Moroccan Eggs Recipe: Your New Favorite Breakfast
A dash of cumin adds big flavor (and antioxidants!).

In America, eggs tend to = breakfast food. Omelets, scrambled eggs, and frittatas all scream breakfast, and what food is more alluring in the morning than a runny poached egg?
However, Mediterranean egg dishes are becoming increasingly popular in for meals at any time of day. In this episode of Eating by Heart, chef Colombe Jacobsen demonstrates how to make one of her favorite dishes: Moroccan eggs (AKA “shakshouka”). What gives this recipe its Moroccan twist is the seasoning. The Moroccan eggs recipe calls for cumin, scallions, and cilantro, all in a luscious bed of simmering tomato sauce.
You can certainly eat Moroccan eggs for breakfast or brunch, but it also makes a healthy and easy dinner. (And who doesn’t love an occasional breakfast for dinner?). Studies consistently show eggs are a healthy (and cheap!) protein, which is essential in a heart-healthy diet.
And by keeping up your protein intake, you may have an easier time managing your carb intake and sugar cravings.
In this Moroccan eggs recipe, Colombe prefers to use a cast iron skillet, because it is easy to clean, is the perfect size for four eggs, and can also be used as the serving dish. This is how shakshouka is traditionally served in Mediterranean restaurants, too. (Don’t miss these tips for cleaning your cast iron skillet when you’re done.)
For that wonderful Moroccan flavor, using fresh ground cumin is best, but pre-ground cumin will definitely do the job. (Here’s why one chef recommends grinding your own spices.) Cumin makes the dish smell and taste wonderfully earthy and rich, and cayenne pepper adds a bit of spice.
Add a dash of sea salt for flavor, but don't overdo it. The tomatoes, cumins, scallions, and cilantro should provide plenty of flavor. This way, you can keep the sodium levels down, which is recommended for optimal heart health and to prevent high blood pressure. (Check out a cardiologist’s 7 tips for following a low-salt diet.)
One perk of this Moroccan eggs recipe is that it’s made on the stove, so you don’t have to heat up your house by turning on the oven. (However, if you want to try a similar baked version, we have a baked eggs dish that’s loaded with veggies.) With this finishing touch you will have a beautiful heart-healthy egg dish to enjoy any time of day!
Ingredients
- 1 (14 ounce) can canned tomatoes
- 4 organic eggs
- 6 scallions, trimmed and roughly sliced (onions or shallots are great instead)
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced or grated
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- Pinch or two of cayenne pepper or chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons cilantro (rough chopped)
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Pour the olive oil into a small cast iron skillet over medium heat. Saute the scallions until softened, then add the garlic, cayenne and cumin. Next add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add the honey if the tomatoes aren't sweet enough to your taste. Simmer for 15 minutes until the mixture thickens a bit. Once mixture is heated up, crack one egg in each quarter of the skillet. Spread the whites with a fork so that they cover the surface more evenly. Simmer until the eggs are cooked to your liking, about 5 minutes will cook the eggs so that they’re still soft inside but not runny. Serve garnished with cilantro and warm whole grain bread for dipping. Serves 4Nutrition Information
Nutrition Information Based on a Single Serving
*Percent Daily Value are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Dietary Needs



Carbohydrate



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[MUSIC]
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Welcome to Eating by Heart.
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I'm Kolom and I'm gonna be your guide to
make healthy food choices.
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Choices that don't involve sodium and
extra fat and sugar.
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It's gonna be really fun.
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We're gonna do lots of great recipes.
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[MUSIC]
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Today we're gonna make Moroccan egg dish.
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This dish is one that I love.
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It's Moroccan because I use delicious
cumin spices, some tomatoes,
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some scallions, some garlic, but the most
important ingredient we're using eggs and
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eggs are a really great go to for healthy
protein.
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And a great way to manage your sugar
intake and
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your sugar cravings is by having really
good amounts of protein in your diet.
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So, this Moroccan eggs recipe is one of my
favorite breakfasts, but
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you can also have it for lunch or dinner.
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In Mediterranean countries, they have this
typically for lunch or dinner.
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[MUSIC]
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So, I take my scallions over to my cooktop
over here.
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So, first I'm gonna add just enough olive
oil to the bottom of the pan.
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Now olive oil is a heart healthy oil.
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It's filled with monounsaturated fat,
which is really healthy for
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you and can actually help to ward off
heart disease.
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I'm going to add my scallions.
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[SOUND] And my garlic.
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Now I like to use a cast iron skillet for
this recipe.
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Cast iron skillets are really easy to
clean.
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And, this particular size is perfect for
my four little eggs to go right in there.
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And to that, I'm gonna add our fresh
ground cumin which smells amazing.
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Nice flavor.
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Some cayenne pepper to add a little spice.
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And now, we're almost ready for our
tomatoes.
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So, the tomatoes are gonna be a base for
the, for the dish.
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Rather than using water, you're gonna
poach your, your eggs in the tomatoes.
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And then I'm just gonna add a dash of sea
salt.
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So I use my salt sparingly, but I do use
sea salt.
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So you get the naturally occurring
minerals that comes in the salt.
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And it's very healthy for you if you use
it sparingly.
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You want your dishes to have flavor, you
just don't want to overdo the salt.
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So, now this mixture is all ready to add
our canned tomatoes.
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Now, canned tomatoes are canned at the
peak of their freshness,
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when they're in season, so they have a lot
of flavor.
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So, now we'll just turn up the heat and
we'll get it
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bubbling a little bit and then once it
heats up we'll add out eggs.
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Nice and bubbling.
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I'm going to crack these into the bowl
just to be safe so
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that I don't get any of the shells in the
skillet.
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Now my three year old son, I don't know
how he does it, but somehow he
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manages to crack an egg with one hand and
the shells never come into the bowl.
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I don't really know how he does it, it's
kind of magic but.
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[MUSIC]
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[SOUND] Now I'll do it right into the pan.
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And I'm just gonna take a fork and I'm
gonna spread the egg whites all around so
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that once they're all cooked they'll look
really pretty.
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It should be done in about five minutes.
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Just so that you get the yolks perfectly
cooked without being too
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overdone but delicious.
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It's looking pretty.
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And now one final touch.
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We're gonna add some fresh cilantro.
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Cilantro is used a lot in Mediterranean
cooking.
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So another bonus to this dish is that you
don't use a lot of dishes.
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Cuz this is your serving plate.
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The cumin.
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[SOUND] Smells so good.
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And now I get to try it out.
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The best part of all.
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[MUSIC]
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Mm.
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This dish never disappoints.
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I have to say.
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I never get tired of it.
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[MUSIC]
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Thanks for watching Eating by Heart, I'm
Kolom.
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See you next time on HealthiNation.
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[MUSIC]