Italian Style Baked Eggs – delicious and seriously addictive

Start your day with this addictive Italian Style Baked Eggs. The eggs are poached in a thick, rich tomato sauce with freshly chopped basil, garlic and parmesan cheese. Truly Italian style and seriously addictive!

This flavourful breakfast also goes by the name, ‘Eggs in Purgatory’. No one really knows where the name originated from but legend has it that the eggs represent ‘souls’ and the robust, red sauce ‘purgatory’.

This lip-smacking meal has many variations. Most notably it can be compared to the Middle Eastern dish ‘shakshuka’ which makes use of their native spices. The Mexicans also have a similar version of this dish called ‘huevos rancheros’. Each region has its own adaption based on its local ingredients and spices.

Italian Style Baked Eggs are cooked in one pan so it is effortless, fast and with very little dishes to wash up afterwards. Serve with crusty bread dipped in the delicious Italian sauce. Breakfast will never be the same again.

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Italian Style Baked Eggs

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Recipe by Jessica Alberts Course: Breakfast, LunchCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ medium onion, chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• ¼ teaspoon red chilli flakes (or substitute with paprika)

• 1 can chopped tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

• 4 – 5 large eggs

• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

• 2 wheels feta cheese (optional)

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron pan (or oven proof frying pan) over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
• Add the minced garlic, red chilli flakes and tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the tin of tomatoes and basil. Stir and allow the mixture to simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for five 5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Using a large spoon, make a well near the edge of the pan and crack an egg directly into the well. Gently spoon some of the tomato mixture over the egg white.
• Repeat with the remaining eggs, depending how many you can fit into your pan. Top the eggs with the parmesan cheese and season with black pepper.
• Gently transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake the eggs for approximately 8 – 10 minutes. The eggs will be ready when the egg whites are set and opaque. Do not overcook the eggs.
• Top with fresh herbs and feta cheese and serve with toasted bread.

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Looking for more breakfast and brunch ideas? We have a great variety of super delicious and addictive recipes to try out.