Eggs in Pepperoni Purgatory

There are lots of Eggs in Purgatory recipes out there. Almost all have a tomato sauce base and eggs. After that, you will see all sorts of variations with the addition of eggplant, zucchini, olives ... you name it! The eggs can be cooked differently, too. Some are fried others are poached ... the options are endless.

I didn't have a recipe for Eggs in Prugatory and wasn't really looking for one either. I was just being creative with what I had on hand. I had some pepperoni hanging out in the fridge - (Don't you always have pepperoni in your fridge or is it just me?!) - so I used it as a starting point. Then, I took a more rustic approach to the dish, coarsely chopping the vegetables and making sure there was a lot of really good sauce as a base. And, I cooked the eggs in the oven. If you haven't ever had an oven egg, you should try it. They are delicious and a healthful alternative to frying.


Eggs in Pepperoni Purgatory
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 medium onion
6 oz pepperoni
2 tblsp olive oil
5 tsp sugar
2 eggs
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400

Coarsely chop the red pepper, onion, and pepperoni. Heat the olive oil in a pan over med-high heat and then add the chopped ingredients. Cook them for about 10 minutes until the onions just start to brown. Then, add the can of chopped tomatoes witht the juice and the sugar. Stir well to combine and cover slightly. You can turn down the heat a bit but keep a nice bubbling simmer going. Cook for about 10-15 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has a nice consistency. If needed, you can add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce into an oven safe baking dish. Crack the eggs on top of the sauce, being careful not to break the yolks (or drop any bits of eggshell). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the eggs solidify.

I recommend having some really good bread with this dish because you won't want to waste one drop of the sauce. We sure didn't! I guess we liked it!