Chakchouka

Name: Chakchouka
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 38 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Tunisian
Ingredients: 4 Tomatoes; 2 tbs Olive Oil; 1 Diced Onion; 1 sliced Red Pepper; 1 sliced Green Pepper; 3 Cloves Crushed Garlic; 1 tsp Cumin; 1 tsp Paprika; 3/4 teaspoon Salt; 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder; 4 Eggs

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Miscellaneous recipe with Tunisian flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 64 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 38 min total

4 Tomatoes
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 Diced Onion
1 sliced Red Pepper
1 sliced Green Pepper
3 Cloves Crushed Garlic
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
4 Eggs

Step-by-step instructions

In a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan with a lid, heat oil over medium high heat.
Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
Add the peppers and garlic, and sauté for an additional 3-5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt, and chili powder.
Mix well and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes until the mixture has thickened to your desired consistency. (Taste the sauce at this point and adjust for salt and spice, as desired.) Using the back of a spoon, make four craters in the mixture, large enough to hold an egg.
Crack one egg into each of the craters.
Cover the skillet and simmer for 5-7 minutes, until the eggs have set.
Serve immediately with crusty bread or pita.

Why this works on a weeknight

Chakchouka lands at about 38 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Chakchouka actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Miscellaneous Tunisian