This Whole30 and keto version of Eggs in Purgatory, a fiery Neapolitan classic of baked eggs in a spicy tomato meat sauce, is so fast and easy to cook that you’ll want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

An overhead shot of three blue cocottes filled with Whole30 eggs in purgatory, baked eggs in a spicy tomato meat sauce

I first tried this popular Italian brunch dish at New York City’s Dell’Anima many years ago, and its version featured smoky pancetta in a spicy tomato sauce.  As soon as I returned home, I recreated a simple Whole30 version that contained sausage and mushrooms—a combination inspired by my favorite pizza topping. It‘s the next best thing besides Meatza when you can’t eat pizza anymore!

This recipe (a.k.a. Uova in Purgatorio) was first published in our debut cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans, and it’s become a Nomster favorite. Today, we’re finally sharing it here on the blog so everyone can make this satisfying 30-minute meal!

A collage of the cooking steps to make Eggs in Purgatory (Uova in Purgatorio), an Italian baked egg dish in a spicy tomato sauce.

Can you change the meat & veggies?

Definitely! Although I love pork sausage and mushrooms in the spicy marinara sauce, I sometimes substitute chicken sausage or any ground meat seasoned with my Magic Mushroom Powder. Also, I chop up leftover cooked vegetables to add to the sauce for variety.

What if you don’t like spicy?

If you’re not a fan of spicy food,  leave out the red pepper flakes or decrease the amount depending on your heat tolerance. The baked eggs still taste fantastic without the crushed red peppers.

What do you serve with Eggs in Purgatory?

Your favorite vegetable side dish! To keep weeknight meals fast and easy, I like to serve this baked egg dish with a simple big green salad or roasted vegetables.

How do you make eggs in purgatory ahead of time?

Although eggs in purgatory tastes best when you cook them fresh, you can make them ahead of time and reheat them later in the week. If you bake these ahead of time, you can save the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can reheat one in a microwave or carefully scoop one out and gently warm it up in a covered skillet.

Alternatively, you can make the spicy tomato meat sauce ahead of time and assemble the eggs in purgatory when you want to bake them. Just make sure you heat up the sauce before you add the raw eggs.

No ramekins? No problem!

If you don’t have cute little ramekins or mini cocottes, cook the spicy meat sauce in an oven-safe skillet. Use a spoon to shape four wells in the sauce and add the raw eggs to the divots. Then, pop the skillet into the oven and cook until the egg whites are set and the yolks are the way you like ’em!

Time to make Eggs in Purgatory!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, or fat of choice
  • ½ cup finely diced onion
  • ¼ pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 pound bulk Italian pork sausage
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 large eggs
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup minced Italian parsley (optional)

Equipment:

  • All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the upper-middle position. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and swirl in the extra virgin olive oil or fat of choice when the pan is hot.

An overhead shot of someone pouring extra virgin olive oil into a hot stainless steel skillet.

Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Adding diced onions to a stainless steel skillet with olive oil to make the sauce for eggs in purgatory.

Toss in the mushrooms and add ½ teaspoon of Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Adding a plate of thinly sliced cremini mushrooms to a skillet filled with diced onions.

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the moisture released by the mushrooms evaporates.

An overhead shot of a stainless steel skillet filled with sautéed mushrooms where the liquid has evaporated.

Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook the sausage until it’s no longer pink.

A stainless steel skillet is filled with cooked Italian sausage, onions, and mushrooms.

Pour the marinara sauce into the pan and stir in the red pepper flakes.

A hand adding spoonful of crushed red peppers to a stainless steel skillet filled with cooked sausage, mushrooms, and marinara sauce.

Continue cooking the meaty sauce until it starts bubbling.

A skillet filled with spicy meat sauce for eggs in purgatory.

Divide the spicy meat sauce into four 8-ounce ovenproof ramekins or mini cocottes. Put the containers on a rimmed baking sheet.

Spooning a spicy sausage and mushroom tomato sauce to make Whole30 eggs in purgatory.

Use a spoon to make a small well in the center of the sauce and pour a cracked egg into each one.

Someone pouring in a raw egg into a blue cocotte filled with spicy tomato meat sauce

Sprinkle Magic Mushroom Powder (or salt and black pepper) on top of the eggs.

Sprinkling Nom Nom Paleo Magic Mushroom Powder on top of the Eggs In Purgatory that are going into the oven.

Place the ramekins on the rimmed baking sheet into the hot oven.

A rimmed baking sheet with four blue cocottes filled with eggs in purgatory are being placed into a hot oven.

Bake until the egg whites are cooked through and the yolks are your desired consistency, about 10 to 15 minutes.

An overhead shot of a rimmed baking sheet topped with four blue cocottes filled with paleo eggs in purgatory right out of the oven.

Top with minced Italian parsley if desired, and serve with a big green salad!

A closeup shot of a blue cocotte filled with eggs in purgatory topped with minced Italian parsley.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Eggs in Purgatory

4.91 from 10 votes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Servings 4
This Whole30 and keto version of Eggs in Purgatory, a fiery Neapolitan classic of baked eggs in a spicy tomato meat sauce, is so good you’ll want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Ingredients 
 

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil avocado oil, ghee, or fat of choice
  • ½ cup finely diced onion
  • ¼ pound cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
  • Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 large eggs
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup minced Italian parsley optional
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the upper-middle position. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and swirl in the extra virgin olive oil or fat of choice when the pan is hot.
  • Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Toss in the mushrooms and add ½ teaspoon Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the moisture released by the mushrooms evaporates.
  • Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook the sausage until it’s no longer pink.
  • Pour the marinara sauce into the pan and stir in the red pepper flakes. Continue cooking the meaty sauce until it starts bubbling.
  • Divide the spicy meat sauce into four 8-ounce ovenproof ramekins or mini cocottes. Put the containers on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Use a spoon to make a small well in the center of the sauce and pour a cracked egg into each one. Sprinkle Magic Mushroom Powder (or salt and black pepper) on top of the eggs.
  • Place the ramekins on the rimmed baking sheet into the hot oven. Bake until the egg whites are cooked through and the yolks are your desired consistency, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Top with minced Italian parsley if desired, and serve with a big green salad!

Video

Notes

No ramekins? No problem!
If you don’t have cute little ramekins or mini cocottes, cook the spicy meat sauce in an oven-safe skillet. Use a spoon to shape four wells in the sauce and add the raw eggs to the divots. Then, pop the skillet into the oven and cook until the egg whites are set and the yolks are the way you like ’em!

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 44g | Fiber: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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8 Comments

  1. Question! You compare it to pizza. Can you add any pizza toppings you like? I love the works pizza! I’m aware that if I do something like that I would need to maybe double it to accommodate the extra ingredients. (Maybe freeze some for easy meals later?) Is that what you were talking about when comparing it to pizza?

  2. Absolutely amazing. We served over a bed of spinach (one skillet dish for the win!). Simple, so flavorful, easy ingredients.

  3. 4 stars
    Crowd pleaser, made with grass fed/finish ground beef. Finished cooking on the stovetop instead of the oven after sliding in the eggs. Covered, cook for 10 minutes until eggs were set.

  4. 5 stars
    FANTASTIC! This is incredibly good. One taste and your mouth experiences an explosion of deliciousness. Yes, the wife and I think they are that good!!

    One change I made was to use 6 ramekins (plus 2 add’l eggs) instead of four since, at just 7 oz, the ramekins were a bit too full, plus they are very large servings if using at breakfast.