Dale's Eggs in Basic Roman Red Spaghetti Sauce

A quick tomato sauce loaded with sauteed mushrooms, onions, and garlic becomes the poaching liquid for eggs that cook gently right in the pan. If you’ve had shakshuka, this is the Italian cousin: simpler, with fewer spices but the same satisfying runny-yolk-meets-sauce magic.

The sauce only simmers for 20 minutes, which keeps it fresh and bright rather than heavy and cooked-down. This isn’t a slow-simmered Sunday gravy. It’s a weeknight sauce with enough body to cradle the eggs without drowning them.

Crack the eggs directly into the bubbling sauce, cover the pan, and let them poach until the whites set but the yolks stay runny. Scoop each egg out with a spoonful of sauce and serve with crusty French bread for dipping.

Pro Tips

• Make small wells in the sauce with a spoon before cracking in the eggs. This keeps them from sliding together.
• Keep the heat at a gentle simmer while poaching. A hard boil will break up the egg whites.
• The optional splash of cream makes the sauce silkier and mellows the acidity. Worth trying if you like a richer finish.
• Use good canned peeled tomatoes. The sauce is so simple that the tomato quality makes all the difference.

Variations

• Crumble goat cheese or feta over the eggs during the last minute of cooking for a tangy, creamy layer.
• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce for some heat.
• Toss cooked spaghetti into the sauce (without eggs) for a quick pasta dinner instead.