). Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until egg whites are set but yolks are still soft, 8–12 minutes depending on oven and desired doneness.
- While eggs bake, chop the parsley and zest and squeeze the lemon. Remove the skillet from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, a little lemon zest, and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the dish.
- Serve hot from the skillet with crusty bread, warm pita, or rice for stretching; spoon sauce and beans under the eggs so each serving gets a mix of sauce, beans, lentils, and egg.
Recipe Card
Stretch Eggs Tomato Pepper Skillet Shakshuka Tray
A hearty, saucy shakshuka with tender white beans and lentils folded into a spiced tomato-pepper base, topped with baked eggs and brightened with lemon and parsley. Serve straight from the skillet with crusty bread or rice for dipping into runny yolks and chunky sauce.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a 10–12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Core, seed, and thinly slice the red bell pepper.
- Add the chopped onion and sliced pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, about 6–8 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, stir to combine, then bring the sauce to a gentle simmer; cook 6–8 minutes to thicken slightly and concentrate the flavors.
- Stir in the drained cannellini beans and cooked lentils, season with kosher salt and black pepper, and simmer another 4–5 minutes so the beans absorb some sauce.
- Use a spoon to make eight shallow wells in the sauce and carefully crack one egg into each well (or crack eggs into a bowl and drop them into wells). Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until egg whites are set but yolks are still soft, 8–12 minutes depending on oven and desired doneness.
- While eggs bake, chop the parsley and zest and squeeze the lemon. Remove the skillet from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, a little lemon zest, and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the dish.
- Serve hot from the skillet with crusty bread, warm pita, or rice for stretching; spoon sauce and beans under the eggs so each serving gets a mix of sauce, beans, lentils, and egg.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 35
- Saturated Fat
- 4.5
- Sodium
- 1100
- Fiber
- 9
- Unsaturated Fat
- 14
- Protein
- 24
- Fat
- 18
- Cholesterol
- 372
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 418
- Sugar
- 7