Tomato and Herb Baked Eggs

I've been doing a lot of recipe testing for the opening of my restaurant in a month. Costa Rica here I come! And I love the ease, healthiness and lightness of this dish. It's a great make-ahead brunch item and it tastes delicious!! I highly recommend adding this to your holiday brunch menu! 

Tomato and Herb Baked Eggs 

Fridge:

6 eggs 

1 1/4 cups red pepper, diced (1 large pepper) 

1 tsp thyme, minced 

1/2 tsp rosemary, minced 

6 tbs ricotta cheese

6 tsp parmesan cheese, grated

3 tsp chives, sliced (optional) 

Counter:

2 cloves garlic, minced 

3/4 cup yellow onion, diced 

Pantry: 

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained slightly (or 1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes diced) 

2 tbs tomato paste

1 cup tomato sauce 

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika 

1/4 tsp salt 

2 tbs olive oil 

Few cracks of black pepper 

Tools:

Medium pot

Wooden spoon 

Measuring cups/spoons

Cutting board

Chopping knife

6 ramekins or medium casserole dish 

Ladle 

Heat the pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once oil is hot- add onions, red peppers and garlic. Sauté for a 5-6 minutes and then add the tomato paste. Cook for a minute and then add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, oregano, paprika, and 1/2 tsp salt. Turn heat down to low and simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken, while stirring occasionally.

At this point you can turn off the heat and allow the sauce to cool. You can refrigerate this sauce for up to 5 days (or freeze it for a month).

Or remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Preheat your oven to 350 at this point. 

Using your ladle- pour about 1/2 cup of sauce into each ramekin or pour the entire pot of sauce into the casserole dish. 

Add 1 tbs of ricotta to where you plan to crack the egg. In the casserole dish- separate the dollops of ricotta every 3-4 inches. Crack one egg on top of each ricotta dollop and then sprinkle each egg with 1 tsp of grated parmesan and finish with 1/2 tsp of chives on top. Top with a little bit of freshly grated black pepper. 

Bake the ramekins or casserole dish for 12-15 minutes or until the whites of the eggs begin to set and turn white. If you want firmer eggs bake for another 5 minutes or broil for a minute. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly for 5 minutes. The eggs will continue to cook- which is why you take them out earlier than prefered. 

Enjoy this with a side salad or like I did with homefries, avocado and bacon. This is so good and so easy!! Perfect brunch meal!! Enjoy! Xo