Microwave kale & chilli eggs

Whip up Jack Monroe's healthy vegetarian dish for one in under 10 minutes – a low-calorie option for breakfast, lunch or dinner

Prep:5 mins
Cook:2 mins
plus standing

Serves 1
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 215
fat 12g
saturates 3g
carbs 9g
sugars 6g
fibre 2g
protein 16g
salt 1.1g

Ingredients

handful kale, finely chopped
½ small red chilli, deseeded and chopped
½ x 400g can chopped tomatoes
squeeze of lemon juice
2 medium eggs, yolks and whites separated

Tip

Jack's top tips

Never ever, ever put anything metal in the microwave, or any crockery with metal trim. Metal reflects the microwaves and catches fire – with my firefighter hat on, it’s a common cause of kitchen fires, and kitchen fires quickly turn into house fires. If in doubt, leave it out.

Jack's top tips

When cooking dishes with a high liquid content, such as pasta, rice or soups, cover with cling film and pierce to contain the liquid and allow the heat to escape – this prevents messy explosions! I stand anything like this in a bowl to catch any escaping liquid and keep the bottom of my microwave clean.

Perfect poached eggs

For a perfect microwave-poached egg, crack it into a fat-bottomed mug, then pierce the yolk with a knife or fork – this is really important. The yolk cooks faster than the white, so leaving the membrane intact will cause your yolk to make a bid for freedom under the pressure. When pierced, cook it on Medium for 3 x 30-second bursts. If you’re cooking it with other food, you can use High, as the more things there are in a microwave, the less microwaves each one absorbs and the more gently everything cooks.

Method

In a microwaveable bowl, mix the kale, chilli and chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Push the mixture to the sides of the bowl to make a well in the middle, then tip the egg whites into the centre. Cover the bowl with cling film and cook on Medium for 40 secs, then allow to cool for a moment before heating for another 40 secs.
Add the egg yolks to the whites, then gently pierce the yolk of each one to break the membrane – and prevent them from exploding. Microwave for another 40 secs, then remove, peel back the cling film, grind over some black pepper and serve.