Eggs Provençal with Fresh Tomatoes

Name: Eggs Provençal with Tomatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 large eggs (poached); 4 tablespoons basil pesto; 2-3 large meaty tomatoes; 3 ounces shredded parmesan (about a cup); ⅛ teaspoon sweet paprika; salt & pepper (to taste); 1 handful fresh basil (chiffonade (i.e., cut into thin ribbons))

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Eggs Provençal is a simple, yet amazing fusion of fresh flavors. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or Meatless Monday, this easy eggs with tomatoes and parmesan recipe takes just 15 minutes to make.

Eggs provencal on a plate, garnished with fresh basil, egg yolk dripping out after being cut with fork.

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Why You Will Love this Recipe
What Goes into this Recipe
How to Make Eggs with Tomatoes & Parmesan
FAQs & Expert Tips
More Eggy Breakfast Recipes
Eggs Provençal with Tomatoes

This simple, easy poached egg and tomato dish is made in the style of Provence, France (i.e., Provençal); where garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh herbs are essential ingredients.

Why You Will Love this Recipe

Eggs Provençal is so simple and quick to put together that I hesitate to label this as a recipe: it's really more of an assembly guide. It requires only five simple ingredients (plus seasonings) and about 15 minutes to make.

One of the reasons we like this dish so much is, no matter what time of day, Eggs Provençal makes for a light, satisfying, flavor-packed meal that won't send you into a midday carb-coma.

What Goes into this Recipe

Eggs Provencal ingredients, labeled: tomatoes, parmesan, eggs, pesto, fresh basil, paprika, salt & pepper

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

★ Tomatoes: Use sweeter, meatier tomato varieties, like Brandywine or Beefsteak. Slice the tomatoes at least ½-inch thick, and up to

★ Eggs: Use the freshest eggs you have. In fresh eggs, the yolk sits up high, and the white is thick and closely surrounds the yolk. Older eggs have thinner, more watery whites, and a yolk that breaks more easily.

★ Parmesan: For the best results, buy a wedge of Parmesan and shred it yourself. Do not use green can parmesan.

Substitutions: Asiago, Romano, or any cheese that you love.

★ Pesto: We use basil garlic pesto.

★ Fresh basil: For this recipe, always use fresh basil; never dried. It brightens the flavors and lends a fresh element to the finished dish.

How to Make Eggs with Tomatoes & Parmesan

Poach the Eggs

This is my easy method for poaching eggs. If you like to poach your eggs a different way, go for it.

Fill a pot or deep skillet with 2 inches deep with water. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. (Don't worry; your eggs will not taste like vinegar.)

Bring the water to a rolling boil and then reduce heat so that it is just barely simmering. There should still be bubbles on the bottom of the pan, but the surface of the water should look calm.

Crack egg into small sieve and allow watery albumin to drain off. (Don’t worry; the white and yolk will stay intact inside the sieve.)

Holding the egg in the sieve just above the water, gently roll the egg out of the sieve and into the water.

Leave the egg alone. You can put about four or five eggs into the pan at the same time, but be sure they all have enough room. After about a minute, use a slotted spoon to unstick the egg from the bottom of the pan if necessary.

Allow the egg to cook a minute or two, and then use the slotted spoon to lift it up out of the water and gently poke it with your finger to see if it is done to your liking. If it is, remove it to a plate. If it needs to cook longer, simply lower it back into the water for another minute and check it again.

For more egg-poaching tips, visit How to Make Perfectly Poached Eggs.

Broil the Tomatoes

Position the oven rack to be 6-inches below the heating element. Preheat oven broiler on high.

Spread pesto over the top of each tomato slice, and put the tomato slices on the lined baking sheet. Broil for 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven.

2-panel collage: tomatoes before and after broiling.

Assembly

A. Start with one or more broiled tomatoes. (You can use one big slice, or stack a few smaller slices.)

B. Top each tomato stack with a poached egg.

C. Top generously with grated cheese.

D. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and season as desired.

Eggs provencal assembly: (A) Broiled tomatoes, (B) Add poached egg, (C) add parmesan, (D) Salt, pepper, paprika

Pop the assembled eggs under broiler for about a minute to melt cheese.

Everyone's broiler is a little different: keep an eye on your eggs so they don't get overcooked.

Garnish with fresh basil ribbons and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion

Eggs Provençal isn't just for breakfast or brunch! We like to serve this for a light dinner with Garlic-Almond Spaghetti Squash. #MeatlessMonday

FAQs & Expert Tips

What does Provençal mean?

As applied to cooking, Provençal mean that a dish is cooked in a style of characteristic to Provence, France; where garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh herbs are used prominently.

Why do you add vinegar to the poaching water?

This is science in action! Vinegar helps the proteins (albumin / egg white) to denature (unwind) more quickly and link up to form a network of proteins, thus setting the egg. The quicker the proteins denature the less feathering there will be. (Want to learn more? Check here.) Just do it - it works.

Poached eggs on top of broiled tomatoes, garnished with fresh basil ribbons.

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5 from 1 vote

Eggs Provençal with Tomatoes

Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or Meatless Monday, this easy eggs with tomatoes and parmesan recipe takes just 15 minutes to make.

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: French

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time:5

Cook Time:10

Total Time:15

Servings: servings

Calories: 230kcal

Author: Renee

Equipment

1 medium saucepan
1 small, fine-mesh strainer
1 Heavy Baking Sheet
1 Spatula

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

4 large eggs poached
4 tablespoons basil pesto
2-3 large meaty tomatoes
3 ounces shredded parmesan about a cup
⅛ teaspoon sweet paprika
salt & pepper to taste
1 handful fresh basil chiffonade (i.e., cut into thin ribbons)

Instructions

Poach the Eggs

This is my easy method for poaching eggs. If you like to poach your eggs a different way, go for it.
Fill a pot or deep skillet with 2 inches deep with water. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. (Don't worry; your eggs will not taste like vinegar.)
Bring the water to a rolling boil and then reduce heat so that it is just barely simmering. There should still be bubbles on the bottom of the pan, but the surface of the water should look calm.
Crack egg into small sieve and allow watery albumin to drain off. (Don’t worry; the white and yolk will stay intact inside the sieve.)
Holding the egg in the sieve just above the water, gently roll the egg out of the sieve and into the water.
Leave the egg alone. You can put about four or five eggs into the pan at the same time, but be sure they all have enough room. After about a minute, use a slotted spoon to unstick the egg from the bottom of the pan if necessary.
Allow the egg to cook a minute or two, and then use the slotted spoon to lift it up out of the water and gently poke it with your finger to see if it is done to your liking. If it is, remove it to a plate. If it needs to cook longer, simply lower it back into the water for another minute and check it again.
For more egg-poaching tips, visit How to Make Perfectly Poached Eggs.

Broil the Tomatoes

Position the oven rack to be 6-inches below the heating element. Preheat oven broiler on high.
Spread pesto over the top of each tomato slice, and put the tomato slices on the lined baking sheet. Broil for 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven.

Assembly

For each serving:
A. Start with one or more broiled tomatoes. (You can use one big slice, or stack a few smaller slices.)
B. Top tomato(es) with a poached egg.
C. Top generously with shredded cheese.
D. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and season with salt and pepper as desired.
Pop the assembled eggs-and-tomatoes under broiler for about a minute to melt cheese.
Garnish with fresh basil ribbons and serve.