LIFE

Baked eggs in pepper sauce for easy supper

Melissa D'Arabian
Associated Press

When we need a tasty dinner fast (so a trip to the supermarket is out of the question), I turn to a trusty protein source: the egg. Eggs remain one of the least expensive proteins around. Yes, you can do scrambled eggs for dinner (and we do!), but to bump the egg up a notch and get it squarely out of breakfast-for-dinner territory, try these baked eggs in sweet pepper sauce.

Fill a ramekin with about 1/2 cup of sauce or fillings (from cooked meat to tomatoes to salsa and black beans), add the egg and bake for about 8 minutes. Serve with some nice bread you keep in the freezer for just such a culinary emergency, and your fast food becomes a feast.

The sauce for these baked eggs uses healthy fast foods you can keep in your pantry, such as jarred roasted red peppers and simple marinara sauce (just check the labels to avoid added sugars). You can throw the whole thing together in less time than it took you to read this. Really.

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BAKED EGGS IN SWEET PEPPER SAUCE

Start to finish: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers, drained

2 tablespoons capers, chopped if large

1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 1 / 4cups jarred marinara sauce

4 eggs

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Baguette, sliced

Heat the oven to 350 F.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, mix together the red peppers, capers, olives, Italian seasoning and marinara. Heat in the microwave (cover with a paper towel to avoid splattering) on high until warm, about 30 seconds (depending on oven).

Mist four 8-ounce ramekins with cooking spray. Divide the sauce among the ramekins. Use the back of a spoon to make a crater in the sauce at the center of each ramekin. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl, then gently transfer it to the crater in each ramekin. Season with salt and pepper, then give a quick mist of cooking spray. Set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with slices of baguette.

Nutrition information per serving: 240 calories; 80 calories from fat (33 percent of total calories); 9 g fat (0 g saturated; 2 g trans fats); 215 mg cholesterol; 1020 mg sodium; 29 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 12 g protein.

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Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook, “Supermarket Healthy.” http://www.melissadarabian.net

OTHER RECIPES BY MELISSA d'ARABIAN

For crazy weeknights, dinner in a bag that isn't takeout

Try a char-grilled eggplant dip