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Get set for the best Mexican breakfast recipe ever
In This Recipe
What is Huevos Rancheros?
A Longtime Family Favorite
More Topping Ideas
A classic Mexican breakfast, huevos rancheros (translated "ranch eggs") are fried eggs served on a lightly fried corn tortillas and smothered in cooked salsa.
Eggs + Salsa + Tortillas = Huevos Rancheros
When you cut into them, the egg yolks mix in with everything—the salsa, tortillas. So good!
You can also make the eggs scrambled instead of sunny side up. In that case, the dish is known as Huevos a la Mexicana.
Either way, salsa with eggs and tortillas makes a wonderful breakfast.
A Longtime Family Favorite
One benefit of being raised in California by a mother with Mexican heritage is that we grew up eating and loving Mexican food. From the age of five, it was my job to prepare the salsa for our family.
You may not always find bread at our house, but you can always find tortillas. And more often than not, huevos rancheros for breakfast.
Some people like refried beans with their huevos rancheros. Just spread some warmed refried beans over the tortillas before adding the egg and salsa.
Eggs for Huevos Rancheros
You can scramble the eggs instead of frying them, which makes them Huevos a la Mexicana. You can also make your eggs over easy, over medium, or over hard, however you like.
More Topping Ideas
Although the traditional toppings for huevos rancheros are ranchero sauce and refried beans, you can experiment with a range of other toppings. Here are some ideas:
- Black beans
- Sliced or chopped avocados
- Shredded cheese
- Chorizo
- Spanish rice
You can also top one egg with ranchero sauce and another with salsa verde for huevos divorciados ("divorced eggs").
More Mexican Breakfast Favorites with Eggs
- Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Tacos
- Breakfast Quesadillas With Black Beans and Eggs
- Chilaquiles
- Huevos a la Mexicana
- Tomatillo Scrambled Eggs
From the Editors Of Simply Recipes
Huevos Rancheros
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time20 mins
Servings2to 4 servings
The recipe is flexible! Sometimes, we use canned salsa and just add a few more chopped tomatoes and some chopped pickled jalapeños to make the sauce.
Sometimes if we have some leftover refried beans, we'll spread some on the tortillas before topping them with the eggs and salsa. My mother has been known to add a pinch of sugar to the salsa if she feels it's too acidic for her taste.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can whole or crushed tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), or 1 to 2 large fresh tomatoes, when in season
1/2 (6 ounce) can diced green Anaheim chiles
Chipotle chili powder, adobo sauce, or ground cumin to taste, optional
4 corn tortillas
Butter
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
Method
Make the salsa:
Sauté the onions in a little olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Once the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes and their juices. If using whole canned tomatoes, break them up with your fingers or a spatula as you put them in the pan.
If you are using fresh tomatoes, chop them first before adding. Note that fresh tomatoes will take longer to cook as canned tomatoes are already cooked to begin with.
Add chopped green chilies. Add additional seasoning to taste, either chipotle chili powder, adobo sauce, regular chili powder, or even ground cumin.
Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and let simmer while you do the rest of the cooking, stirring occasionally. Reduce to warm after it has been simmering for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste, if needed.
Warm the plates:
Heat the oven to 150°F. Place serving plates (not plastic, obviously) in the oven to keep warm.
Prepare the tortillas:
Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium high, coating the pan with the oil.
One by one (or more if your pan is big enough) heat the tortillas in the pan, a minute or two on each side until they are heated through, softened, and pockets of air bubble up inside of them.
Remove and stack the tortillas on one of the warming plates in the oven to keep warm while you continue cooking the rest of the tortillas and the eggs.
Fry the eggs:
Using the same skillet you used for the tortillas, add a little butter to the pan, about two teaspoons for 4 eggs. Heat the pan on medium high heat. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes for runny yolks, a minute or two longer for firmer eggs.
Assemble and serve:
To serve, spoon a little of the sauce onto a warmed plate. Top with a tortilla, then a fried egg. Top with more sauce, sprinkle with cilantro if desired.
Serve either one or two eggs and tortillas per plate, depending on how much you want to eat. I'm a two-egg, two-tortilla person myself.
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- Vegetarian Mexican
- Brunch
- Quick Breakfast
- Healthy Breakfast
- Gluten-Free
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
236 | Calories |
12g | Fat |
24g | Carbs |
10g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 2to 4 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 236 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 12g | 16% |
Saturated Fat 4g | 20% |
Cholesterol 194mg | 65% |
Sodium 416mg | 18% |
Total Carbohydrate 24g | 9% |
Dietary Fiber 5g | 16% |
Total Sugars 6g | |
Protein 10g | |
Vitamin C 19mg | 95% |
Calcium 103mg | 8% |
Iron 3mg | 17% |
Potassium 520mg | 11% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.