Easy Haricot Bean Shakshuka Recipe

This post is part of the Eating on a Budget series, which includes the essential tools, tricks and tips that underpin eating on a budget, and a collection of recipes to put those tools into practice.

Shakshuka is a popular thick tomato stew cooked with onions, garlic and spices, with eggs baked directly into the sauce.

It is one of those rare dishes that are generally considered both healthy and delicious.

It originated somewhere around in the North Africa and Middle-east region, but has become a common sight on Instagram stories at cutesy cafes across the world.

As someone who is both fairly health conscious, and always appreciates a delicious meal, shakshuka ticks all the boxes. (That’s probably why this is my second shakshuka recipe).

This haricot bean shakshuka recipe is extra special, though. That’s for a few reasons. This recipe:

• Tastes great
• Is nutritious — it’s packed full of beans, veggies and eggs, all of which are widely considered healthy
• Is budget-friendly — this recipe is part of my budget friendly series, and so keeping on brand, I’ve made sure to use budget friendly ingredients (hint: you may see a tin of baked beans in the mix — more on that later)

Why beans?

Shakshuka doesn’t always have beans in it, but I’ve added haricot beans to this recipe for several reasons:

• Haricot beans (and all beans, really) are high in protein, fibre and other nutrients
• Haricot beans are super cheap
• Haricot beans are delicious

You might think it’s curious that I’m calling haricot beans “delicious” given that (in my opinion) most beans aren’t really that different from one another. That may be a hot take, but I stand by it.

The reason I say that haricot beans are delicious is because we’re using pre-cooked haricot beans in this haricot bean shakshuka recipe.

More specifically, we’re using baked beans.

Ok, why baked beans?

If the thought of using baked beans for anything other than baked beans on toast (or baked beans on Weetabix) fills you with dread, that’s understandable — but you shouldn’t be scared.

In my last recipe, I put together a healthy baked bean pasta and I talked about all the benefits of baked beans.

Baked beans are just haricot beans, a tomato sauce and spices cooked together. That’s it. (Some brands may use more sugar in their sauces, but opt for a brand that has no/little added sugar).

The mixture is cooked directly in the tin, so all the nutrients and minerals are preserved. Essentially, you have a pre-made tomato sauce and beans that can be used to kick-start any tomato-based sauce, whether tomato pasta or, as we’re doing here, a haricot bean shakshuka.

You might be skeptical about using baked beans in a dish like this, but trust me, they work wonderfully. Give this recipe a try before you judge!

You’ll be coming back to this recipe again and again after Putin wipes out the world with nuclear war heads and the only ingredients you have left are tins of baked beans and eggs from the radioactive super chickens living in your back garden.

Alas, I digress.

Haricot bean shakshuka recipe

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 400g can baked beans¹
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 or 2 medium onions, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 head of broccoli
• 1 tsp Marmite
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 eggs
• 30-40g feta or cheddar, crumbled or grated
• Vegetable/canola oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Parsley, finely diced (optional)
• Toast to serve, butter

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
   
2. Prepare the broccoli: chop the florets from the stem and chop them into bite-site pieces. Dice the stems into small cubes. Discard the tough root tip of the broccoli. Toss everything with approx. 1-2 tbsp oil and salt. Roast in the oven until softened and slightly charred. Approx. 20-30 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, heat a wide frying pan on medium heat with approx. 1 tbsp oil. Add the onion and approx 1 tsp salt immediately. Cook the onions until properly caramelised, around 30-40 minutes². They will turn brown and very sweet. You may need to add a splash of water to prevent the onions from burning.
   
4. Once the onions are caramelised, add the balsamic and the minced garlic and fry for 30-60 seconds. Be careful as the garlic can easily burn.
   
5. Add the tomato puree, cumin and Marmite and fry for another 30 seconds. This will “temper” the cumin and tomato puree and bring out their flavour.
   
6. Then add the liquids: baked beans, chopped tomatoes and 1/2 can of water³.
   
7. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and let it thicken for approx 4-5 minutes. To check the sauce’s consistency, create a small hole in the sauce with a spatula. If it holds its shape without immediately filling back in, it’s ready.
   
8. Season the sauce with salt and taste. If it’s too sharp or bitter, add a little sugar. Make sure to taste the sauce at this point, as you can’t taste it after the eggs are added.
   
9. Reduce the heat to medium-low and crack 4 eggs into the sauce. Season each egg with salt. Cover the pan with a lid (or tinfoil, if you don’t have a lid that fits). Cook until the eggs are set as desired.
   
10. Take the shakshuka off the heat. Remove the finished broccoli from the oven. Garnish the shakshuka with the broccoli, cheese, herbs, black pepper and serve directly from the pan with buttered toast.
    

Notes

1. Use a no/low sugar brand.
2. You can cook them for less time, any longer than around 5 minutes would be fine. But caramelising them creates a lot of sweetness in the dish that counteracts the sharpness of the tomatoes. If you do choose to cook the onions less, you may consider adding a little sugar at the end.
3. Add the water split between two cans to soak up the juices left in each can.