Save One Tuesday evening, I was standing in my kitchen with leftover pasta and a can of tomatoes, trying to figure out dinner when my neighbor mentioned she'd just discovered shakshuka. That sparked something—what if I combined them? The result was unexpectedly perfect: pasta baked in warm, spiced tomato sauce with runny egg yolks breaking into it all. It's become the dish I make when I want something that feels both comforting and a little adventurous.
I made this for friends on a rainy Sunday, and watching them tear into it with crusty bread, completely absorbed in the moment, reminded me that the best meals aren't about complexity—they're about bringing people to the table with something warm and honest.
Ingredients
- Short pasta (penne, rigatoni, or fusilli): 300 g cooked just to al dente so it stays tender but doesn't turn mushy in the oven.
- Medium onion: Finely chopped to soften into the sauce and build that sweet base.
- Red bell pepper: Diced for color and a gentle sweetness that balances the spices.
- Garlic: 3 cloves minced fine, the fragrant anchor of this whole dish.
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoons to carry the flavors and create richness in the sauce.
- Diced tomatoes: One 400 g can, the heart of your sauce and the reason everything tastes so right.
- Tomato paste: 2 tablespoons concentrated to deepen and thicken the sauce.
- Ground cumin: 1 teaspoon, earthy and warm without being overwhelming.
- Smoked paprika: 1 teaspoon adds depth and a whisper of smokiness.
- Ground coriander: ½ teaspoon for subtle brightness that you taste rather than notice.
- Cayenne pepper: ¼ teaspoon optional, just enough heat if you want it.
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon to round out the acidity and deepen flavors.
- Salt and black pepper: To taste, the invisible seasoning that makes everything sing.
- Mozzarella or feta cheese: 100 g optional but honestly worth it; feta is tangy, mozzarella melts beautifully.
- Large eggs: 4 of them, the moment of magic when they bake into the sauce.
- Fresh parsley or cilantro: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh for that bright finish.
Instructions
- Heat and prep:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Start your pasta water boiling in a large pot with a generous pinch of salt so the pasta itself tastes good from the beginning.
- Cook the pasta:
- Add the pasta and cook it until it's just al dente—that moment when it still has a tiny bite to it. Drain and set it aside; you're building layers here.
- Sauté the base:
- In your oven-safe skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion and bell pepper. Let them soften for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so they cook evenly without browning too much.
- Bloom the spices:
- Stir in the minced garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, and cayenne if using. Cook for about a minute until the kitchen fills with that toasty, inviting aroma.
- Build the sauce:
- Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes with their juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, letting the sauce thicken slightly and the flavors meld together beautifully.
- Combine pasta and sauce:
- Stir in your cooked pasta and about half the cheese if using. Mix everything until the pasta is coated and the sauce looks cohesive and warm.
- Make the egg nests:
- Spread the pasta mixture evenly in your skillet or transfer it to a baking dish. Use the back of your spoon to gently make 4 small wells across the surface, then crack one egg into each well so the whites have space to set.
- Final cheese layer:
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese, if using, around the eggs and over the pasta.
- Bake to perfection:
- Slide it into the oven for 15–18 minutes. You're looking for egg whites that are set and opaque but yolks that still jiggle slightly when you gently shake the pan.
- Finish with fresh herbs:
- Pull it from the oven, scatter fresh parsley or cilantro over the top, and serve it straight from the pan while everything is still steaming.
Save There's a moment right when you crack the eggs into those warm sauce wells where the dish transforms from something nice to something special. It feels like you're creating something rather than just cooking.
Why the Spices Work
The spice blend here is borrowed from shakshuka tradition but applied with a gentle hand so nothing overwhelms the pasta or eggs. Cumin brings warmth, paprika adds color and subtle smoke, and coriander rounds everything out with quiet brightness. Together they create depth without heat unless you choose to add cayenne, which means this dish works for just about anyone at the table.
Cheese and Customization
Both feta and mozzarella work beautifully here, but they behave differently. Feta stays crumbly and adds a salty, tangy note that contrasts with the eggs and sauce, while mozzarella melts into stretchy, creamy pockets throughout. I've also left the cheese optional because if you want the bright flavors of the sauce and eggs to shine on their own, they absolutely can.
Serving and Storage
This dish is best eaten straight from the pan while the sauce is still bubbling and the eggs are warm. Serve with thick crusty bread to tear off and soak up every last bit of sauce—that's half the pleasure.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to two days and reheated gently in a low oven until warm through.
- For extra richness, fold in a handful of baby spinach or kale just before baking.
- To make it vegan, skip the eggs and cheese, then add a can of drained chickpeas for protein instead.
Save This recipe bridges two different worlds of cooking and somehow makes both of them better. It's the kind of dish that reminds you why you love spending time in the kitchen.