Huevos Rancheros is one of those things that I see on the menu of just about every brunch place we go to, but never ever think to order because why on earth would I want salsa all up on my eggs? Hollandaise sauce, yes. Soy sauce, for sure (it’s an Asian thing). Ketchup and/or salsa, nope.
Buuuuttttt, with Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, huevos rancheros seemed like kind of the perfect dish for my Sunday Brunch post this week. It was either that or churro bites with chocolate sauce, but I’m trying to be good (T-2 months until Hawaii), so the eggs won.
We’ll eat chocolate and fried pastries for breakfast after July, OK?
As it turns out, salsa on eggs is super delicious. And, when you eat it with lots of veggies and homemade sauces, it’s actually kind of a healthy breakfast. Hearty and filling, but not at all heavy or coma-inducing. And surprisingly ungreasy – just lots of clean, bright flavors (and just a little bit of heat from the chili sauce).
My friend Emily and I enjoyed our huevos runny, on corn tortillas with plenty of avocado, roasted zucchini, fresh homemade pasilla chile sauce, salsa, and crumbled cojita cheese and scallions. It was a gloriously creamy, saucy, messy knife-and-fork situation. Dan opted to go with scrambled eggs, and ate everything by hand, rolled up in a tortilla like a breakfast taco.
Both versions were delicious (yes, I ate some of his too), and we ate every last bite of food on the table.
And, like most of my other recipes, this was incredibly easy to throw together. Aside from the homemade pasilla chile sauce, which involved a slightly longer stretch of stove time, I was able to get everything on the table in less than an hour. Frying/scrambling eggs, slicing avocados, crumbling cheese and roasting veggies really don’t take that long, thankfully.
So for once, I was able to assemble a plate, stage some photos, and get in a few good shots before my guest arrived. And, the food was still warm when we sat down to eat! It’s a Cinco de Mayo miracle, y’all.
For other Cinco de Mayo recipe ideas, check out my archives!
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- 4 cups water
- 3 fresh pasilla chiles, washed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 roma tomatoes, washed and cut into fourths
- ½ large red onion, chopped (should be ½ cup chopped onion)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Salt to taste
- ½ large red onion
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- Juice of one lime
- ½ tsp salt (or more, to taste)
- 8 homemade corn tortillas
- 8 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 2 large zucchinis, sliced and roasted (I like to drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and then bake at 425 for 15-18 minutes)
- ½ cup cojita cheese, crumbled
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Refried beans (canned, or your favorite recipe)
- Green onions, chopped
- Place all the ingredients into a medium sized pot on medium-high heat.
- Bring mixture it to a boil, and lower the heat and let it simmer until cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
- Scoop your vegetables out of the pot and into a blender, along with 2 cups of the water it was boiled in. Puree until smooth.
- Pour pureed mixture back in the pot. If the mixture is too thick for your liking, add more of the boiling water until your desired consistency is reached.
- Allow mixture to simmer on low heat until you are ready to use it.
- Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and stir to mix.
- Taste to make sure that it is seasoned to your tastes (salt, etc.).
- Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
- Cook two eggs to your liking.
- While they are cooking, warm your tortillas in the oven or microwave.
- Place one or two on a large plate.
- Generously spread refried beans over the tortillas.
- Place sliced avocado and roasted zucchini slices on top of the beans.
- Top off tortillas with your eggs.
- Drizzle everything with more pasilla chile sauce.
- Spoon some salsa on top.
- Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and green onions.
- Season with salt/pepper to taste.
- Repeat the same process 3 more times to serve 4 people.
- Serve, and enjoy!
(Slighlty adapted from Fool Proof Living’s recipe)
I’m planning shrimp tacos for Cinco de Mayo tomorrow evening, but might have to extend the celebration another day with these for breakfast on Wednesday! The pasilla chile sauce sounds like a killer combo with the egg.
Extending Cinco de Mayo? I like your style! Hope you have a good breakfast, if you do try the recipe:)
I’ve actually never tried huevoas rancheros before and after seeing this post you definitely have inspired me too. I never thought salsa and eggs would work together but it clearly does.
It really does work, surprisingly! Let me know what you think 🙂
I love these photos! I’m so impressed that you snapped these in time to still have a warm meal! Also – roasted zucchini on huevos rancheros?! Yes please!
I think my new motto is going to be: “roasted zucchini on ALL THE THINGS” 😀
Just the other day I was thinking, I should try huevos rancheros soon – and then you come with this amazing-looking recipe! I LOVE some sriracha on my eggs, so I’m sure that salsa will be right up my alley. Yum!
Let me know if you try it! 😀
It may be that you have never had good homemade salsa. Here is a recipe we acquired in San Clemente while living there. If you can operate a can opener and slice up onions, anyone can make this excellent homemade salsa.
Paul’s Nightshift Salsa
28 oz. can whole tomatoes; 28 oz. can stewed tomatoes; 1 large sweet, yellow onion, chopped (Vidalia when available); 1 bunch green onions, chopped; 2 small cans chopped green Ortega chilies; 1 small can chopped jalapeño peppers;
1 tbsp. dried cilantro (four sprigs minced); 1 tbsp. crushed red peppers; ½ tsp. minced garlic; A splash of lime juice
Open all the cans and dump them in your largest, non-metallic, mixing bowl. Shred the tomatoes to your preference in size for your salsa. Do not strain or drain any liquids or ingredient; just dump them into the mixing bowl. Add the onions, cilantro, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Let the mixture stand overnight in the ‘frig to allow for the proper marriage of flavors; if you don’t it doesn’t even taste as good as store-bought salsa. Trust and wait until at least 8 hours after blending the ingredients before indulging.
Your salsa recipe sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing – I will definitely have to give it a try 🙂