When baked in a unique dish—I like to use a shallow ribbed-edge tart pan—the eggs become a charming centerpiece for the table. This dish is satisfying for any meal of the day. If serving this for breakfast, serve with bacon; for lunch and dinner, serve with a green salad. No matter when you eat this dish, always serve crusty bread.–Rebecca White
WHAT IS HARISSA SAUCE VS. PASTE?
This recipe calls for harissa sauce, not the traditional North African harissa paste, which tends to be more concentrated and salty. Both harissa paste and sauce are made from ground hot peppers, cayenne pepper, paprika, caraway seeds, coriander, and cumin but the sauce has a thinner consistency and less salt.
Most grocery stores carry both but if you can’t find sauce and do happen to have access to harissa paste, you can just thin it down with a good glug of olive oil until it’s a better consistency.
Harissa Baked Eggs with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cup mild harissa sauce
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter, sliced into 6 pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped, divided
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese, plus more to top, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- Fresh herbs for serving, such as basil, cilantro, dill and/or mint (optional)
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to about 6 inches (15 cm) from the broiler. Preheat broiler to 550°F (288°C). If the broiler does not go to 550°F (288°C), cooking time may be slightly longer for both stages of the cooking process.
- Crack eggs into a bowl, then set aside. In a 9-inch (23-cm) ceramic tart pan or broiler-safe baking dish, combine harissa and cream. Dot pieces of butter evenly throughout the harissa cream mixture.
- Broil until harissa starts to boil and butter begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and add half of the chopped garlic, half of the goat cheese, and half of the salt. Stir well to combine.
- Gently pour eggs into the pan, ensuring they are evenly spaced. Evenly distribute the remaining salt, garlic, and goat cheese on top of the harissa and eggs.
- Return pan to oven and broil until the eggs are cooked to your desired doneness, 5 1/2 minutes for runny yolks, 7 minutes for firm yolks. Watch eggs closely. When broiling, the transition from brown to burned is quick.
☞ TESTER TIP: If your broiler runs hot, or your oven is very efficient, start checking your eggs around 4 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 1 minute. Top with fresh herbs, if using. Serve with crusty bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Eggs are my very favourite ingredient. Any chance to add new egg recipes to my already extensive list is eagerly seized. These harissa-baked eggs with goat cheese didn’t disappoint! In a blink of an eye, there was breakfast…
This recipe was easy to follow, quick to prepare, and super tasty. My broiler settings are high and low broil and I forgot to change the second stage to low for the eggs. The consequence was firm yolks and brown spots by 4 minutes of broiling. However, the recipe wasn’t spoiled. Next time, I’ll adjust the temperature for my preferred runny eggs. I also forgot to add the second half of the goat cheese. This turned out to be a welcome error as the soft melty cheese provided a fresh tang to the firm-cooked eggs. For herbs, I used a mix of my garden’s fresh cilantro, mint, parsley, and scallion greens.
To save time and take advantage of a hot oven, I cooked bacon strips on the bottom shelf and then toasted slices of potato bread. Served one slice of bread and 1 slice of bacon with a green salad dressed in lemon vinaigrette. Then the three of us devoured the harissa eggs. Empty oven dish. New egg recipe. Win-win.
The pre-made harissa sauce is a great base for this easy dish that is full of flavor. The dish comes together quickly for an easy weeknight meal or brunch entree.
The mild harissa sauce can be difficult to find but can be ordered online. I haven’t had it before but it would be a nice sauce to have in the pantry for this recipe or as an accompaniment to grilled veggies or meats. Be sure to work quickly once the sauce comes out of the oven to add the remaining ingredients and eggs while the sauce is piping hot.
Once back in the oven, let it go for at least the recommended 5 1/2 minutes. The eggs may look done on top but the whites need to continue cooking to ensure they are cooked through. Runny yolks are delicious but uncooked whites, not good! Serving with crusty bread is a must to soak up the yummy sauce.
