Spicy Tomato Sauce with Poached Eggs

I made some Spicy Tomato Sauce with Poached eggs last week. Twice, actually. That’s not unusual for me. When the weather outside is cold and I barely have enough time to eat, this is one of my go-to dishes. It’s one of those dishes that is so comforting, yet simple and quick. We either have it over brown rice or pasta. It’s delicious either way.

Of course, I had to add a little bit of Korean love to this dish. I absolutely love gochujang (Korean chili pepper paste) in tomato sauce. It tempers the acidity of the tomato sauce just perfectly, while imparting some sweetness and spiciness to the sauce. If you don’t have access to gochujang, of course, you can add tomato paste. I add both if I have both in my fridge. Just make sure they add up to about 2-3 teaspoons. The resulting sauce is SO GOOD. You have to give it a try.

I often add about a 1/4-1/3 cups of cubed, baked chicken, if I have any leftovers in the fridge. I know I suggest this a lot, but it’s because I have baked chicken in the fridge at least couple of days out of the week. I will have to post a recipe for it at some point. It’s quite simple. It’s kind of a theme around here. 🙂

Spicy Tomato Sauce with Poached Eggs Recipe
Serves 2-3 people (Add an extra egg if serving 3)
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 large onion, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium or large carrot, cut into thin rings
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
13 oz. boxed/canned chopped or crushed tomatoes*
1-2 tsp agave nectar or brown sugar
2 tsp gochujang (Korean red chili pepper sauce)
1/2 cup cannellini or garbanzo beans
2 eggs
1/4 cup of frozen peas
1 TB fresh parsley, finely chopped and lightly packed
salt and pepper
olive or canola oil for cooking

1. Heat a pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add garlic, onion, and carrot to the pan. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Add a pinch of salt and stir. Add broth to the pan and allow the contents to come to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the carrots to soften. Adjust the heat accordingly. There should still be some broth left over in the pan after 5 minutes.



2. Add gochujang and/or tomato paste to the pan. Stir. Add a pinch of salt, chopped tomatoes, and agave nectar (or brown sugar) to the pan. Stir and allow the contents to come to a light boil. Cover and allow the contents to boil for about 5 minutes.
3. Add beans (and chicken, if using) to the pan. Stir. Once the contents start to boil, crack two eggs into the pan carefully to ensure that the yolks are intact. Add some salt and pepper to the eggs. Lower the heat. Cover the pan tightly and allow the eggs to poach in the sauce, for about 3-5 minutes.
4. Once the eggs are poached, remove the poached eggs onto two bowls/plates of rice or pasta. Add frozen peas and parsley to the pan and stir. Just allow the peas to warm in the sauce. Salt to taste. Remove from heat immediately and divide among two bowls/plates. Garnish with some chopped parsley if desired and serve.

Cook’s Note*:

I use POMI chopped tomatoes. It’s in a SIG carton packaging, which means no BPA like the canned tomatoes. I use 1/2 of the package and refrigerate the other half in an airtight container. Additionally, no salt is added to the tomatoes. So you can adjust the saltiness to your liking.

If you do not have gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste), you can just use tomato paste. But make sure to add some chili pepper flakes for spiciness. If you have both, add both!

You can add more broth if you want to thin out the sauce. On the flip side, if you want to thicken up the sauce, turn up the heat at the end and allow the liquid to evaporate (or you can just add a little more gochujang/tomato paste).

Thrown in some (1/4 – 1/3 cup) baked chicken, if you have any on hand. It tastes like a Korean/Italian version of oyakodon (Japanese chicken and egg bowl), which is one of my favorite comfort foods. Of course, it won’t be vegetarian if chicken and/or chicken broth is used.