If you love shakshuka, you’re going to love these Salsa Poached Eggs! Just like shakshuka, these eggs are poached in a rich tomato-based sauce, but I’ve traded in the sweet bell pepper and paprika for a sort of cooked salsa made with onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, and green chiles, giving it a southwest spin. The result is a really tasty and filling dish that can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. And, as always, I’ve got multiple serving suggestions and optional add-ins for you below so you can make it your own!
How to Serve Salsa Poached Eggs
I originally posted this recipe as a bowl meal served over grits. The tomatoey sauce goes perfectly with a hot bowl of grits, or even better yet, cheese grits, but it’s great served other ways as well. These saucy eggs also go great with tortilla chips. You can either serve the eggs in a bowl with tortilla chips crushed over top, or scoop the chips right into the sauce. Or, if you’re a rice person, serve the eggs and plenty of the sauce from the skillet over a bowl of warm rice.
What Else Can I Add?
I love this recipe because it’s really flexible. There are so many things you can add if you have them on hand. Try adding the following ingredients to the sauce:
- Jalapeños
- Chipotle powder (for extra smoky-spicy flavor)
- Black beans
- Chorizo
- Fire-roasted corn
And you can also get creative with the toppings! Here are some extra topping ideas for your salsa poached eggs:
- Cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Hot sauce
Make 4-6 Eggs
I cooked four eggs in my “salsa” but you could probably fit six if you wanted to try to stretch it a little further!
Salsa Poached Eggs
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 15oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes ($1.00)
- 1 4oz. can diced green chiles ($0.67)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.14)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup water ($0.00)
- 4 large eggs ($0.93)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (optional) ($0.10)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add both to a deep skillet with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), green chiles (with juices), tomato paste, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, and water. Stir to combine.
- Allow the salsa to come up to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Let the salsa simmer for about ten minutes, or until it is slightly thickened.
- Use the back of a spoon to make four indentations in the sauce. Crack one egg into each indentation.
- Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the eggs simmer in the sauce for 7-10 minutes, or until they reach your desired doneness (less time for runny yolks, more time for solid yolks).
- Once the eggs are cooked, garnish with sliced green onion and chopped cilantro, then serve with tortilla chips or over a bowl of grits.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
How to Make Salsa Poached Eggs – Step By Step Photos
Start by dicing one yellow onion and mincing two cloves of garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and 2 Tbsp olive oil to a deep skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft.
Add one 15oz. can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (with juices), one 4oz. can of diced green chiles (with juices), 2 Tbsp tomato paste, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and ½ cup water. Stir to combine.
Allow the mixture to come up to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer the “salsa” for about 10 minutes. It should be a fairly thick sauce.
Use a spoon to make slight indentations in the sauce, then crack one egg into each indentation (four or six eggs total).
Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the eggs simmer in the sauce for 7-10 minutes, or until they’ve reached your desired doneness. Set whites with runny yolks will be about seven minutes while a fully cooked yolk will take about ten minutes.
Garnish with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro (optional).
Serve hot with tortilla chips or over a bowl of rice or grits.
I made this recipe today after dreaming about the first time I made it about a year ago. It’s just as delicious as the first time, and I can’t help but think, “Why am I not eating this every week?!” Thank you!
Hooray! Yes it can easily be a weekly staple.
This was so delicious that I made it two nights in a row. Last night I made it according to the recipe and wow! It is so delicious. I have made something like this before, shaksuka or another name is poached egg & tomato, but it was always missing something…and then I ate this. Grits, my goodness, I would have never thought of that. I can’t believe how well of a combo the eggs, tomatoes, and grits make. The only thing I added was some cheese on top when it was in my bowl.
Tonight, I don’t have a can of green chilis so I’m substituting a jalapeño. I’m also making three times the amount of grits (it’s for two people) and I used twice as many diced tomatoes…I can’t wait to eat it again, this recipe is now a staple in my rolodex of weeknight meals. Thanks again, BudgetBytes, for bringing a great meal to my kitchen.
Try making the grits with milk instead of water. Or throw in a little bacon fat.
I know this recipe has been floating around on here for a long time, but I just had to mention how portable this breakfast can be! I work ridiculously early so I never have time to prepare anything for breakfast in the morning. So on my day off I made this recipe then transferred the leftovers into single serving sized mason jars. I under-cooked the egg slightly so it would be ok in the microwave later. These are a life-saver!!!
This recipe is so similar to a an inexpensive Italian dinner I’ve been making for several years now. Basically, garlic, onions sauteed with couple cans of diced tomatoes, tomato sauces, tomato paste. Crack the eggs into it, cover with slices of mozzarella cheese and let poach until cheese melts then serve over hot crusty french bread.
Ill definitely be tring this one. It has never occured to me that it would be good over grits, but I’m always looking for interesting breakfast ideas!
Looks like a version of my favorite breakfast: Eggs in Hell. Only I serve mine over toast. Grits sounds like a fantastic alternative. I also make a version I call Eggs in Rome, where I use more garlic, and instead of chilies I use pre-made pesto.
I cooked these for Sunday brunch and they were an instant favorite! My three year old even loved them. Thank you for the recipe!
Delicious! And so easy to make. I’ve become very fond of grits over the last couple of years so that is what initially drew me to this recipe. I will definitely be making this one again.
I was searching for an egg and grits recipe that was different from the usual and came across this one. I am glad that I found it because it was excellent! I doubled the sauce recipe and used 9 eggs to feed 3 adults and 2 kids. It was just the right amount. The only change that I made was to add more garlic in the sauce and salt/pepper the top of each egg. Very flavorful. Give it a try!
This was SO good. I chose this recipe because our green onions were ready to harvest from our garden. I followed the recipe exactly, and was thoroughly pleased. It’s only my boyfriend and I, and we love breakfast for dinner so this was a delicious spin on the usual egg meals we make. (And I poached the eggs too long, so it worked out that we could have it for breakfast as well) The only thing I added was some beef polska kielbasa to serve on the side with some of the sauce over it for my meat-loving other half. I will absolutely be making this again… and again.
I loved the sauce. We didn’t have grits on hand so we ate it with corn tortilla quesadillas which was pretty good. We stuffed the eggs in the quesadillas. I had never made poached eggs before so it was kind of fun to make them. However, I think next time I will fry the eggs separately and pour the sauce over. I want to try the grits next time too.
Excellent flavor. I used Italian stewed tomatoes, cuz that’s what I had on hand. Made some grits for me (my husband doesn’t like them). I can go either way on those. Cooked my eggs too much (prefer them running), but, like I said, excellent flavor. Thank you!!
Made these with tomatoes and green chiles that I roasted from our garden, with eggs from our chickens. YUM! My toddler loved it, eating the tomatoes with his hands.
Thanks for sharing such a simple and cheap recipe (I am sure the canned version is delicious and probably a little cheaper when all is said and done HAHA)!
On to the next recipe…
I tried this recipe this past sunday (it was DELICIOUS) and it was a HUGE hit with my boyfriend. I think I overcooked the eggs a bit (they were definitely well done based on the 10 minutes) but it was delicious all the same. First time ever poaching eggs and my first budget bytes recipe. For a poor medical student, these recipes are gold!
^THAT is a great compliment and I’m glad you posted it because I somehow overlooked this and recipe and I will make it tomorrow. I always poach eggs when I make a “gravy” dish like sauce piquant or etouffee, so this will be a nice one to try. Congrats on winning over the kids, same here!
Three meals of yours were made this weekend at our house and this one I made for Saturday breakfast for my four kiddos, hubby and I. To quote my nine year old son who has asberger syndrome, “This dish could solve world peace!”
How is that for a compliment. Your cooking is everything we do, budget, clean eating, budget some more and experiment. I don’t have picky eaters and we are trying a recipe everyday. So far all have been winners!
Thanks