If you’re craving an Italian-inspired, one-pan brunch dish, try this eggs in purgatory recipe. First, you’ll make a quick tomato sauce using tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and Calabrian chili peppers. Then, you’ll poach the eggs directly in the sauce, just as you would with shakshuka.
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What Are Eggs in Purgatory?
Eggs in purgatory, or uova in purgatorio, is an Italian dish consisting of poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce. Like shakshuka, eggs in purgatory are made by gently cooking eggs in a boiling-hot sauce to the desired level of doneness (usually to the runny-yolk stage of a soft-boiled egg). Unlike its North African and Middle Eastern cousin, eggs in purgatory features a marinara-style red sauce, without the red peppers or onions typically found in shakshuka.
How To Serve Eggs in Purgatory
There’s no wrong time to serve eggs in purgatory: Bring it out for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
- Serve with toasted bread. Like any dish with a surplus of flavorful sauce, eggs in purgatory’s most natural partner is toasted bread. Serve with slices of crusty bread like ciabatta or sourdough for dipping, or toast thin slices of baguette for scooping up bites of egg.
- Make garlic toasts. For a little extra heat, rub slices of toast with a raw garlic clove, or a bit of garlic compound butter, before serving.
- Garnish with fresh chopped herbs and cheese. Herbs like basil, Italian parsley, or chives lend a pop of bright color and a delicate aroma to a dish full of bold flavors. Use a microplane to grate your favorite aged cheese over everything just before serving.
Eggs in Purgatory Recipe
makes
prep time
5 mintotal time
25 mincook time
20 minIngredients
- 1
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- 2
Add garlic, fennel, and red pepper flakes, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- 3
Add tomato paste and Calabrian chili peppers, and stir to combine. Cook until the tomato paste begins to darken, a few minutes more.
- 4
Add the can of tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
- 5
Using the back of a spoon, make 4 shallow wells in the sauce.
- 6
Crack the eggs into the wells, and cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- 7
Cook until egg whites are just set but yolks are still runny, about 7 minutes.
- 8
Remove from heat and top with grated cheese and chopped herbs. Serve immediately with bread.
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