To make delicious Italian eggs, what you do is to cook up a quick and flavorful tomato sauce and then gently poach the eggs in it. Serve it sprinkled with Parmesan cheese with some crusty bread on the side for a perfect brunch!
This is my favorite go-to breakfast (or lunch or brunch!) when I have company. The eggs are poached in a rich tomato sauce, and topped off with Parmesan cheese. All you need then is some crusty bread and everyone is happy.
Video: How To Make Italian Eggs
To start this recipe, you pour a whole can of tomatoes right into a pan and add a couple of seasonings. A traditional choice would be Italian seasoning (here’s a homemade version in case you don’t have some on hand). But my real preference is to use Italian Sausage Seasoning, which contains all the seasonings found in Italian sausage and makes whatever you add it to taste a bit like sausage because of it. Let it all heat up and simmer together for a bit.
Then you use the back of a spoon to make some indents in the sauce. Crack eggs into the indents and then cover the whole pan. The heat from the tomato sauce and from the steam is going to gently cook the eggs.
Once the egg whites are set, take the pan off of the heat. Drizzle everything with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese. A little bit of fresh parsley or basil is nice to finish it off too.
This dish really is as simple as it is delicious. Relax and drink your coffee as it comes together easily on the stove.
More Great Egg Recipes
Podcast Episode: Making Italian Eggs
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this skillet dish, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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Italian Eggs Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Brunch
- Method: Poaching
- Cuisine: Italian
DESCRIPTION
To make delicious Italian eggs, what you do is to cook up a quick and flavorful tomato sauce and then gently poach the eggs in it. Serve it sprinkled with Parmesan cheese with some crusty bread on the side for a perfect brunch!
Ingredients
- 1 (28 oz.) canned diced tomatoes*
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the can of tomatoes with their juice into a large skillet.
- Stir in the salt, oregano, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. Taste. Add more seasoning, if desired.
- Use the back of a spoon to nudge some tomatoes apart. Carefully crack an egg into the liquid where the tomatoes used to be. Make space for another egg and then crack it in. Repeat with the remaining eggs. The eggs should not be submerged but should be nestled among the tomatoes.
- Increase the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Cook until the whites have solidified but the yolks are still runny, 7-10 minutes. Note that with my stove and my skillet I have to turn the pan periodically so that the eggs heat evenly and cook in the same amount of time. You may need to do the same.
- When the eggs are cooked to the desired doneness, drizzle each egg with some olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan and basil/parsley (if using).
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Notes
*Note: The petite diced tomatoes work better here, just because they disperse around the eggs better. But regular work just fine as well.
This recipe was originally published in May, 2013 and was revised and republished in March, 2021.
Love it. So simple yet so tasty.
Thank you so much, David! I love this one too.
The secret to rich flavors in soups, stews,
curries and stir fryes lies in the aromatics. It’s our job at the cooking college at which I teach to
examine how food reacts under different exposures to heat.
The recipes at Fearless Freezer Cooking is broken down
into several categories that include Beef,
Breakfast, Dessert, Main Dishes, Chicken, No Thawing Required, Pasta, Pork, and more.
ummm this sounds divine and your story makes it even more amazing! I love that you were channeling your inner domestic goddess! I think one would be considered a freak of nature if they were like this 24-7! Must try this recipe sometime soon. Love the idea of serving it with garlic bread!
Crikey, I’d almost forgotten about this one Christine, thanks for the share.
This is perfect morning after food too.
My dad, who was French used to do something very similar when I was a kid, he used ratatouille as the base and dropped whatever cheese we had on the top.
It basically works great with day old sauce and yesterday’s bread, for a real Meditteranean breakfast.
A long time ago, I watched Mario Batali make eggs in purgatory on Molto Mario, and have always wanted to make it. Your version looks delicious. (oh, and I think I killed my inner Domestic Goddess when I started blogging. Housework is the thing that I let slide when I get busy.)
Oh man I hope they have things like this for breakfast in Rome. It looks incredible
Nah, I failed you my friend. I misread your email about food allergies etc and thought you couldn’t have dairy CHEESE not DAIRY PERIOD. And so there was dairy in almost every part of our meal. But no dairy cheese! Not that that helped you be able to eat it. I felt awful. But it was fun. (Did we even have breakfast the next morning. I had a headache. No memory).
I have always wanted to make eggs like this, they look amazing!!
Oh my goodness, this is one of my favorite types of breakfasts ever! (Anything that involves poached eggs + tomatoes.) It’s like an Italian version of Shakshouka! I have an Indian (Parsi) spiced version of this on my blog, too. Yours looks absolutely perfect and gorgeous! I love it.
This is the type of breakfast I would die to see on my table the moment I wake up!
Oh my goodness Christine, you have out done yourself on this recipe. YUM~ That looks so good. I will have to try this! I mean that looks REALLY good. :D
What a yummy idea! I need to try this!