HUEVOS RANCHEROS (MEXICAN EGGS STYLE)
This is how you will see it on many brunch menus. I will always order it, no matter the time of day. Fresh fried eggs, oozing all of their golden yellow yolky gooiness, all over the beans and salsa, sitting atop a golden corn tortilla. When the kids were little we would always stop at Café Con Leche on the upper west side in NYC. They served it with a side salad and the most delicious cilantro dressing.
Huevos Rancheros is a meal that covers all of the bases and that’s the way I like it. You get creamy, crunchy, and spicy in each mouthful. What’s better than that?
This recipe is a casserole version of the tradition recipe.
Start with a layer of rice.
Then spread a layer of refried beans.
Next is a layer of Spinach.
Then add the corn but whatever you have on hand will work.
Break up the chips with your hands and layer them on next.
The boys wanted spicy salsa so I added it to a small section when I added the tomatoes.
I had leftover chicken and added it too.
I make this in a 12″ oven-proof skillet, we had plenty of leftovers and make several different dinners from the leftovers. Burritos, Tacos, Nachos any dish that ends in an “OS” really. If you don’t have an oven-proof pan, you can use a rectangle casserole dish too.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
Rice Layer
- 2 cups brown rice
- 2¾ cups water
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup fresh packed cilantro
Refried Beans Layer
- 2 cans of refried beans
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Spinach and Corn Layer
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 4 cups spinach
- 2 oz. chèvre goat cheese
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Tomato and Chip Layer
- 2 cans diced and fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 cups Quinoa and black bean Tortilla chips
- 6–8 Eggland’s Best Eggs
- 1 red pepper, cut thin
- sea salt
- black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne optional
DIRECTIONS
Rice
- In a pot, combine white rice, water, lime juice, cilantro, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
Refried Beans
- In a small pot, combine beans, goat cheese, salt, and cayenne and mix to combine.
- Cook on medium until warm, then remove from heat.
Corn/Spinach
- In a small bowl, combine thawed corn, and sea salt and mix to combine.
- Sauté spinach in garlic and oil. Add whatever you have leftover in the fridge.
Chips
- Break apart tortilla chips in your hands, to layer in pan.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 400º
- Coat a 12″ oven-proof pan with olive oil or a casserole dish.
- Scoop rice into the pan creating a thick layer.
- Layer the refried beans over the rice and spread using the back of a spatula.
- Add a layer of corn and goat cheese over the beans.
- Spread crunched up chips over the corn/cheese layer.
- Scoop tomato equally over the chips.
- Create small depressions with the back of a spoon, gently crack eggs into the depressions, be careful not to crack the yolks. Dust with sea salt and black pepper, plus chipotle to make it spicy!
- Spread red pepper over the eggs.
- Bake 20–25 minutes. Bake until whites are just set and yolks are still runny, about 25 minutes.
- While baking, heat up some tortilla. Serve with warm tortillas on the side with your favorite garnishes. Like avocado, fresh cilantro, lime and hot sauce. Serve and enjoy!
