Owen Han is an L.A.-based chef and content creator whose TikTok videos about making sandwiches routinely get millions of views — thus proving the power of this deceptively simple meal. (Check him out at tiktok.com/@owen.han, and read our interview with Han here.)
For this recipe, included in his new cookbook “Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich,” Han transforms the classic brunch dish, shakshuka, into a supremely satisfying breakfast sandwich. Shakshuka is “quite simple, consisting of eggs poached in a spicy vegetable sauce,” he writes. “Served on a toasted roll, it becomes a more substantial meal. If you wish, add sliced avocado to your sandwich. Living in California, I put avocado on everything I can!”
Another tip: Elevate the flavors further with one of Han’s favorite sandwich condiments, pickled onions.
Shakshuka Breakfast Sandwich
Makes 4 sandwiches
INGREDIENTS
For the spicy tomato sauce:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For everything else:
4 large eggs
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
4 crusty round sandwich rolls, such as kaiser rolls, split, brushed with olive oil and toasted
DIRECTIONS
Make the spicy tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, paprika and cayenne and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook at a brisk simmer, stirring often, until the juices thicken, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Using the back of a large spoon, make 4 evenly spaced wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into each well. Cover the skillet and simmer over medium-low heat until the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny, 4 to 5 minutes. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the cheese and parsley (feta cheese does not melt). Remove from the heat.
For each sandwich, place a roll on a dinner plate. Use a large spoon to transfer an egg and a serving of the sauce onto the roll bottom. Cap with the roll top, cut in half, and serve immediately with a fork and knife.
– From “Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich,” copyright © 2024 by Owen Han. Photographs by Ren Fuller. Published by Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, $23.99.
