Shakshuka with Italian Sausage — Shakshuka (aka Eggs in Hell) is an easy dish made of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. It’s so simple to make and can be prepped for breakfast, brunch, or dinner!
My Favorite Egg Recipe for Dinner
If you’re looking for a great Italian sausage recipe, this is the one. This recipe is like shakshuka, otherwise known as eggs in hell or eggs in purgatory, but it’s a little different.
Those recipes normally don’t add sausage but I did. Why not? The sausage adds another layer of flavor in addition to the crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, and smoked paprika. I used hot and we liked the subtle kick, but use mild if you prefer.
The Italian sausage makes the dish heartier and it’s great comfort food. It’s an easy recipe that’s ready in 30 minutes and perfect for lazy breakfasts, holiday brunches, or breakfast-for-dinner.
My family never says no to eggs, and this homemade shakshuka was a winner. The flavor of the tomatoes and sauce reminded us of lasagna soup, which was a wintertime favorite.
What is Shakshuka?
Essentially, shakshuka is a dish made up of eggs that have been poached in a tomato sauce. The tomato sauce is usually flavored with cumin, paprika, garlic, and other spices, and it can be fairly spicy (depending on where you get it).
This is a great dish to make if you want to feed multiple people for as little effort as possible. Guests can spoon out their own portion of shakshuka and then dunk chunks of bread in any leftover sauce.
What’s in Shakshuka?
For this eggs in hell recipe, you’ll need the following:
- Olive oil
- Ground Italian sausage
- Yellow onion
- Smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic
- Crushed tomatoes
- Eggs
- Fresh parsley
How to Make Shakshuka
If you’ve never been taught how to cook Italian sausage, don’t panic, it’s just like browning regular ground beef or turkey. Add the olive oil, Italian sausage, spices, and onion to a large skillet and cook until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are golden brown.
Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant, then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Crack the eggs into the skillet and continue cooking them until they’re as done as you’d like. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Can I Omit the Sausage?
Technically yes, but the Italian sausage is what makes this dish in my eyes. I think adding that extra source of protein is especially important if you’re making these eggs for dinner, otherwise I’m not sure this meal would be filling enough.
If you don’t have sausage on hand, I’m sure you could also use another type of ground meat (although the flavor will be different, of course).
Tips for Making Shakshuka
I personally love the rich flavor smoked paprika adds to this dish, but you can substitute regular paprika if you don’t have smoked.
Also, feel free to add more eggs to the skillet if needed. Just make sure not to over crowd the pan — you want everyone to get plenty of that tomato sauce!
Lastly, this dish doesn’t reheat well (in general, egg dishes don’t reheat well for me), so enjoy it right away. If you want to round this out to a complete meal, you can serve it with some crusty bread, a fruit salad, or a simple side salad.
More Italian Sausage Recipes:
- Easy Eggs, Sausage, and Hash Browns Skillet — Hearty comfort food that’s worth getting out of bed for! Great for brunch or as breakfast-for-dinner! Ready in 30 minutes and packed with big flavors!
- Loaded Southwestern Scramble – Don’t settle for plain scrambled eggs when you can have these!! Peppers, onions, corn, and more for flavor and texture! Easy, ready in 10 minutes, and healthy!
- Easy One-Skillet Sausage and Peppers with Rice — Juicy sausage, crisp peppers, onions, and rice all cook together in one skillet! Makes cleanup a breeze! Packed with flavor and ready in 30 minutes!
- 30-Minute Italian Sausage, Vegetable, and Rice Soup – EASY, hearty soup that’s full of flavor from the sausage, rice, and vegetables!! Comfort food the whole family will LOVE and it’s healthier from the vegetables!
- Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing — The stuffing is buttery soft with a bit of texture from onions and celery. It’s packed with flavor from fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley. Juicy sausage adds wonderful richness!
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Shakshuka with Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage or 1 pound Italian sausage links with casings removed, I used hot, but use mild if preferred
- 1 small sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, regular paprika may be substituted
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
- one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with juice
- 4 large eggs, or a couple more if desired
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (regular or Italian flat-leaf)
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, sausage, onions, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cook for about 8 minutes over medium-high heat, or until sausage is cooked through and onions are lightly golden browned. Stir intermittently and break up the sausage as it cooks.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant; stir intermittently.
- Add the tomatoes and juice, stir to combine, and allow tomatoes to simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened and reduced.
- Evenly crack the eggs around the skillet, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until eggs are as set as desired.
- Evenly sprinkle with parsley, additional salt and pepper if desired, and serve immediately. Eggs are best warm and fresh.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Even More Breakfast for Dinner Ideas:
Loaded Southwestern Scramble — Don’t settle for plain scrambled eggs when you can have these!! Peppers, onions, corn, and more for flavor and texture! Easy, ready in 10 minutes, and healthy!
Easy Spinach and Tomato Frittata – Ready in 10 minutes and healthy! Perfect for any meal!! Great for using up odds-and-ends veggies, too!
Creamy and Crispy Hash Browns Frittata – Creamy eggs with crispy hash browns and made in one skillet!
Asparagus, Peas, and Smoked Gouda Frittata – Even the pickiest eaters will eat green vegetables in this healthy and easy 25 minute recipe!
White Cheddar and Dijon Baked Eggs – Fast and easy comfort food that’s ready in 15 minutes! The Dijon and cheese jazz these eggs right up!
This was such an easy weeknight supper and super yummy. Huge hit with the toddlers too!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad to hear this was a winner, even with toddlers!
This tasted like pasta, too Italian, don’t use Italian sausage
This is fabulous! I added some Italian spice and sprinkled grated parmesan on it once it was plated! This is definitely a keeper!
This is fabulous! I added some Italian spice and sprinkled grated parmesan on it once it was plated! This is definitely a keeper!
Glad that it turned out fabulous and is a keeper for you!
Can I use fresh tomatoes?
Possibly; I have only made this with canned crushed tomatoes so not sure about the texture difference with using fresh tomatoes.
Loved this version. I have made others but have never had my husband or daughter rave about a dish on the the first try. I was told by my spouse, that I’ve would love every week. The smoked paprika was the key!
Loved this version. I have made others but have never had my husband or daughter rave about a dish on the the first try. I was told by my spouse, that I’ve would love every week. The smoked paprika was the key!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that your husband said he’d love this every week! That’s a great compliment!
Wow I have never thought of preparing eggs in this way, this really looks like a delicious breakfast. Your pictures are beautiful as well!
Thank U!
I realize I’m late to the party but just made this today and it was delicious! I had this once at a beautiful brunch on vacation and your recipe brought me back to it : ) thank you for the inspo
Glad this brought you back to vacation memories – those are the best!
Really enjoyed this! So did my husband. I love that you could add whatever you had left in the Refrigerator! Such as some green/red peppers or diced potatoes. I made mine with sweet Italian sausage. Thank you for sharing this recipes with your readers.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Last Fall I canned some Sweet Chili sauce and some Hot Chili sauce which I plan to substitute for the diced tomatoes in this recipe. I also am thinking about leaving a couple sausage whole and a couple out of the casing , Onlt decision is which sauce so I try first as they both are great served cold on top of any style egg. I will report back after supper tonight!
Sounds like it’s going to be delish!
This similar to an egg dish I have made for my family many times, called Mediterranean Eggs. I like the idea of adding the sausage and will make it this way next time. I often make the sauce in a skillet and divide it among individual ramekins, crack an egg into each, place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake it in the oven until the eggs are set, 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Serve it with toasted crusty bread.
Kudo’s Averie! I have read like 22 billion (not really) recipes and have grown weary of the same old recipe ideas. Your “Eggs in Hell” recipe is the first FRESH idea I have seen in a long time. I got so excited that I actually cooked this recipe before leaving this comment.
In my version I did three things different. I used petite diced tomatoes instead of crushed. (I like to see my tomatoes!) Second, I added whole black mustard seeds. The sight of those little black seeds gave the dish eye appeal. Finally, I am a big-time spicy guy, so I added crushed red peppers.
Thanks for great idea!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed it! Glad it was a nice inspiring dish for you to try!
Love the title of this post. Unique title, I must say. The recipes look good. Thanks for sharing and have a nice weekend, Averie.