Fall-inspired Instant Pot shakshuka is a delicious, healthy meal featuring butternut squash, tomatoes, feta, and eggs. Serve it with warm crusty bread.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Shakshuka is a vibrant, flavorful dish made from simple ingredients. In this fall variation, sweet butternut squash balances spicy tomatoes for a comforting, well-rounded meal.
How long it takes: 15 minutes prep, 30 minutes cook
Equipment: Instant Pot pressure cooker
Servings: 4
Shakshuka is a tomato-based stew, typically spiced and topped with eggs poached directly in the sauce. Popular across the Middle East and North Africa, it has many regional variations. This version brings a fall twist by adding butternut squash for sweetness and texture.
Butternut squash adds creamy, sweet bites that mellow the acidity of the tomatoes and complement the spices. The dish combines tomatoes, green pepper, onions, and squash with warming spices, then finishes with tangy feta, crunchy pepitas, and fresh parsley.
This recipe is made in the Instant Pot for speed and easy cleanup—one pot from start to finish. It makes a satisfying breakfast, brunch, or weeknight dinner when served with warm crusty bread for dipping.
About Instant Pot Shakshuka With Squash
- Healthy and nourishing. This vegetarian dish provides protein from eggs and feta, plus vitamin A, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants from the squash and tomatoes. It’s naturally gluten-free and can be adapted for Whole30 or low-carb eating.
- Quick and simple. About 15 minutes of prep and then the Instant Pot handles the cooking. Only one pot to wash.
- Bold flavor. The recipe uses garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and oregano, with green pepper and onion for depth. Fresh parsley, pepitas, and feta finish the dish.
Cooking Tip
Prepare the squash ahead or buy pre-cut butternut to save time. If you need guidance on peeling and cutting squash, look for a butternut squash tutorial with step-by-step photos.
How To Make Instant Pot Shakshuka
Below is a concise overview—refer to the ingredient list and instructions for exact amounts and steps.
Prep: Peel and cube the squash (or use pre-cut), dice an onion and a green bell pepper, and mince garlic.
Sauté: Use the Instant Pot’s Sauté function with olive oil to soften the onion and pepper, then add garlic for about a minute until fragrant. Turn off the Sauté setting.
Pressure cook: Add the canned tomatoes (undrained), cubed squash, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and Pressure Cook on high for 8 minutes. Allow the pot to come to pressure first, which takes several minutes.
Cook the eggs: After a quick release and removing the lid, stir in fresh parsley. Carefully add eggs to the tomato-squash mixture—cracking each egg into a ladle first helps prevent the whites from spreading. Replace the lid and set Pressure Cook for 0 minutes (this brings the pot to pressure briefly and cooks the eggs to a soft yolk). Quick release and remove the lid.
Serve: Spoon into shallow bowls and garnish with crumbled feta, toasted pepitas, and more parsley. Warm crusty bread is ideal for dipping into the rich tomato sauce and runny yolks.
The combination of cozy spices, sweet squash, and silky eggs makes this a comforting seasonal favorite. Serve with your choice of bread for a complete meal.
Adaptations You Can Make to Shakshuka
- Skip the squash: Substitute carrots or sweet potatoes for a different texture, or make a traditional shakshuka without any root vegetable.
- Whole30 or paleo: Omit feta and skip bread to make the dish compliant.
- Adjust egg doneness: Serve immediately after the quick release for set whites and runny yolks. If you prefer firmer yolks, let the eggs sit in the hot sauce for 2–3 minutes or keep the pot on warm until they reach your desired doneness.
Make-Ahead Idea
Refrigerate/Freeze: The tomato-squash sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to a month.
Reheat: Thaw frozen sauce in the refrigerator overnight or in the microwave. Reheat the sauce in a skillet until simmering, then add the eggs and cover for 4–8 minutes depending on how you like them cooked.
Instant Pot Shakshuka Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1/2 large onion)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 cups diced butternut squash (1/2-inch cubes)
- 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, undrained, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon shelled roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Bread for serving
Instructions
- Using the Sauté function, heat the Instant Pot and add olive oil. Add onion, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the squash, tomatoes, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Lock the lid and set the valve to seal. Select Pressure Cook (High) for 8 minutes. When time has elapsed, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Stir in parsley. Crack 4 eggs into the tomato mixture—cracking each egg into a ladle first helps keep the whites from spreading—then nestle them into the sauce. Replace the lid, set the valve to seal, and select Pressure Cook for 0 minutes (zero). Quick release and remove the lid.
- Serve immediately topped with crumbled feta, pumpkin seeds, and additional parsley. Warm crusty bread is perfect for dipping into the sauce and yolks.
Notes
- Crack eggs into a ladle first, press the ladle into the sauce to form a small well, then pour the egg in to prevent the whites from spreading.
- The whites will be set and yolks runny after a quick release. If you prefer firmer yolks, let the eggs sit in the hot sauce for 2–3 minutes or keep the pot on warm until they reach your preferred doneness.
- To make the dish paleo or Whole30 compliant, omit the feta and skip the bread.
- Nutrition information does not include bread.
- You can use diced tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes; cutting whole tomatoes in the can with scissors creates a rustic texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.