This has everything I love in a recipe – 1 pan, under 30 minutes, and full of flavor. I have this categorized as a breakfast/brunch meal, but it can easily be a meatless lunch/dinner! You probably have all of these ingredients on hand as well – win/win.
The most interesting explanation I found is that the name originates from the Catholic faith, with the eggs representing “souls” and the spicy tomato sauce surrounding them representing “Purgatory,” the big idea being that the souls are suspended between heaven and hell. Hmm.
Anyway, the first time I had this type of dish was at Etta in Chicago, and I knew I wanted to re-create it at home. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. It definitely tastes like it should be more difficult to make… but so, so easy. Y’all let me know what you think
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Eggs In Purgatory
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
Description
This has everything I love in a recipe – 1 pan, under 30 minutes and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 yellow onion – diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tbsp torn basil
- 4 eggs
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, divided
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and chili flakes and continue to sauté until garlic is cooked through, another minute or so
- While onion and garlic are sautéing, pour the tomatoes into a bowl and mash them up with a fork. Of if using tomato sauce skip to next step – I’ve used both and had great results, just use whatever is in your pantry!
- Add canned tomatoes to the skillet. Rinse out the can that held the tomatoes and add this tomato water to the sauce (about 1/2 cup). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the tomato sauce until it has thickened, 10-15 minutes (may take a little longer if you use sauce instead of crushed tomatos). Add torn basil to sauce and stir.
- Crack an egg into a small bowl. Form a small well in the sauce and pour the egg into the well. Do this 4 times. Sprinkle the eggs with 1 tbsp of the parmesan cheese.
- Cook the eggs in the tomato sauce, until the whites are set, but the yolks still runny, about 5 minutes. You can partially cover the skillet but be careful as it can over cook the yolks.
- Top the eggs with remaining parmesan cheese, additional pepper and basil if desired.
- Serve with toasted bread and enjoy!
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
Keywords: Eggs, Eggs in purgatory, Breakfast, Brunch, Spicy, Tomato Sauce
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