salsa poached eggs & grits

Okay, so maybe it's not salsa but it's a really delicious salsa-like sauce.

This breakfast is super easy, really filling (huge portions) and most of all tasty. It was kind of a "sweep the pantry" type of recipe. I knew I wanted eggs poached in a tomato sauce but the rest was whatever I had waiting to be used up (green chiles, green onions, and grits). Luckily, the final product was a winner. A REAL winner.

It was so good that I ate some of this for brunch and then another serving later that day for "brinner" (any Scrubs fans out there? Turk is obsessed with "brinner"). The servings are huge that if you can find a way to fit six eggs into the pan with the sauce, there would definitely be enough tomato sauce to accommodate.





Total Recipe cost: $4.50
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Cost per serving: $1.13
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 20 min. Total: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.24
1 medium	vidalia onion	$0.73
1 tsp	minced garlic	$0.12
1 (14 oz.) can	fire roasted tomatoes	$1.04
1 (4 oz.) can	diced green chiles	$0.56
3 oz.	tomato paste	$0.25
3/4 tsp	salt	$0.05
1/2 tsp	cumin	$0.03
to taste	pepper	$0.02
4 large	eggs	$0.90
3-4 sliced	green onions (optional)	$0.15
GRITS INGREDIENTS		COST
3 cups	water	$0.00
3/4 cup	quick cooking grits	$0.17
3/4 tsp	salt	$0.05
2 Tbsp	butter	$0.15
TOTAL		$4.50

STEP 1: Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Dice the onion and add it to the skillet along with the minced garlic. Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (5-10 minutes).

STEP 2: Once the onions are translucent, add the roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, and diced green chiles. Also stir in 1/2 cup of water, 3/4 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of cumin. Stir everything together and allow it to come up to a simmer over medium heat.

STEP 3: Make four indentations in the sauce with the back of a large spoon. Crack an egg into each. Reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top of the skillet and allow the mixture to simmer while you make the grits. It should take about 10 minutes of simmering on low with a lid for the eggs to poach.

STEP 4: In a medium pot with a lid, bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a rolling boil, stir in the 3/4 cup of quick cooking grits and 3/4 tsp salt. Reduce the heat to low, place a lid on the pot, and allow it to cook on the lowest heat setting for 5 minutes. After five minutes it should be thick. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Place the lid back on the pot to keep them warm until you're ready to serve.

STEP 5: Once the eggs are done cooking, spoon some grits into a bowl and top with an egg and a spoonful or two of the tomato sauce. Add sliced fresh green onions on top.


I couldn't help adding a little sour cream... since this was a "sweep the pantry" type of meal.

Step By Step Photos

If the instructions looked complex above, this is really how simple it is. These four ingredients are pretty much the basis of the sauce. Oh, plus a little olive oil and garlic. Easy.


Start out by cooking the diced onion and minced garlic in a skillet over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.


Once the onions are nice and soft, add the can of tomatoes, tomato paste, and can of green chiles.


Also add 3/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of cumin, freshly cracked pepper, and 1/2 cup of water. Give it all a good stir and allow it to come up to a simmer over medium heat.


Make four little divots in the sauce with the back of a large spoon. Crack the eggs into each one. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and let simmer while you make the grits. It should take at least ten minutes (if your eggs were cold) to poach the eggs.


Quick cooking grits cook really fast so I only have a pic of the finished product. Basically, just bring 3 cups of water up to a boil, then stir in the grits and salt, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off, stir in the butter, and put the lid back on until you're ready to eat.


After the eggs are finished cooking, sprinkle the sliced green onions on top.


Spoon some cooked grits into a bowl, place a poached egg on top along with a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce. I also added a smidge of sour cream. Yum.