This soft in the middle yet toasty on the outside baguette acts as your pan to support the perfectly soft vibrant eggs that swim in the unbelievably delicious tomato-based sauce. All you need to do is cut, fill, bake, cool, then slice and you are well on your way to the most satisfying brunch item you never knew you needed.

I remember the first time I learned how to make this dish from scratch. I was introduced to this dish from a cooking class taken with my family on Mother’s Day at Eatly in Chicago. We treated my Mom to this unique experience that year as opposed to dining out like we normally would.

After we learned how to make it and I first tasted it, I was mind blown! I would have never in a million years thought to have a red sauce for breakfast/brunch. Let alone, combine it with eggs and bread. I normally associate red sauce with pasta noodles, a glass of wine and maybe a salad. It was the most stunning combination and from that moment on I was instantly converted. I became it’s biggest super fan! I could not stop eating it and I didn’t want to share with my family!

 Now, the real question. What is Eggs in Purgatory anyways?

Well,it is a simple Italian tomato sauce dish typically enjoyed for breakfast or brunch. It has a little bit of a kick from the spices and it is a easy one skillet meal to make. There are 3 main components that go into this dish:sauce, eggs and bread. If you are making it the traditional way, the eggs get poached in a bubbly thick tomato-based sauce in your pan. Then, you enjoy it with torn bread pieces from a toasty baguette. Using the bread, you dip, dunk,spread and scoop out all of the savory flavors.

However, with my recipe I still made the mouthwatering sauce in the panas you normally would, but I decided to combine the sauce, eggs and bread together to make a all in one home run dish! Making it this way, ensures you get a little bit of everything in one bite, it is a little less messy because it gets eaten with a fork and knife, so there is less of a risk spilling and dripping red sauce on yourself or others, plus it makes for a fun presentation to the middle of your table.

Did you make this? If so, make sure to tag and follow @prettyplatebymichelle on instagram or leave a comment below and let me know what you thought! I would love to see your Pretty Plate and hear from you!