One-Pot Wonders

Eggs in a Wintry Tomato and Kale Sauce

February 13, 2014
4.7
3 Ratings
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 28 minutes
  • Serves 4 to 8
Author Notes

Inspired by Lynne Rosetto Kasper's wonderfully simple and flavorful winter tomato sauce, I decided to make this extra hearty version of "eggs in Purgatory" with kale stewed into it for breakfast on one of the many snow-days this past week. It's a wonderfully cozy breakfast, but it works just as well for a light supper. —fiveandspice

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
  • 1 small carrot, scrubbed and minced
  • 1 small celery stalk, minced
  • 3 tablespoons Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, minced
  • 1 large clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary, about 1-inch
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme, more to taste
  • 1 bunch lacinto kale, washed and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 28 ounces can of whole tomatoes
  • 1 pinch Salt and pepper
  • 4 large eggs (up to 8, depending on how many each person wants to eat)
  • 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese, for serving (optional)
Directions
  1. In a large deep frying pan, heat your olive oil over medium heat until shimmering, then add the onion, carrot, celery, and parsley. Cook, stirring frequently, until deeply browned, 8-10 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook for one minute, then add the kale. Cook, stirring, until the kale has softened somewhat, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the tomato paste and canned tomatoes plus their juice. Smash up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon (if you smash enthusiastically, your stovetop may wind up looking like a crime scene. It's a good excuse to ask your spouse to clean the stove!). Add a few pinches of salt and pepper, cover the sauce and simmer for 8 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Use your wooden spoon to make little wells in the sauce for your eggs. Crack each of the eggs into its well and sprinkle them with a little more salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the egg whites have set but the yolks are still runny, about 5 minutes. Crumble the goat cheese over the eggs, if using, and serve warm. Crusty bread for mopping up the sauce is not out of order here.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Cheyenne Rose Schön
    Cheyenne Rose Schön
  • Mary Bachmayer
    Mary Bachmayer
  • fiveandspice
    fiveandspice
  • ACraftyChicky
    ACraftyChicky

12 Reviews

ACraftyChicky March 4, 2024
Wow!!! I made this as “breakfast for dinner” for my family and it was loved by all. The heartiness and savory herbs were perfect. It is definitely going in my list of dishes that are prepared frequently.
 
Cheyenne R. January 27, 2018
This was great! I used a jar of pasta sauce in place of the tomato paste and tomatoes. Yum!
 
Kathy January 25, 2016
This has become a go-to brunch dish for my household. Such a good sauce! I often make it ahead so I don't have to do all the work on brunch mornings. Works beautifully.
 
Mary B. January 31, 2015
This sounds to me like a variation of shakshuka, that wonderful pepper and tomato-based sauce used as a base for breakfast eggs. Any vegetable can go into shakshuka - my latest version featured diced eggplant, red pepper, tomatoes (San Marzano of course), garlic and Turkish red pepper paste (aci biber salcasi). Let your imagination guide you. :)
 
Jodie F. March 3, 2014
I made this two nights ago and it was fabulous!! Very quick and easy and the finished product was beautiful to look at. I left out celery simply because I did not have it and it tasted great.
 
Nancy February 24, 2014
no mention of celery being added. Maybe it's onion, carrot and celery in the first step?
 
fiveandspice February 24, 2014
Oops, thanks for catching that! The celery does go in with the onion, and carrot, but the parsley does too! It's an unusual sauce in that way, but it works! :)
 
Nancy February 24, 2014
thank you for the clarification! I can't wait to make this!
 
susan February 23, 2014
I wish there were a Calorie/Fiber/Protein/Fat breakdown. Guess I could tally it myself.
 
fiveandspice February 24, 2014
Yeah, that's not a function the site has.
 
mikefromholden February 23, 2014
There must be a mistake here. I can't imagine cooking the parsley right from the start with the onions.
 
fiveandspice February 24, 2014
Hi Mike. The Lynne Rosetto Kasper recipe I based this off of does have you add the parsley right from the start - and I feel like I'm in no position to challenge how Lynne does things! :) And while it's not how we normally think of using parsley, it does add a nice deep mellow flavor, as opposed to the usual herbal brightness parsley gives when added at the end of cooking.