What's For Breakfast: Huevos Rancheros

Technically, this is what we had for dinner the other night, although huevos rancheros is typically served as a Tex-Mex breakfast. I came upon this recipe while paging through the August/September 2014 issue of Cook's Country. (I earmarked nearly every page of this issue -- there are so many good recipes to try!) I don't think I've ever actually eaten huevos rancheros before, so I can't speak to this recipe's authenticity. However, I can tell you that it is absolutely delicious. 

I followed the recipe fairly closely, aside from halving most ingredients, as the original recipe makes four servings, and I was just feeding D and myself. I also made it into a one skillet meal; the original recipe calls for roasting the tomato mixture in a separate dish, but I found doing everything in a cast-iron skillet worked quite well. While perhaps this isn't the quickest recipe for a weeknight dinner, it would definitely make for a stunning presentation at a leisurely weekend brunch.

Huevos Rancheros (printer-friendly version)

makes 2-3 servings

2 14.5-ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 red onion, chopped

1 4-ounce can diced green chiles

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese

4-5 large eggs (I find eggs from pasture-raised chickens have the best yolks)
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and diced
3 green onions, sliced thin
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 corn tortillas, warmed

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
2. Drain the tomatoes through a fine-mesh strainer placed over a bowl. Use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to press as much of the juice out of the tomatoes as possible. Reserve 3/4 cup of the tomato juice, and discard the rest. Whisk the brown sugar and lime juice into the reserved tomato juice and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the chopped onion, diced green chiles, olive oil, chili powder, and garlic. Stir in the drained tomatoes.
4. Transfer the tomato mixture into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and spread into an even layer. Roast in the oven until charred in spots, 35-40 minutes. Stir halfway through the cooking period.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
6. Stir the tomato juice mixture into the roasted tomato mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the tomato mixture. Use a spoon to hollow out four or five spaces (depending on how many eggs you wish to cook) in the tomato mixture. Crack an egg into each hole. Season each egg with salt and pepper.
8. Bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes, or until the whites have just begun to set (they will still jiggle a bit). Remove the skillet from the oven, tent with aluminum foil, and let sit for 5 minutes.
9. Garnish with the diced avocado, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro. Serve with warmed tortillas.

(adapted from a recipe in the August/September 2014 issue of Cook's Country magazine)