Tomato-Pesto Poached Eggs

20180908_133220jikml I had never heard of shakshuka before, and then in the span of a week I had three different sources bring this wondrous dish to my attention. The universe was speaking and I decided to listen.

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This dish isn’t exactly shakshuka, which is a Mediterranean dish where eggs are poached in a tomato sauce with peppers and onions, but it was heavily inspired by it. In many ways, Greek strapatsada is very similar except the tomatoes are cooked down and the eggs are scrambled. Either way, you’ve got a wondrous combination of tomatoes and eggs that will make a perfect summer day breakfast.

20181001_211635 This creation was yet another way I came up with to use some of that massive batch of pesto I made (type in pesto in the search bar for other recipes using this tasty treat!). It was quick and easy to put together and the end result was a hearty, yet light, meal that would be perfect for breakfast or dinner.

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Tomato-Pesto Poached Eggs Recipe

Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

3 cups chopped tomatoes (no need to seed or skin them)
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. pesto (homemade is best! 😉 )
6-8 eggs
dried basil
salt, to taste

Directions

There are two ways you can prepare this dish, either entirely on the stove top or by starting on the stove and finishing in the oven. If you choose to finish the eggs in the oven, preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a skillet on the stove, put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped tomatoes. Put the heat to high until the tomatoes start to sizzle, then turn to medium and cover. Stir occasionally and cook for just a few minutes until the juices from the tomatoes have been released.

If you are finishing in the oven, transfer the tomatoes to an oven safe dish if your skillet isn’t oven proof. Put small scoops of the pesto into the tomatoes and just muddle the pesto into the tomatoes. Crack the eggs over the tomato-pesto mix, and sprinkle with dried sweet basil and a light sprinkle of salt. Cover, and either bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or poach on the stove on low heat for the same amount of time. The eggs should still have slightly runny yolks, but can be cooked to your preferred stage.