Lentil Shakshuka
A twist on traditional shakshuka, this one uses lentils instead of beans and would make a wonderfully delicious and comforting dinner with a chunk of a baguette to sop up all the juices.
Packed full of lentils engulfed in a deliciously well-spiced tomato sauce, this Lentil Shakshuka is a tasty and healthy meal that can easily be made and enjoyed for breakfast or a quick weeknight meal.
Made with only 9 ingredients, this dish is a satisfying vegetarian dish.
What are the ingredients needed to make this lentil shakshuka?
You need the following 9 ingredients:
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- A can of diced tomatoes
- A can of tomato paste
- Lentils
- Water
- Eggs
- Olive oil
Today is a day of lasts for me.
Today happens to be the last day of my self-imposed sugar cleanse.
And by that I mean, for the last 4 weeks this dessert-fanatic somehow managed to stay away from refined sugar, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, and all that falls in that category.
Now, I did fall back on a zero-calorie sweetener for my coffee, but that was it.
Crazy huh? Heck Yeah!
Would I do it again? OH HECK YEAH!
While my daughter and I dine on Lentil Shakshuka tonight, tomorrow I celebrate the end of my sugar fast!
And, there are so many treats I wanna make to celebrate but find it impossible to pick between – Maple Praline Pecan Sauce, 2-minute Sweet Potato Brownies, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Apple Cranberry Crumble, these Pumpkin Snowballs, to name a few… wanna help me out? Then send me all your baked treats!!! 😆
Today also happens to be the last day I spend at my full-time day job.
I haven’t talked much about what I do outside of my blog, but for the past couple of decades or so, I have worked as a graphic designer for what was once a large, Fortune 500 company.
But, things change, acquisitions and mergers happen, jobs are outsourced, layoffs occur and God reminds us of our dreams outside of a comfortable and secure job.
When I was fresh out of college, my plan was to move on after five years, but, I got comfortable. When we were informed in July of what was to come, it was the kick in the pants I needed to stop being comfortable and pursue other options – like trying to make this blog a full-time venture…at least for a bit.
Borrowing a quote from Mary (Queen of Scots), I lamented to my daughter “in my end is my beginning,” of course, she rolled her eyes at me and said, “mom, that’s just so extra!” Y’all, when did Webster’s replace dramatic with extra?
But, let’s get back to this Lentil Shakshuka. I have grown up eating lentils in curries, fritters (vada), salads, and pancakes, but not in a baked dish.
I tossed around a baked curry in my head – but, it never really took flight.
Then, my daughter asked me to make shakshuka like this one for dinner last night, but I was out of beans. After having spent 2 hours in traffic, I really didn’t want to hop in my car and drive to the store and that’s when it hit me – I could substitute lentils for beans!
This Lentil Shakshuka is so very simple to make. And, between the fridge and the pantry, you probably already have all the 7 ingredients you need for it.
My daughter’s friend’s family shared some of their farm fresh eggs with us and that’s what I used in this shakshuka. The only issue with this Lentil Shakshuka is that it takes a while to bake – a little over an hour – but, the time invested is well worth it! At least, that’s what my daughter said – without rolling her eyes this time!
Love shakshuka? Then check out this Potato Shakshuka, this Ginger Shakshuka, and this Butternut Squash Shakshuka.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion diced up
- 3 cloves garlic smashed and chopped fine
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 7 oz can tomato paste
- 1 cup lentils
- 3.5 cups water
- 4 eggs
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- Cilantro to garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Coat the bottom of an oven safe pan with the olive oil
- Add the diced onion to it and saute for about 10 minutes
- Then add in the garlic and stir
- Add in the tomato paste, the diced tomatoes, the lentils and water and stir well
- Place in the oven for 45-50 minutes (I checked on the lentils around the 35 minute mark and added a quarter cup of water – so just make sure to check on them so they don’t run out of water)
- Take pan out, make 4 “wells” and break eggs into the wells
- Return to oven and let bake another 12-15 minutes, depending on how soft/hard you like your yolk.
- Garnish and enjoy
I going to make this for Ramadan morning. Can this be made in the slow cooker overnight? If so, how long should I cook? Will it be the same amount of water?
Hello Mrs Ahmad,Thank you so much for writing to ask me this. Unfortunately, I have not tried making this in a slow cooker. And I think the eggs might overcook – unless you cook dried lentils in the slow cooker with the other ingredients and then add the eggs in the last 10 minutes of the coking process?I would recommend for the best result that this be cooked on a stove top. Lentils cook quickly and I feel that is the best way.I’m sorry if this doesn’t answer your question well.Thanks again for visiting my site and taking the time to comment.
This looks so delicious! I am just checking that the lentils aren’t canned .. I assume it is dry lentils used here. Looking forward to trying this! Best wishes fir your future endeavours too!
yes the lentils are dried lentils, but you could use canned lentils too – the cooking time would be significantly reduced then.
I didn’t really register that there was no spices in the recipe till it was ready for the oven at which point I added some cumin, cayenne, and a mix of some other things I had as well as salt and pepper. Wasn’t really enough and the dish still came out quite bland. It’s an easy recipe to make but you should definitely add spices if you want to enjoy eating it.
Thanks for the inspiration. I tried a version of shakshuka with red lentils too after seeing this.
good on you Shashi, I could have never done stayed away from sugar for this long! love this dish, looks so comforting!
Goodness, Shashi, you always make the most mouthwatering recipes! I already ate dinner (twice!) and I’m hungry again! Great job to you on finishing up on your sugar cleanse!
I needed an excuse to turn on my oven, so this is honestly a perfect one, haha. I just need to get diced tomatoes + tomato paste and I’m golden! *-* Can’t wait to try it out!
All the best with your new venture and waiting for all the treats coming soon. This looks so colorful and absolutely divine!
Wow! Many congratulations on your sugar cleanse, Shashi. I can’t even imagine one week without sugar, so hats off to you. What a gorgeous, flavorful shakshuka. This looks so vibrant and delicious. Happy Friday my friend.