Basque

Medium · Hot

Piperade Skillet with Eggs and Cumin

A sunny Basque-style skillet of slow-cooked tomatoes and peppers with eggs poached right in, finished with a warm pinch of cumin and a good glug of olive oil. Perfect with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Recipe by

Rocío Delgado

The Olive-Oil Evangelist

Prep

15 min

Cook

30 min

Total

45 min

Method

Prep the Vegetables

Dice the yellow-onion finely. Mince the garlic cloves. Cut the bell-pepper into thin strips, removing seeds and membranes. Roughly chop the tomatoes into large chunks.

Build the Piperade

Heat the olive-oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add the bell-pepper strips and cook for another 5 minutes, letting them soften slightly.

Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, and cumin. Stir well to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the piperade simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the juices thicken.

Poach the Eggs

Using a spoon, create 6 shallow wells in the piperade, spacing them evenly. Crack one egg into each well.

Cover the skillet with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the egg whites are set but the yolks remain runny. For firmer yolks, cook an additional 2 minutes.

Serve

Remove from heat. Drizzle with a generous glug of olive-oil and a final pinch of cumin if desired. Serve straight from the skillet with thick slices of crusty white-bread on the side for mopping up the piperade and egg yolks.

Nutri-Score

Excellent balance

A–E · lower is better · score -1

Calories

345

per serving

Source of protein · 14gLow sugar · 9g

Protein

14g

Carbs

24g

Fat

22g

Sat. fat

Fiber

Sugar

Sodium

794mg

Dairy FreeMediterraneanBalancedHeart HealthyAntioxidant RichHigh ProteinLow CarbSingle Skillet Meal

Nutri-Score is a general nutritional-balance guide, not medical or dietary advice.

Environmental impact

Low impact

A–E · lower is better · includes estimates

kg CO₂e

0.8

per serving

BCarbonAEU all-round· carbon sets the grade

Water

0.6m³

Land

25Pt

Runoff

0.08g P

egg drives 46% of this recipe’s estimated footprint.

Carbon from Poore & Nemecek 2018; water, land & runoff from Agribalyse — modelled averages for comparing recipes, not a measurement of your groceries.

Flavor Profile

Umami

Sweet

Salty

Sour

Bitter

Spicy

Textures

TenderSoftSilkySaucy

Aromas

HerbalPungentEarthySmoky

Kitchen Equipment

Primary Tool

Frying Pan

Frying Pan Chef Knife Cutting Board

Counter FootprintMedium

Techniques

Sauteing Simmering Poaching

Safety & Storage

Cooking Temperature

Eggs must reach a safe internal temperature when poaching. Cook until whites are completely set and opaque, with no visible raw egg remaining around the yolk. Use a food thermometer to verify egg dishes reach 160°F (71°C) if serving to high-risk individuals.

High Risk Population

This dish contains undercooked eggs with runny yolks, which pose a risk to pregnant women, young children, elderly individuals, and those with weakened immune systems. Consider cooking eggs an additional 2 minutes for firmer yolks when serving these populations.

Cross Contamination

Raw eggs used in this recipe can harbor Salmonella bacteria. Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw eggs, and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw eggs before touching other ingredients or surfaces.

Storage

Refrigerate any leftover piperade with eggs within 2 hours of cooking. Consume within 2 days. Reheat leftover dishes containing eggs to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) before eating. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours total.

Handling

Use oven-safe mitts when handling the hot skillet, especially when covering with a lid during egg poaching. The olive oil and cast iron skillet retain high heat throughout cooking and serving.

Allergen Warning

This dish contains eggs and gluten from bread. Ensure all serving utensils are clean and free from cross-contact with other allergens when preparing plates for individuals with food allergies.

Pro Tips

Technique

Don't rush the piperade — let those tomatoes and peppers slowly surrender their juices over fifteen minutes. Good things happen when you leave them alone and trust the heat.

Substitution

Pimentón de la Vera works beautifully here if you want that smoky Basque depth, though the cumin I've suggested gives it a warmer, more Moroccan feel. Either way, don't skip it.

Flavor Boost

A good glug of olive oil at the end isn't optional in my kitchen — it's essential. Pour it generously over the eggs as they finish cooking and watch everything come alive.

From the chef

Piperade is slow-cooked tomatoes and peppers doing exactly what they want to do — collapsing into something sweet, jammy, and deeply savory while you barely lift a finger. The trick is patience: let those bell peppers soften all the way before you add the tomatoes, then give the whole thing a good fifteen minutes to thicken. A pinch of cumin goes in with the spices to warm everything up. When the eggs go in and the whites just set around those runny yolks, you have dinner. Good olive oil over the top, crusty bread alongside, and that is all you need.

Rocío DelgadoThe Olive-Oil Evangelist

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TagsBasquePiperadeEggsVegetableSkilletOne PanBrunch

AllergensEggsWheatGluten

Source: generated · June 10, 2026