Vegan Shakshuka

🍅 Why We Love This Recipe

• Easy and filling: This vegan shakshuka is filling without being heavy, and despite having a number of elements, is pretty easy to cook. Most of the action happens in one skillet that also doubles as a serving dish for your friends and family to gather around.
• Full of herbs and spices: This vegan shakshuka is absolutely packed with flavor, thanks to a middle-eastern inspired trio of paprika, coriander and cumin, plus fresh cilantro and parsley. It's exploding with flavor, without being too spicy.
• Versatile meal: vegan shakshuka can be enjoyed any time of day. It's delicious for breakfast, and makes a fun brunch dish to share with friends. It's also a super easy and satisfying family dinner to make on a weeknight. Served piping hot straight from the pan with crusty toasted bread, this vegan shakshuka truly warms the soul.

🥑 Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this vegan tofu shakshuka:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Shakshuka is traditionally made with eggs, but we opted for tofu to keep this recipe vegan. Specifically, extra-firm tofu works best in this recipe as it has the necessary texture to hold together well in a sauce.
• Canned diced fire roasted tomatoes: You should be able to find these in your local grocery store. If you can't find the fire roasted variety, regular diced tomatoes will work. Whole canned tomatoes will work too, just make sure to use your spoon to break them up a bit while they cook.
• Spices: We used a combination of paprika, coriander, cumin and red pepper flakes. Coriander is sweet, while cumin has a nice bitterness. These two pair very well with paprika, which adds smokiness, sweetness, and a bit of color to the dish. Red pepper flakes add just enough spice to keep things interesting!
• Avocado: this is a completely optional topping for vegan shakshuka. We love the creaminess it adds to the final dish, and it also makes it more filling. But totally up to you!
• Vegan feta: salty, creamy feta is the perfect pairing to top off rich shakshuka. To keep this recipe fully vegan, we use a vegan alternative from VioLife or Follow Your Heart.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1): Drain tofu, wrap in a clean towel (or paper towel) and set something heavy on top, like a cast iron pan. Press the tofu like this for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture. Once it's done pressing, slice the block in half widthwise (to create two thinner rectangles). Slice each block in half, then slice into triangles for 8 slices total.

(2): Brush the tofu with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Add a little more oil (1 tbsp) to a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add tofu to the pan and sear until lightly browned on each side (4-5 minutes per side).

(3): After removing tofu from the skillet, add the remaining olive oil to the skillet. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 10 minutes.

(4): Add the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon of salt to the skillet and stir well to coat the vegetables. Add the canned fire roasted tomatoes, cilantro, and parsley, reserving 2 tablespoons of parsley for garnish. Stir well and simmer for 10 more minutes minimum, but up to 30 minutes.

(5): If you prefer a more pureed sauce (I do!), use an immersion blender to purée the tomato sauce a bit, while still keeping a little bit of texture. If you don't have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the sauce from the skillet to a heat safe blender and pulse a few times until you arrive at your desired texture.

(6): Add the tofu to the skillet, nestle it in the tomato sauce, and sprinkle with vegan feta. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 375˚F. Remove the pan from the heat and top with the remaining reserved fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and avocado slices. Serve with toasted bread on the side.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Tofu: when we first tested this recipe, we didn't sear the tofu and instead added it in plain. While it tasted great and soaked up some flavor from the sauce, we thought it lacked a bit in the texture department. Searing the tofu adds an extra step, but it's worth it! If you're short on time, you can still feel free to skip.
• Customization options:
  • Extra carbs: If you're looking for a heartier dinner option, serve this vegan shakshuka over a bowl of cooked grains. Farro would be delicious. Or, for a gluten free option, try quinoa or brown rice.
  • Extra protein: To pump up the protein in this vegan shakshuka, add a half to a full can of chickpeas. Our Za'atar Spiced Crispy Chickpeas would make an especially delicious topping.
  • Carnivores: They love shakshuka too. To keep any meat-eaters happy, you could toss some cooked sausage on the side for their bowls. And of course, for non-vegans, you can always make an option with poached eggs instead of tofu.
• Toppings: We like a mix of fresh parsley, melty vegan feta cheese and creamy avocado. You can mix and match toppings to your preferences too. Here are some other ideas:
  • A mix of fresh herbs other than parsley, including cilantro, mint, or basil.
  • Extra vegan cheese. We use dairy-free feta but you could experiment with mozzarella or other grated cheeses like parmesan.
  • For some crunch: pumpkin or sunflower seeds
  • Extra red pepper flakes or hot sauce for the spice lovers
  • Plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt or sour cream. This would be nice and cooling and provide a nice creaminess to the sauce, if you stir it in.
• Serving vegan shakshuka with bread is a great idea. Every saucy shakshuka needs a thick and crusty side of toast to soak up all of that flavor.
• Be sure to drain and press the tofu before cooking to make sure any excess moisture has been removed.
• Storage: let the vegan shakshuka cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on stovetop.