Time to give the oven a little vacation. Beat the summer heat with this healthy & delicious microwavable meal—a quinoa and shakshuka for one dish. Forget turning on the stove or taking out a large frying pan. In under 12 minutes, you can microwave quinoa, top with tomato sauce and an egg and be ready to eat at the table.
Don’t let the Summer heat stop you from enjoying a freshly cooked meal.
It’s certainly refreshing to stick to cold foods —straight from the refrigerator or freezer— when it feels like your melting outside. Who wants to add to the heat by turning on the oven, right?!
Luckily, we’re cooling down the kitchen for this month’s Recipe Redux post. Giving the oven a break and using other appliances to cook our meals.
It is vacation season after all.
What is shakshuka
Shakshuka is a Mediterranean dish of eggs poached in tomato sauce. Spices and aromatic vegetables can be added for additional flavor. It’s typically cooked in a frying pan over the stove.
This version includes cooking quinoa and adding in the tomato sauce. Then the eggs are added to finish the dish.
Shakshuka for one
In order to make this dish without turning on the stove top, we’re utilizing the microwave oven. That’s right, the entire recipe comes together in the microwave.
For easier cooking, only one egg is cracked into each shakshuka bowl. Making these a single serving meal.
But, you can also multiply the recipe to feed more people. Adjust the ingredients & cooking time according. You can combine everything into a single, larger bowl, or cook multiple batches of the recipe all at once.
How to cook an egg in the microwave
Did you know that you could cook eggs in the microwave? Simply crack an egg into a microwave safe dish. In under 2 minutes, you could have a cooked egg without having to turn on the stove.
An egg was actually one of the foods involved in the invention of the microwave oven back in ~1945. The other two, being a chocolate candy bar and popcorn. (Guess who did a report on the microwave in College?! Oh, the “fun” of majoring in nutrition.)
Tips for cooking in the microwave
While this recipe is simple to follow, here are a few things to keep in mind with microwave oven cooking.
Watch It
Monitor the cooking time/power of this dish in the microwave you have. Once you figure out the right settings, you can trust the microwave to make this meal on its own.
Leave some space
Microwave quinoa needs space to expand while it cooks. Use a bowl large enough to accommodate at least triple the amount of space of the quinoa and water. This gives you enough room for the quinoa to cook—aka not explode in your microwave—plus room to add the remaining ingredients.
Microwave Shakshuka with Quinoa
No need to turn on the oven for this dish. Cook this quinoa and shakshuka for one dish straight in the microwave oven.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons quinoa, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 egg
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl, stir together the quinoa and water. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the bowl, stir in tomato sauce. Microwave for an additional 3 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked quinoa to an espresso cup (optional). Crack an egg over the top. Tent the cup with a paper towel and microwave for an additional minute.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 107Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 223mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 8g
This is so cool! I’ve poached eggs in the microwave but never thought about trying this dish. I have actually never even considered quinoa in the microwave. Life changing!
My thoughts exactly. Such a game changer.