Tomato Baked Eggs with Chard

It's been an exciting and hectic week (as soon as I wrote that I realized it's only Thursday, jeez). I've been inundated by new projects at work, we are anxiously awaiting the birth of my first nephew, and Adam and I closed on our first home and are now fully immersed in planning and executing a substantial renovation. Needless to say, all of this hasn't left a lot of time for grocery shopping or cooking. My diet this week has consisted mainly of champagne (new house!), croissants (standard meeting fare at work), and leftover chicken tagine (stay tuned for that recipe). Wait...why am I complaining?

While I could certainly do a lot worse, tonight I needed to get back on track and wanted to make something fast, light, and healthy that I could throw together with pantry and fridge staples. This recipe would be great for breakfast or a light lunch as well. I've baked it in ramekins but if you don't have any, you could also use a baking dish. Pour the sauce into the baking dish and crack an egg into each corner, then spoon out individual portions.

Makes 4 servings

drizzle of olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed chili flakes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup strained tomato or tomato puree (I use Pomodoro tomatoes that come in a jar)
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 small bunch of chard
4 eggs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 loaf of your favourite crusty bread

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and let cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and let cook for 3-5 minutes until the onions and garlic are soft. Add the thyme, oregano, generous pinch of salt and pepper, and crushed chili flakes and stir. Let cook for 1 minute, then add the diced and strained tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes.

While the tomato sauce simmers, wash the chard and trim off and discard the ends. Chop into 1" pieces. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as required. Add the chard to the sauce and stir to incorporate. Let cook for another 5 minutes.

Arrange four ramekins on a baking sheet. Ladle the sauce into each ramekin, leaving about an inch of space at the top. Crack an egg into each ramekin, on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Bake the eggs until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft, about 8-10 minutes. Top with grated Parmesan and serve with a slice of crusty bread for dipping.