Eggs Baked Over a Spicy Vegetable Ragout

From EatingWell: March/April 1997, The EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook (2005) — Subscribe Now!

This rustic dish typifies Mediterranean home cooking at its best: a full-flavored vegetable stew is topped with eggs to become a main dish. Any hot sauce you have on hand will add a nice jolt of heat, but for a complex, authentic flavor, try harissa, a chile paste from North Africa.

Eggs Baked Over a Spicy Vegetable Ragout Recipe

4 servings

Active Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8-1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Hot pepper
1 medium summer squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 large large eggs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a shallow 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven or large deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and hot sauce and cook until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Stir in squash, tomatoes, water and the eggplant. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley, salt and pepper.
Spread the vegetable ragout in the prepared baking dish. Make 4 shallow wells in the ragout and gently crack 1 egg into each well, being careful not to break yolks.
Bake, uncovered, until the eggs are barely set, 10 to 12 minutes. (Caution: Eggs can overcook very quickly. Check them often and remove from the oven when they still look a little underdone; they will continue to cook in the hot ragout. If the baking dish is ceramic, the cooking time will be closer to 12 minutes. A glass dish will cook eggs much faster.) Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Serve immediately.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat before continuing.

Nutrition

Per serving: 201 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 212 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 10 g protein; 6 g fiber; 282 mg sodium; 471 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (170% daily value), Vitamin A (45% dv), Fiber (24% dv), Folate (17% dv), Iron (15% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 4 vegetable; 1 medium-fat meat; 1/2 fat (mono)