Creamy Italian Eggs in Purgatory

This variation of the Southern Italian breakfast dish “eggs in purgatory”, a dish which arguably gets its name from the similarity of the bubbling tomato sauce to the depiction of the fiery flames of the underworld in Dante’s Inferno.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Italian

Keyword baked eggs, beans, breakfast, eggs, mozzarella, savory, skillet, tomato sauce, white beans

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1

Servings

Calories 643kcal

Ingredients

For the tomato sauce:

½ cup dried white cannellini beans (or a 15-ounce can of canned white beans)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, diced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons diced basil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Kosher salt, as needed
Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
½ cup plain full-fat yogurt

For serving:

6 eggs
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Crusty Italian bread, cut into 1” slices
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Basil leaves, for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the tomato sauce:

Soak the cannellini beans overnight. Drain and set aside.
Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Add the shallot and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, basil, red pepper flakes, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of water. Simmer until the beans are tender and the tomatoes break down, about 45 minutes. Add more water, ¼ cup at a time if the sauce thickens too much, it should be the consistency of tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper then stir in the yogurt.

For serving:

Return the pan to medium-low heat. Using a wooden spoon, make 6 holes in the tomato sauce in the pan. Crack the eggs into each of the holes, cover the pan and continue to cook until the eggs are set, about 3 minutes.
Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and heat through then add the butter and allow to melt. Arrange the slices of bread in the pan, frying until the bread is golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Flip and top with mozzarella cheese, and cover the pan, cooking until the cheese melts, about an additional 2 minutes. Work in batches if necessary.
To serve, ladle the eggs and tomato sauce into bowls and garnish with basil leaves. Serve with the fried bread for dipping.

Nutrition