Eggs in Purgatory – Traditional Italian recipe

Eggs in Purgatory is an easy Italian dish that uses basic pantry ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes.

Served with lots of crusty bread for dipping and dunking, this is a meal the whole family will love.

Tomatoes, in all forms, are a staple in my kitchen and quite likely, in yours. Italian recipes often use tomatoes. Recipes like minestrone and pasta sauces  use canned tomatoes, passata, paste or fresh tomatoes. What about the intense flavour of sun-dried tomatoes? Sun-dried tomatoes add a flavour hit to recipe like my pasta salad and this Australia quick bread. Then there are some recipes  where the main ingredient is tomatoes, like this one.

Why is this recipe called Eggs in Purgatory?

This recipe is a traditional southern Italian dish usually served as a meal. The eggs are said to be the “souls” in the spicy, red, bubbling sauce which represents purgatory.

Ingredients

This recipe used some basic ingredients. You’ll need:-

• canned whole tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• eggs
• onion
• garlic
• chilli
• salt
• Parmesan
• fresh basil

Ingredient substitutions

You may not have these exact ingredients but you still want to make Eggs in Purgatory. While it won’t be quite the same dish, the ingredients can be substituted for what you have in the kitchen and your tastes. Here’s a few options:-

• fresh (peeled) tomatoes, passata, or canned crushed tomatoes for canned whole tomatoes
• regular or light olive oil for extra virgin
• spring onion, leeks or shallots for the onion
• powdered, granular or bottled garlic for fresh garlic
• pecorino, romano or another hard cheese for Parmesan
• fresh parsley for basil

Instructions

Making this recipe is quite easy. Anyone can do it and have a nutritious, satisfying meal in less than 30 minutes.

1. Gently fry chopped onion in olive oil.
2. Add crushed tomatoes, garlic and chilli flakes.
3. Simmer for 10 minutes until slightly reduced.
4. Crack eggs into the sauce, cover with a lid until eggs are set to your liking.

Variations

This recipe can be varied in so many ways so each time you make Eggs in Purgatory it’s a little different.

• spicy or not so spicy – adjust the chilli flakes to your liking
• add a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or other canned beans to the tomato sauce
• drop in chunks of feta cheese after you add the eggs for a double cheese hit
• when the onion is half done add a cup or so of chopped vegetables like zucchini or capsicum (sweet peppers) and sauté until softened
• don’t like poached eggs? – prepare the sauce and serve with fried eggs or fried halloumi cheese
• double the amount of sauce ingredients for lots of delicious tomato goodness

Serving adjustment

Just as in all my recipes you can adjust the quantities for serving more or less. All you have to do is click into the white box that has the serving size and increase or decrease to the quantities you want. As you adjust the number of servings, the ingredients will adjust automatically. This recipe is easy to make for one or many. I like to allow two eggs per person.

Serving suggestions

This rustic Italian recipe is best served with crusty Italian bread – toasted or untoasted. Variations of this dish are found in other cultures using different spices, vegetables and cured meat. Accompaniments for those variations are different breads like pita or tortilla. So I can’t see why you couldn’t serve your favourite bread to dip into the poached eggs and tomato sauce.

How to store and reheat

Serve poached eggs immediately. However if you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two. Reheat gently in a skillet on the stove with the lid on or in the microwave oven for a few minutes until heated through. The eggs won’t be gooey anymore but it will still be yummy.

Can this recipe be made ahead?

Make the  tomato sauce a day or even three days ahead. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat then reheat in a skillet on the stove and continue the recipe from step 8.

Related recipes

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Mini Ham and Spinach Frittatas
Stuffed Tomatoes with rice, capers and anchovies
Panettone French Toast with Berries and Honey
Spanish Asparagus with poached eggs from Spain on a Fork
Bacon and Egg Slice from Sweet Caramel Sunday
Smashed Avo and Eggs from Another Food Blogger
Bacon and Egg Galettes from It’s Not Complicated

Eggs in Purgatory

Eggs in Purgatory is an easy Italian dish that uses basic pantry ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes. This recipe allows two eggs per person - you can suit yourself how many you think you would like per person. Serve with lots of crusty bread for dipping and dunking, this is a meal the whole family will love.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

Servings:2 people

Author: Marcellina

Ingredients

• ▢ ⅓ extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ½ onion
• ▢ 1 garlic clove
• ▢ 14.5 oz (1 small can or 400g) canned whole tomatoes in tomato juice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon chilli flakes or to your taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ basil leaves
• ▢ crusty bread for serving

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Finely chop onion and garlic.
• Heat oil in skillet and add the onion.
• Gently fry the onion until translucent and cooked through.
• Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
• Crush the tomatoes. Use a food processor or pour tomatoes into a bowl and crush with a potato masher or fork.
• Add tomatoes, chilli flakes and salt to the skillet.
• Gently simmer for 10 minutes until slightly reduced, stirring every now and then.
• Take the skillet off the heat and make four little indents for the eggs.
• Crack an egg into a small bowl and slip the egg into one on the indents. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
• Return skillet to a medium heat and cover with a lid.
• Cook for 6-8 minutes or until eggs are cooked to your liking.
• Serve immediately sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil and toasted bread on the side for dunking and scooping.

Notes

Ingredient substitutions

• fresh (peeled) tomatoes, passata, or canned crushed tomatoes for canned whole tomatoes
• regular or light olive oil for extra virgin
• spring onion, leeks or shallots for the onion
• powdered, granular or bottled garlic for fresh garlic
• pecorino, romano or another hard cheese for Parmesan
• fresh parsley for basil

Variations

This recipe can be varied in so many ways so each time you make Eggs in Purgatory it's a little different.

• spicy or not so spicy - adjust the chilli flakes to your liking
• add a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or other canned beans to the tomato sauce
• drop in chunks of feta cheese after you add the eggs for a double cheese hit
• when the onion is half done add a cup or so of chopped vegetables like zucchini or capsicum (sweet peppers) and sauté until softened
• don't like poached eggs? - prepare the sauce and serve with fried eggs or fried halloumi cheese 
• double the amount of sauce ingredients for lots of delicious tomato goodness

How to store and reheat

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two. Reheat gently in a skillet on the stove with the lid on or in the microwave oven for a few minutes until heated through. 

Can this recipe be made ahead?

Make the  tomato sauce a day or even three days ahead. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat then reheat in a skillet on the stove and continue the recipe from step 8.

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 169mg | Sodium: 597mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 483IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe? I'd love to see!Mention @marcellina.in.cucina or tag #marcellinaincucina