Baked Eggs

Breakfast | Italian

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 20 min Servings: 4

I based these baked eggs on shakshuka and eggs in purgatory, two dishes that cook eggs directly in a tomato sauce, but this version is quicker and built around my homemade sugo with chorizo and chilli. The eggs go straight in and the whole thing bakes in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. I serve it with toasted focaccia on the side for dipping.

I love this dish because it’s endlessly adaptable. You can swap the chorizo for bacon, pancetta or beans if you want to go vegetarian. I make individual portions in shallow oven dishes so everyone gets their own, but you can also cook it in one large ovenproof pan or dish and let people help themselves at the table. Either way, the method is the same.

Ingredient Notes

Sugo: My homemade sugo is what I use as the base here and it really makes the dish. The depth of flavour you get from a slow-cooked sugo is hard to replicate with store-bought passata, but passata does work fine as a substitute if you haven’t made the sugo. Take care when pouring the sugo into the hot pan as it will splatter, so pour slowly and reduce the heat a little first.

Chorizo: I use fresh chorizo sausages here, diced, rather than the cured sliced kind. The fresh chorizo renders down and releases its paprika-seasoned fat into the sauce, giving it a deep red colour and a smoky flavour base. If you can’t find chorizo, bacon, pancetta or a kransky sausage all work well in its place.

Eggs: Use the freshest eggs you can find. A fresher egg holds its shape better when cracked into the sauce and gives a neater finish in the dish. The yolk should be runny and the white just set after 10 to 12 minutes in the oven. If you prefer a firmer yolk, just leave them in for an extra 2 to 3 minutes.

Equipment

Large saucier or saucepan
4 ovenproof shallow dishes
Baking tray
Wooden spoon
Chopping board and knife

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, diced
¼ tsp chilli flakes
750ml (3 cups) Sugo
8 eggs
toasted focaccia bread, to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).
Heat the oil in a large saucier or saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the chorizo and chilli flakes, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until starting to colour.
Pour in the sugo and bring to a simmer, stirring.
Remove the sauce from the heat and divide between 4 oven proof shallow dishes.
Make 2 wells in the sauce for the eggs, then gently crack 2 eggs into each dish (if your dish only has room for one egg, then just have one in there).
Place the dishes on a tray and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the egg is just set. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to cool a little.
Serve the baked eggs with toasted focaccia for dipping.

Ingredients

Directions

Recipe notes