Eggs In Purgatory
Eggs are poached in a spicy red sauce made with fresh cherry tomatoes for a quick and easy one-pan breakfast or brunch that you'll want to put on repeat!
Servings: 2
Estimated Calories: 321
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup diced onions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (with this amount, the dish has a mild heat)
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (1 dry pint)
- 4 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided; or to taste (I use kosher salt; if using table salt, you may want to use less)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving, to taste
- chopped fresh parsley, for serving, to taste
Instructions
Make the Tomato Sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring often, until they start to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes; sauté, stirring constantly, for one minute.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon salt; stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Gently mash the tomatoes with a fork. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has slightly thickened, about 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
Poach the Eggs
- Make 4 small wells in the sauce, then crack one egg into each well. Season the eggs with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and the pepper.
- Cover and simmer until the egg whites are set and the yolks are done to your liking; the time needed will vary depending on how you want the eggs cooked. Just keep an eye on them. I like my yolks mostly set but still a little jammy, and it takes about 5 minutes.
Serve
- For each serving, place half of the sauce into a shallow bowl or onto a plate and top with 2 eggs. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley or basil. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- I like to serve this with crusty bread or toast for mopping up any sauce left in the bowls. It's also delicious with home fries/breakfast potatoes.
- This dish is best when served immediately, so I recommend making only as much as you plan to serve in one sitting. You can scale the recipe up or down as needed.
- If desired, you can crack each egg into a ramekin before adding it to the sauce, where it will be easier to remove any pieces of shell if you happen to get any.
- The thinner part of the egg whites will likely spread out into the sauce a bit during cooking. I just cover that up with some of the sauce when serving.
- I don't recommend using a cast-iron or carbon steel skillet for this recipe. The acid in the tomatoes can react with the pan and cause a metallic taste, and it can also damage the seasoning on your pan.
- Instead of parsley, fresh basil is very good instead when it's in season.
- Estimated calories shown is for the eggs and sauce only and does not include parmesan cheese.
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