20 Minute Marinara Pasta With Poached Eggs

This 20 minute marinara pasta with a perfectly poached egg is the perfect dinner for the midweek lull when all your meal prep food is done and you don’t feel like take out - this is my go to because we are always in the mood for a simple pasta dish and this marinara takes no time to make from scratch and is smooth and deliciously rich in flavour. The poached egg adds a delicious creaminess to the sauce and it also adds a little more substance to this fabulous vegetarian meal!

Weeknights are hectic as it is and leftovers and meal prep will only take you so far. I’m always happy for a pasta dish idea and this is such a good one. You can never go wrong with pasta - who doesn’t love it? The poached egg is definitely a must - I love mine runny, letting the yolk run through the pasta making it even creamier. Just the thought of that makes my husband gag so I poach his longer. You choose how runny or not runny you want your egg.

Poaching an egg takes a little practice, but once you’ve got it, it’s an impressive skill you’ll have up your sleeve forever. I currently don’t have it down pat - I mean the freestyle version without any tools to help. My hubby makes a mean poached egg using no special tools but I use a handy dandy poached egg hack I got from Pinch of Yum using mason jar rims to help poach the perfect egg. All the directions are below in the recipe. You don’t even have to think when you use this technique. Just boil water, place your rims down, then turn off the heat, slide your eggs into the rims and cover pot and let them hang for a few minutes. Slide the rims along with the eggs out with a spatula and you have your poached eggs - no vinegar, no swirling water or sweat on your brow (poaching eggs can be stressful- right?!?). Simple cheat, hack, lazy girl method - whatever you want to call it, it works and I’m sticking with it.

This pasta is nothing without a fabulous sauce. I made this in partnership with Pomi using their Chopped Tomatoes which are the perfect base for any tomato sauce. Made from one single ingredient: fresh tomatoes ripened under the sun, cut in delicious chunks and packaged on location to bring to the table a unique and incomparable taste. This is no surprise as Pomi guarantees healthy and safe products that are 100% Italian and 100% sustainable from environmental, economical, ethical and social stand points from their farming to their processing and packaging.

This sauce it simple and full of flavour and a great base recipe that can easily be switched up by adding protein to it as well. This sauce would be wonderful with some shrimp or even cubed chicken thighs or cubed chicken breast. If you are going that route, I would sauté and brown your chicken or shrimp either before you sauté your onion and garlic or sauté it with the onion and garlic. Since this sauce takes no time to make choose meat or veggie options that cook quickly like the ones I mentioned above. Wether you leave it as is or add in some protein you will not be disappointed with this dish. You will love it for its taste, simplicity and how quickly you are able get dinner on the table.

I have partnered up with Pomi to bring you this fabulous recipe, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Olive & Mango.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion diced
• 26.46 oz Pomi Chopped Tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ tsp chili flakes (optional)
• 8 oz uncooked bucatini or spaghetti (whole wheat or gluten free if you prefer)
• 4 eggs
• Cracked black pepper to taste
• Fresh basil to toss pasta with and garnish
• Grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Add the onions and pan fry for a few minutes stirring often until soften and translucent. Then add garlic and chili flakes if using, basil and oregano and stir frequently for another minute until nice and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, broth, wine, and salt, and simmer while you boil water and cook the spaghetti. Approx 10 minutes until it’s reduced and thicker.
2. While the sauce is simmering bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain once done and toss with a little olive oil and set aside.
3. Once the pasta is cooked and sauce is reduced slightly transfer it carefully to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the pot and add the spaghetti. Toss the pasta with the sauce gently and cover pot to keep it warm.
4. To poach the eggs, bring a pot of approx 3 inches of water to boil and place 4 metal rims from mason jars in the bottom of the pot – these will act as egg holders (if your pot doesn’t fit all four do two at a time and make sure to add more water to the pot for the second batch)
5. When the water starts boiling, turn the heat off. Immediately crack individual eggs into a small bowl and pour directly into the metal rim in the boiling water. Repeat for all the eggs.
6. Cover and let the eggs cook in the hot water for 4-5 minutes (4 = very soft, 5 = soft). Carefully remove the eggs in metal rims from the water with a spatula. Tilt the eggs over the pot to let excess water run off before plating the eggs on your spaghetti. Serve with crackled black pepper and chopped parsley

Adapted from Pinch of Yum