A simply seasoned tomato sauce with garlic and onion is the perfect vehicle for simmering slow-cooked eggs in a classic Italian dish: Eggs in Purgatory. Topped with Parmesan and fresh basil, this easy meatless recipe allows basic-yet-delicious flavors to shine. Serving with crusty bread or crostini for dipping is a must!

Eggs in purgatory topped with shredded Parmesan and fresh basil in a pan next to crusty bread.

Known as Uova in Purgatorio in Italian, Eggs in Purgatory is a rustic, simple meal traditionally considered "peasant food". Dishes considered cucina povera are defined by their inexpensive, usually meatless ingredients and cooking techniques employed by much of the rural Italian population over the years. If you're familiar with shakshuka, this is like an Italian version of that.

Inexpensive, easy, low-fuss...who wouldn't want a meal like that in their repertoire, especially when it tastes this good? Screams perfect busy weeknight dinner recipe to me!

Why You'll Love This Dish

It's versatile. Eggs in Purgatory is a meal that truly works any time of day. Breakfast is an obvious, but I most often make this as an easy weeknight dinner. It would be a great meatless meal on a Friday if observing Lent (see also a pepper and egg sandwich).
It's made of nearly all kitchen staples. Outside of the summertime, fresh basil is usually the only thing I'll need to get to make this recipe.
It's true to the spirit of the dish. There's no need to break out the San Marzanos, jarred sauces, good olive oil, or any pricey ingredients. A really nice flavor develops in the 20-minute simmer time using basic pantry staples.

Recipe Ingredients

The ingredients needed for eggs in purgatory in separate bowls and text-labeled.

Crushed tomatoes: Any plain or "with basil" flavor will do - no need for San Marzano or anything fancier (read: more expensive).
Calabrian chili peppers: If you don't have them and would like a some spice, you can replace with a few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes.
Eggs: Ensuring your eggs are at room temperature before cracking into the sauce helps them cook quickly and evenly.
Parmesan: Shredded and sprinkled over top to serve. I will use either Parmesan or Pecorino Romano depending upon what kind I have at the moment. Parmesan cheese will be less expensive, though divvying up a LARGE wedge of Pecorino Romano from Costco is quite affordable per ounce.
Garlic: Fresh minced garlic cloves have a superior flavor over jarred garlic, and are highly recommended to use with this simple dish.
Basil: Fresh basil chiffonade (basil leaves sliced into thin strips) added after simmering brightens the dish up and ties all of the Italian flavors together.
Spices: Technically salt and pepper are all you need, but dried oregano and/or crushed red pepper flakes are nice additions, too.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Sautéed onion, garlic, and spicy peppers in a pan.

Step 1: Sauté the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and Calabrian chili peppers, if using, and cook for 1 minute more.

Step 2: Stir in the dried seasonings and add the crushed tomatoes. Simmer partially-covered for 20 minutes, or until thickened nicely.

Four eggs cracked into the tomato sauce to cook.

Step 3: Stir in most of the basil and then make four evenly-spaced wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into each well and fully cover the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes for a soft-cook timing where the whites are set but the yolks are runny (great for dipping!), but do go longer if you prefer harder cooked yolks. Sprinkle Parmesan and any reserved basil over top before serving immediately.

Cooked eggs nestled into tomato sauce in a pan.

Tips and Tricks

Meatless vs. vegetarian. As written this recipe is meatless, though more stringent vegetarians will want to use a Parmesan that is produced without animal rennet. Several U.S. brands call out this distinction on their products, so check the ingredient list for vegetable- or microbial-based enzymes instead.
Plan ahead for room temperature eggs. The only real finicky part of Eggs in Purgatory is cooking the eggs just to your liking. For reliable cook times on all the eggs, bring them up to room temperature so they cook evenly.
Choose the right pan. A 12-inch sauté pan is a good option for this recipe as the wide surface means the sauce thickens more efficiently. Plus you can fit four eggs into the surface more easily. I steer away from a cast iron skillet here as the acidic tomatoes run the risk of transferring a slight metallic flavor into the food.
Keep a lid handy. You'll want to partially-cover the pan while simmering as it's quite splatter-y otherwise, though make sure enough steam can escape so the sauce thickens. Then fully covering the pan later on helps the eggs cook evenly.
Leftovers are not the best. Recipes with runny eggs are not really the best for refrigerating and reheating, so I recommend only using the number of eggs you anticipate getting through in one serving. With a little zhushing, a fifth egg can be cooked in the center if needed.
Serve with good bread. Either bakery-fresh crusty bread, think an Italian loaf or a nice semolina bread with sesame seeds, or crostini are perfect picks for dipping into the eggs and tomato sauce. To make crostini, slice a narrower loaf of bread between ¼- and ½-inch thick, brush with olive oil, and toast on a sheet pan in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes (or a higher temperature for less time), or crisped to your liking.

Over easy eggs cooked in a pan of tomato sauce with Parmesan, basil, and crusty bread dipped in.

More Meatless Italian Dishes

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Eggs in Purgatory

Why You'll Love This Dish

Recipe Ingredients

Step-by-Step Instructions

Tips and Tricks

More Meatless Italian Dishes