Eggs in Purgatory With Spicy Tomato Sauce and Bread for Dunking

It is 8:10 on a Saturday morning, the skillet is warm, and there is a can of tomatoes standing between you and a very good decision. This eggs in purgatory recipe poaches eggs in a garlicky, chili-spiked sauce in about 24 minutes, and it is the only purgatory anyone is excited to be sent to.

Sinful, saucy and a little bit hot: breakfast with a reputation.

The dish is simple enough to run on autopilot: garlic cooks in olive oil, crushed tomatoes join red chili flakes and oregano, the sauce simmers until it thickens, and then you press wells into it and crack in the eggs. A lid does the rest. What you get is a skillet that goes from the stove to the table, with a stack of crusty bread alongside for the dunking, which is the main event.

How to make it

1. Mince the 3 cloves garlic (about 5 minutes).
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Pour in 1 can crushed tomatoes along with 1 tsp red chili flakes and 1 tsp dried oregano.
5. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes until slightly thickened then season with salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Make 6 wells in the sauce and crack one of the 6 large eggs into each well.
7. Cover the skillet and cook for 8 minutes until the egg whites are set.
8. Serve the eggs and sauce with slices of the crusty bread.

Notes

The prep is mincing the garlic, which takes about five minutes if you are not rushing. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and cook it for just 1 minute, until fragrant. You are not browning it. Browned garlic goes bitter, and in a sauce this simple you will taste it.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes with the chili flakes and oregano, then simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Season with the salt and black pepper at the end, after the sauce has reduced, since the flavors concentrate as it cooks and you will want to taste before adding more.

Then make six wells with the back of a spoon and crack one egg into each. Cover the skillet and cook for 8 minutes until the whites are set. If you cover it for less time, the yolks stay softer, which is where the bread comes in. If you like a firmer yolk, leave the lid on a touch longer and check often.

The sauce is the star of any eggs in purgatory recipe, so it is worth the patience. Leftover sauce keeps three to four days in the fridge, per USDA FSIS, and it often tastes rounder after a night. The cooked eggs do not reheat as well, so if you expect leftovers, make the sauce in advance and cook the eggs fresh into reheated sauce. The sauce can also be frozen on its own, without the eggs.

Swipe it into your week on SwipeCart and the agent puts the tomatoes, eggs and bread in the cart, so the only temptation left is the chili flakes.

Swaps that actually work

The eggs and the tomato sauce are the point of this eggs in purgatory recipe, so leave them alone. The rest can flex.

For the heat, adjust the red pepper flakes to your tolerance, but keep some, since the chili flakes are what give it its kick. For the garlic, fresh cloves are the default, and jarred minced garlic can cover for a missing clove, although it tastes a little flatter.

Crushed tomatoes are the body of the sauce. Diced or whole peeled tomatoes that you break up by hand will do the same job, though a chunkier sauce means a looser skillet. If you have fresh herbs, a handful of torn basil or parsley on top at the end adds a fresh note that dried oregano alone does not.

A skillet is a good vessel for this eggs in purgatory recipe because the wells need shallow, even heat. Any good crusty loaf works for dunking, and toast works in a pinch. The swap that costs you the dish is skipping the bread: this is a dish built for scooping.

If it goes wrong

The sauce is thin and the eggs sink. It did not simmer long enough. Return the skillet to the heat with the eggs not yet in and cook the sauce, uncovered, a few more minutes until a spoon leaves a trail. If the eggs are already in, spoon a little of the thin liquid out of the pan before covering.

The egg whites are still runny. The lid was off, or the heat was too low. Cover the skillet and give it a couple more minutes, checking until the whites look opaque and set.

The yolks cooked hard. The eggs went in too early or stayed covered too long. Next time, start checking a minute or two early and pull the skillet off the heat as soon as the whites are set.

It tastes flat or sour. Almost always salt, or tomatoes that are very acidic. Add a small pinch of salt first, and if the sauce still tastes sharp, a pinch of sugar will take the edge off.

What to serve with it

The default is the crusty bread the recipe calls for, torn into pieces and used as a spoon. The better version is bread toasted in a little olive oil in a second pan, with a rub of raw garlic on the cut side. A bowl of dressed greens on the side makes it feel like a meal and not only a snack.

What lifts it from the fridge: a handful of grated cheese melted over the top at the end, or a spoonful of plain yogurt, which cools the chili.

It works as lunch the next day: reheat the sauce and poach fresh eggs into it.

Why this one earns its place

It is 8:10 on a Saturday, you are hungry, and the person you are pretending to be at brunch has a skillet like this one. Swipe right on breakfast and it swipes right back, and we won't tell anyone how little you did. One skillet, one can, six eggs, and nothing exotic.

It serves three, which leaves a spare plate for whoever wanders into the kitchen. It looks dramatic, it tastes like effort, and the hardest part is waiting for the bread to cool enough to handle. This eggs in purgatory recipe is the kind of dish you cook for someone you want to impress without making them watch you stress.

Swipe it into your week and the agent shops the rest, so the only decision left is how much bread to tear. If you are building a breakfast rotation, try Pesto Eggs, Mexican Breakfast Chilaquiles Skillet, and the guide to decision fatigue and what to eat.

More like this: all American recipes in Crave Corner.