One of the negatives of cooking for a few hours on Sunday afternoon to prep for your week is that you still have to make lunch and dinner. I have an easy solution, though, that involves pre-made tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, and polenta which takes five minutes to cook. It’s Eggs in Purgatory, which we really love talking about on this blog. Maybe it’s the Catholic vision of eggs serving time in Purgatory that we like. Of course they end up being eaten, so I’m not really sure how that pans out for them.

Simple Eggs in Purgatory

Serves 4, takes 25 minutes.

• 1 25-oz can of crushed tomatoes (you can substitute a similar-sized jar of your favorite pre-made tomato sauce)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup of dry corn grits
• ½ cup shredded parmesan (can substitute just about any other cheese)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (oregano and basil are my favorites but use whatever you have on hand. If you don’t have fresh, substitute 2 teaspoons of dried herbs)

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add in one of the teaspoons of salt and the cup of corn grits. Cook for five minutes, stirring frequently. Once done, add in the butter and cheese and stir.
2. Heat a separate pot on medium high. Add the tablespoon of olive oil and heat until it is just smoking. Turn down the heat to medium low and add the garlic. Cook using the Tilt Method.
3. Add the tomato sauce, the other teaspoon of salt, the ½ teaspoon black pepper, and one tablespoon of the fresh herbs.
4. Once tomato sauce is hot, crack the eggs and poach the eggs in the sauce. This takes a little longer than poaching in water, so you’ll probably cook them about 5-10 minutes for just-set whites, more if you like your eggs more “done.”
5. Serve polenta with one egg and a scoop of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with herbs and serve.

Simple Eggs in Purgatory [pdf]