The keto shaksuka recipe

I was introduced to shakshuka on my first trip to Jerusalem, when a young woman slapped a flyer in my hand promising the Best Traditional Israeli Breakfast for fewer shekels than I’d been dropping on coffee drinks. Shakshuka, a traditional dish claimed by Israel and North Africa (particularly Tunisia), features eggs poached in a flavorful sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. It was love at first bite.

It’s a one pan family-style dish that is easy to prepare using ingredients common to most kitchens, typically vegetarian, but often heavy on beans or potatoes. Those carb-laden veggies are hard to swallow if you’re following a fat-centric Keto Diet.

Enter Ruled Me, a website run by the self-published, researcher and author Craig Clarke, that is both an online community for people pursuing a Keto-based diet – and – a treasure trove of tips and recipes that help readers take control of their health and weight for managing on the keto diet.

Ruled Me offers a Keto version of Chorizo Shakshuka that puts a twist on the traditional by adding new Mexican flavors. It’s made with spicy chorizo sausage and tomatoes, simmered with chili powder and cumin, and topped with queso fresco and cilantro.

This dish makes a great addition to a brunch table but is also wonderful for lunch or dinner. Skip the typical sides of pita bread or toast,  and instead serve it with sliced avocado instead for a healthy filling meal full of protein, fat and flavor.

Ruled Me recipe follows:

Yields 6 servings of Chorizo Shakshuka

PREPARATION

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 pound chorizo, ground
• ½ cup onion, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• ½ tablespoon chili powder
• ½ tablespoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt*
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 6 large eggs
• 2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
• ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped

*The saltiness of chorizo can vary. Start with ¼ teaspoon of salt and add additional to taste, if needed, after all the sauce ingredients are mixed.

EXECUTION

1. Melt coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook until crumbled, cooked through and browned, about 8 minutes. Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside.

2. Add the diced onion and bell pepper to the hot pan and sauté until the onions are translucent and starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and spices and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, stirring to combine.

3. Add back the cooked chorizo and diced tomatoes, with the juice. Bring the meat mixture to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes or until the mixture is thick and the liquid is almost completely reduced.

4. Make 6 wells in the pan with the back of spoon (5 around the edges and one in the middle).

5. Crack one egg into each well.

6. Cover and continue cooking until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to the desired consistency. This should take about 6 minutes for a soft yolk and up to 10 minutes for a fully cooked yolk.

7. Remove the lid and sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco and chopped cilantro. Serve.

This makes a total of 6 servings of Chorizo Shakshuka. Each serving comes out to be 504.17 Calories, 38.86g Fats, 6.98g Net Carbs, and 29.19g Protein.