Eggs in Purgatory - Easy 20 Minute Recipe! (2024)

Published December 11, 2019 ·Last updated December 12, 2019 · By Pina · 6 Comments

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Eggs in purgatory is a one-pan meal that you can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Not to mention, it only takes 20 minutes to make!

This is a sponsored post with Egg Farmers of Canada. All ideas and opinions are my own.

Have you ever had eggs in purgatory before? I don't know where exactly it gets its name, but I've read different things on the naming of this dish. The most reliable version mentions that this dish resembles purgatory because the eggs represent the souls trying to escape from purgatory which is represented by the hot, red tomato sauce.

What is Eggs in Purgatory?

It's eggs that are softly poached in a simple yet robust spicy tomato sauce. When done, the eggs should be runny so that you can dip some crusty bread into them. And use the bread to soak up that delicious tomato sauce too! It's simple Italian comfort food at its finest!

I love this dish because it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's so versatile! Although if you lived in Italy you would probably not eat eggs in purgatory for breakfast, because Italians typically don't eat cooked eggs for breakfast. They prefer cookies, cakes, and croissants!

Did I also mention this dish only makes 20 minutes to make and is made in only one pan? Since holiday season is in full swing, it's such a great recipe to have in your arsenal - convenient, tasty, few ingredients, healthy and quick to make!

How to Make Eggs in Purgatory - Step by Step

In a medium size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and sauté until soft but not fully cooked, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and chili flakes and continue to sauté until garlic is cooked through, another 1 minute (photo 1)

While onion and garlic are sautéing, pour the tomatoes into a bowl and mash them up with a fork.

Once onion and garlic are finished cooking, add canned tomatoes to the skillet. Also rinse out the can of tomatoes, and the bowl where you mashed the tomatoes. Add this tomato water to the sauce (about ½ cup). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the tomato sauce until it has thickened, 10-15 minutes. Add torn basil to sauce and stir (photo 2)

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 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese (photo 3)

Cook the eggs in the tomato sauce, partially covered, until the whites are set, but the yolks still runny, about 5 minutes.Top the eggs with remaining parmesan cheese, additional pepper and basil if desired (photo 4)

Top Tips to Make Eggs in Purgatory

You can use a cast iron skillet to make eggs in purgatory as I did, or a regular nonstick pan. Either will work fine.
I used a 10 ¼ inch cast iron skillet to make this recipe
I found the easiest way to add the eggs to the sauce is to first crack each egg into a small bowl and then pour the egg into the tomato sauce, instead of cracking the eggs directly into the sauce.
By partially covering the eggs when cooking with a lid, this should help the white firm up yet keep the yolk soft and runny.
Tomatoes to use:
- I've tried this recipe with various tomatoes, and I found that canned peeled plum tomatoes give the best consistency to the sauce
- Using crushed strained tomatoes will give you a good result, but the consistency of the sauce will also be a bit too smooth, and I found it to be quite heavy as well. I like the light, rustic consistency that the peeled plum tomatoes produce.
- Using fresh tomatoes would work as well - you may need to adjust the cooking time.

Giving Back this Holiday Season

Now that the holiday season is upon us, the real reason for the season is to spend time with loved ones, make cherished memories and give back to the community. By providing you with this simple and quick recipe for eggs in purgatory, me and Egg Farmers of Canada hope that you'll find time to do just that.
In fact, I encourage you to give back and help other fellow Canadians by sharing a simple and delicious recipe (using the #RecipesThatGive hashtag) on social media and donating food, funds or simply your time to your local food bank.

Giving back to the community is a way to bring joy and wellness to those in need, and it's one of the pillars that Egg Farmers of Canada stands by. Did you know that they donate more than 1.4 million eggs to their local food banks every year?

So how will you use your free time to give back this holiday season? I'd love to know in the comments section of this blog post!

If you’ve tried making theseEggs in Purgatory,or any other recipe on the blog please let me know what you thought of it, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW MEonINSTAGRAM,FACEBOOK,TWITTER,andPINTERESTto see more delicious food and what I’ve been up to.

Recipe

4.43 from 21 votes

Eggs in Purgatory - Easy 20 Minute Recipe!

Eggs in purgatory is a delicious dish made up of eggs poached in a robust tomato sauce. It only takes 20 minutes to make, and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

CourseMain Course

CuisineItalian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

2tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
3tablespoonchopped white onioncut into small pieces
2garlic clovesminced
114 oz canpeeled plum tomatoes
¼teaspoonchili flakes
1tablespoontorn basil
4eggs
3tablespoongrated parmesan cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a medium size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and sauté until soft but not fully cooked, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and chili flakes and continue to sauté until garlic is cooked through, another 1 minute.
While onion and garlic are sautéing, pour the tomatoes into a bowl and mash them up with a fork.
Once onion and garlic are finished cooking, add canned tomatoes to the skillet. Also rinse out the can of tomatoes, and the bowl where you mashed the tomatoes. Add this tomato water to the sauce (about ½ cup). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the tomato sauce until it has thickened, 10-15 minutes. 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 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese.
Cook the eggs in the tomato sauce, partially covered, until the whites are set, but the yolks still runny, about 5 minutes.
Top the eggs with remaining parmesan cheese, additional pepper and basil if desired.
Serve with toasted bread and enjoy!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

You can use a cast iron skillet to make eggs in purgatory as I did, or a regular nonstick pan. Either will work fine.
I used a 10 ¼ inch cast iron skillet to make this recipe
I found the easiest way to add the eggs to the sauce is to first crack each egg into a small bowl and then pour the egg into the tomato sauce.
By partially covering the eggs when cooking, this should help the white firm up yet keep the yolk soft and runny.
Tomatoes to use:
- I've tried this recipe with various tomatoes, and I found that canned peeled plum tomatoes give the best consistency to the sauce
- Using crushed strained tomatoes will give you a good result, but the consistency of the sauce will also be a bit too smooth, and I found it to be quite heavy as well. I like the light, rustic consistency that the peeled plum tomatoes produce.
- Using fresh tomatoes would work as well - you may need to adjust the cooking time.

Nutrition Facts

Eggs in Purgatory - Easy 20 Minute Recipe!

Amount Per Serving

Calories 266.97Calories from Fat 205

% Daily Value*

Fat 22.83g35%

Saturated Fat 4.94g31%

Cholesterol 328.38mg109%

Sodium 155.23mg7%

Potassium 143.34mg4%

Carbohydrates 3.24g1%

Fiber 0.26g1%

Sugar 1.04g1%

Protein 12.02g24%

Vitamin A 602.08IU12%

Vitamin C 2.04mg2%

Calcium 72.47mg7%

Iron 1.54mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.