The idea for these eggs came from a suggestion by an octogenarian, an Italian grandmother, who told me that she poached eggs in spaghetti sauce and served them on top of the noodles and sauce when money was tight.  I was intrigued by the idea.  While I still haven’t gotten around to trying her idea, I woke up one Saturday morning and realized that I didn’t know what to make for breakfast.  I thought of her Italian poached eggs, but decided to make a few changes.

When I checked the kitchen, I noticed that I had corn tortillas that I needed to use, so I knew they would be part of the breakfast.  I found a can of mayocoba beans in my pantry which I knew could be transformed into refried beans.   That was when I saw the jar of salsa and remembered my friends poached eggs.  I quickly fried a few of the tortillas into tostada shells and put them in a 200 degree oven to keep them warm.   I began heating the beans on the stove with some vinegar, garlic, and onion.  Then, I turned to the eggs.  I chopped a medium to large Roma tomato, half of an onion, and a clove of garlic.

I sautéed the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until it began to become translucent.  Then, I added the tomato and stirred more.  I poured in a jar of mild salsa and mixed well.  I allowed it to come to a boil and simmer for several minutes until it began to reduce a bit.   At that point, I made wells in the salsa and cracked one egg into each well.  I covered the pan and allowed them to steam for a few minutes until the eggs were done.  I like the white of my egg fully cooked, but the yolk to still be soft.By this time, I had finished transforming the canned beans into refried beans, and the fried tortillas were waiting in the oven.   I began my assembly.  I spread some beans on each tortilla, then carefully spooned a poached egg and some of the poaching sauce on top of the beans. (Sorry, but I forgot to take a picture of the beans on the tortilla.)At this point, my recipe took two different directions.  Bakers Man is a carnivore, so I had a little bit of fried chorizo that I sprinkled atop his eggs before adding shredded cheese.  The rest of us opted for the vegetarian version.  The eggs were perfectly cooked with soft yolks and firm whites. 

This simple recipe was delicious and got a definite thumbs up from the gang.    This could also be served with warm tortillas and a side of beans instead of tostada style.   We actually used knives and forks to eat this rather than picking it up, and warming corn tortillas on the stove is much easier than frying them.    Here’s the recipe.  Give it a try.  Thanks for visiting Patty Cake’s Pantry.