Imagine the vibrant flavors of Shakshuka, transformed into a cozy and comforting soup! This Shakshuka Soup is an appetizing of tastes and textures, featuring a rich tomato base infused with aromatic spices, hearty lentils, and a medley of vegetables. Each bowl is topped with a perfectly poached egg, a sprinkle of tangy feta cheese, and a touch of fresh cilantro for a soup that’s as nourishing as it is delicious.
Why I love this soup, and think you will, too!
Traditional shakshuka is one of my very favorite summer dishes, so I’m sort of surprised that I haven’t yet posted a classic shakshuka recipe on the blog. It’s so easy, healthy, delish, and flexible that it really belongs in almost everyone’s cooking rotation.
I took advantage of the flexibility of shakshuka and turned it into a full-blown soup. It’s almost a soup in its original form; I just gave it a little nudge over the edge.
Flavorful: The combination of vibrant tomatoes, warm spices, earthy lentils, and fresh herbs creates a satisfying depth of flavor.
Healthy: Packed with vegetables, lentils, tomatoes, and protein-rich eggs, this soup is a nutritious meal.
Comforting: The warm and cozy nature of Shakshuka Soup makes it perfect for chilly days or when you’re just in need of a little comfort-food pick-me-up.
Versatile: This soup is easily adaptable to different dietary needs and preferences. You can adjust the spice level, add different vegetables, or go entirely plant-based by replacing the eggs with tofu.
Easy to Make: With simple ingredients and straightforward steps, this soup is a breeze to prepare, even for beginner soup chefs.
Impressive: This soup is beautiful and appetizing, with its vibrant colors and perfectly poached eggs —a showstopper that’s perfect for entertaining.
What is Shakshuka (and Shakshuka Soup)?
I just mentioned that it’s a go-to summer dish at Casa SoupAddict, but it’s really year-round friendly. I make it often in the summer because it’s a one-pot meal filled with summer’s best vegetables.
And also, part of the reason I came up with Shakshuka Soup is to have a version that doesn’t rely so heavily on in-season veggies, for winter and spring enjoyment (same veggies, but spiced up to make up for their less than shining off-season qualities).
- Shakshuka is a dish with Mediterranean/Middle Eastern/North African roots. Traditionally served as breakfast, I think it’s the perfect dinner.
- It features tomatoes and bell peppers, plus a heady blend of cumin, paprika, and spicy cayenne or harissa.
- And, for the piece de resistance, eggs are poached right in the liquids. Breaking apart that yolk is the best part!
- My Shakshuka Soup version features loads of peppers in various forms: diced bells, deeply flavored smoked paprika, sweet Hungarian paprika, and chili powder (all peppers in a former life, lol).
- For extra dinner heft, I added French lentils — which, for you traditionalists who are about to pounce on your keyboards — are in no way traditional, but add lovely body to the soup.
- On a whim, for one batch, I tipped in a big glug of creamy coconut milk, and thought the world was going to flip right over. The photos in this post do not reflect that addition, but I highly recommend it! (It’s covered in the recipe below.)
- And of course, eggs are poached right in the soup.
- A sprinkle of feta cheese and fresh parsley over each bowl finishes the soup beautifully.
How to Make Shakshuka Soup
Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to get the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the soup.
Step 1: Saute the aromatics
Heat oil over medium in a 4-5 qt Dutch oven or soup pot until shimmering. Sauté the onions and bell peppers until soft, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the spices, salt, and flour over the veggies and stir to coat the veggies and release the fragrances of the spices.
Step 2: Add the sauces
Add the tomato sauce and hot sauce (if using). Note that gochujang is in no way a traditional ingredient in shakshuka. But it’s absolutely delicious.
In fact, I think there’s a wide variety of hot sauces that would find a happy home in a pot of shakshuka, including sriracha, chili oil, and salsa verde. And chili crisp on top of the eggs with a little hot honey. Heaven.
Step 3: Cook the Soup
Add the sugar, broth and lentils to the pot and increase the heat.
Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Cook for 30 minutes (or, at a minimum, for the time indicated on the lentil package cooking directions).
Step 4: Cook the eggs, and serve the soup
Carefully crack the eggs into the soup. They’ll probably sink a little – that’s okay. I don’t have a photo of this step here because the eggs sank and then I got distracted. It’s okay. They’ll rise to the surface as they cook (or at least will become visible in the soup).
Cover with a lid, and continue simmering until the egg whites have set (10 to 15 minutes). Check this by carefully lifting one of the eggs with a wide serving spoon. (Alternatively, you can fry or poach the eggs in a separate pan, and add them to the soup as they finish.)
Ladle the soup, plus one egg, into 6 bowls. Garnish with cilantro and feta, if using. Serve immediately.
One of the reasons I love this soup so much — and Shakshuka in general — is that egg on top. And also the fact that it’s effortlessly vegetarian, but you don’t even miss the meat because the soup is fully flavorful and wonderfully textured with hearty lentils.
Serve with naan slathered in garlic butter, and enjoy the healthy, perfectly-spiced feast!
Shakshuka Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon harissa or gochujang sauce*, optional
- 1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/3 cup French or black beluga lentils**
- 6 eggs
- splash of milk, cream or coconut milk, optional***
- chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish
- feta cheese for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium in a 4-5 qt Dutch oven or soup pot until shimmering. Sauté the onions and bell peppers until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle paprikas, cumin, chili powder, salt, and flour over the veggies and stir to coat the veggies.
- Add the tomato sauce and hot sauce (if using), along with the sugar, broth and lentils.
- Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes (or, at a minimum, for the time indicated on the lentil package cooking directions).
- Crack the eggs into the soup. They might sink a little – that’s okay. Cover with a lid, and continue simmering until the egg whites have set (8 to 15 minutes). Check this by carefully lifting one of the eggs with a wide serving spoon. (Alternatively, you can fry or poach the eggs in a separate pan, and add them to the soup as they finish.)
- Ladle the soup, plus one egg, into 6 bowls. Garnish with cilantro and feta, if using. Serve immediately