There’s a theory that British gardeners have always really been Mediterranean cooks waiting for the right excuse. For decades we’ve been growing courgettes, tomatoes, peppers, and basil in the same soil that produced cabbages and potatoes, quietly pretending everything was going into a pie filling. The reality is that a proper veggie shakshuka — loaded with what’s actually growing in the garden — is about the most honest use of British summer produce you can imagine. The only thing wrong with it is the name, which sounds like something you’d need a degree to order.
This version loads up on everything the garden’s throwing at us right now: roasted peppers, courgettes, sweet potato, and a proper amount of halloumi for anyone who needs the reassurance that protein has shown up. It’s Mediterranean in origin, British in execution, and the kind of thing that makes you stop apologising for eating vegetables.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, preferably from birds who’ve actually seen sunlight
- 2 red peppers, charred (see method — or buy them roasted if you’re in a rush)
- 2 medium courgettes, roughly chopped
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 200g halloumi, cut into chunks
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped (or leave it out — no judgement)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Handful of fresh coriander or parsley
- Feta, for crumbling on top (optional, but it’s a good idea)
- Salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar for the sauce
- Bread. Obviously.
Method
- Char the peppers. If you’ve got a gas hob, put them directly on the flame until the skin’s blistered and black on all sides. If you haven’t, pop them under a hot grill. Leave them in a bowl covered with clingfilm for 10 minutes — the steam loosens the skin. Peel, seed, and roughly chop. If you’d rather not bother, a tin of roasted peppers works perfectly well. We’re not here to judge.
- Sweat the basics. Heat the olive oil in a wide, ovenproof skillet or frying pan (cast iron is ideal if you’re feeling proper about it). Add the onion and sweet potato on medium heat. Cook for about 8 minutes until the onion’s softened and the sweet potato’s starting to get colour. The sweet potato needs a head start — it’s the slowest runner here.
- Spice it up. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and chilli. Cook for another minute until it actually smells like food. Stir the peppers and courgettes in, then tip in the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar to cut the acidity. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the sweet potato is tender and the sauce has thickened. You want it thick — it’s a bed for eggs, not a soup.
- Add the halloumi. Stir the halloumi chunks into the sauce. They won’t melt — that’s the whole point of halloumi — but they’ll warm through and get slightly golden on the edges. Which is exactly what you want.
- Make four wells and crack the eggs in. Four neat little holes in the sauce, one egg each. Cover the pan with a lid (or a plate if you’ve lost the lid — this has happened to the best of us) and cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes. The whites should be set, the yolks still runny. If you prefer your yolks anywhere other than “runny,” give it a minute or two extra. Nobody’s watching.
- Scatter the herbs and feta on top. Fresh coriander or parsley for colour, feta for saltiness. Both are optional in the legal sense but essential in the taste sense.
- Serve straight from the pan with bread that’s actually good enough to be wasted on something.
Best eaten with the sort of bread that was never intended to touch anything other than butter, but has been recruited into something far more important.
