Cooking eggs in thick tomato-based sauces is a canvas to a creative mind’s imagination of flavors. Add diced vegetables, such as mushrooms and blanched potatoes, with the onions. Wilt baby greens over the saucy eggs. For a Spanish-inspired version, use enchilada sauce and garnish it with sliced scallions, chopped pimento-stuffed green olives, fresh cilantro, and queso blanco—or manchego–cheese. Garnish a basic garden tomato sauce with black kalamata olives, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and basil leaves. If you’re not a vegetarian, finish this dish with chopped pork, duck or turkey bacon for a salty and crispy flavor.
Homemade sauces are always better, but a good-quality sauce sold in glass jars is a timesaving choice. Unless lined with a bisphenol-A (BPA) plastic coating, metal canned sauces have a slight metallic taste from the acid in tomatoes. Read the label to avoid purchasing sauces with High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), artificial sweeteners, and synthetic colors.
For this version, leftover homemade enchilada sauce from a previous recipe melts sharp cheddar cheese and slightly wilts fresh spinach. As the eggs are baking in the sauce, corn tortilla shells are cut into strips and fried to a crisp in less than two minutes.
For busy weekday schedules, this is a healthy breakfast or dinner. It takes less than 15 minutes to prep and serve. Use the time to break from a heavy workload to creatively develop your own Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce recipe with your choice of garnishes and vegetables.
It’s a simple recipe for creative minds. What type of tomato-based sauce and garnish would you use for your version?
Ingredients
- 1/2 a small red onion; diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper; diced
- 1 small garlic clove; minced
- 1/4-cup fresh oregano
- (Optional) A dash of cinnamon
- Sea salt and fresh black pepper; to taste
- (Optional) A pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1/8 tsp. smoke paprika
- 1/2-cup enchilada sauce
- 1 to 2 organic large eggs
- A small handful of chopped fresh spinach; roughly chopped
- Garnish: Aged Manchego or sharp cheddar cheese and tortilla chips
- 6 inch black skillet serves one or increase ingredients for a 10 to 12 inch skillet to serve more people.
Directions
- Over medium heat, warm olive oil until hot in a skillet. Add onions and green bell pepper. Cook until onion is translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Don’t burn the garlic.
- Add mushrooms, oregano and spices. Cook until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add enchilada sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Crack one egg over the enchilada sauce. Do not stir (if a solid yolk is preferred, break it with a knife or fork). Repeat with the other egg. Season eggs with fresh black pepper and a little salt. Cover skillet and let eggs cook to desired consistency, from running to solid egg yolk.
- Turn off the heat. Sprinkle cheese and spinach on top.
- Garnish with tortilla chips.
- Enjoy.