This easy Huevos Rancheros recipe makes a perfect weekend brunch! Freshly fried tortillas are topped with sauce-poached eggs, and then smothered in beans, fresh salsa, sour cream, avocado, and cheese. Add some chorizo if you want, or keep it vegetarian – either way, they be coming back for seconds!
I was first introduced to Huevos Rancheros years ago – in Iowa, of all places. My young family and I were visiting my older brother and his family for holidays, and as was their family tradition, my sister-in-law served Huevos Rancheros for Christmas breakfast. I loved both the meal and the tradition and immediately decided to steal adopt them as my own.
However, the timing of this celebratory meal presented a problem: as you might imagine, in a house packed with preschoolers, any breakfast that takes more than five minutes to prepare on Christmas morning is simply out of the question.
The solution came with New Years Day – a traditionally slow, lazy morning in our home. And that, my friends, is the very brief story of how Huevos Rancheros became our way of welcoming the New Year. Here’s my version, adapted from Connie’s original recipe – I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
UPDATE: For the past few years, I’ve made this Huevos Rancheros recipe with my Homemade Flour Tortillas and Slow Cooker Enchilada Sauce, which makes the whole dish exponentially even better! The sauce can be made well ahead of time (it’s freezer-friendly!) so it’s not much extra effort at all. Seriously, give it a try – you’ll never look back!
Huevos Rancheros (Rancher's Eggs)
Equipment
- Large, heavy-bottom skillet
Ingredients
Quick & Easy Rancheros Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bunch green onions chopped
- 2 oz mild green chilies chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 cups enchilada sauce homemade or canned
Basic Huevos Rancheros
- 8-12 flour or corn tortillas
- 2 cups seasoned black beans or refried beans
- 12 large eggs
Additional Toppings: (Pick your favorites!)
- shredded cheddar cheese
- grated cotija
- sliced olives
- sliced jalapenos
- sliced avocados
- sour cream
- guacamole
- salsa
- chopped cilantro
- cooked chorizo
Instructions
- SAUCE OPTIONS [A] Quick & Easy Ranchero Sauce (as written in recipe) In a large skillet, saute the chopped green onions and green chilis in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute one more minute, then add tomato sauce and enchilada sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. [B] Homemade Enchilada SaucePut 3-4 cups of homemade sauce in the bottom of a large, heavy skillet. Stir in about 1 cup of water. Heat over medium low until the mixture simmers. [C] Canned Enchilada Sauce Use about 4 cups of your favorite canned enchilada sauce. Heat over medium low until the sauce simmers.
- While sauce is simmering, fry or warm tortillas. Place prepared tortillas in a tortilla warmer or wrap them in a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm.
- Warm beans in a small skillet over medium low heat. Cover and remove from heat.
- When the enchilada sauce is prepared, heat a large, heavy bottom skillet full of sauce over very low heat until it is just barely simmering. Carefully break the eggs directly into the hot sauce. Cover the pan immediately and cook for 8-11 minutes, or until the yolks are almost as done as you want them. (They will continue to cook after you turn off the heat.)
Assemble Huevos Rancheros
- Layer ingredients on plate in this order: Warm tortilla, beans, and sauce and eggs.
- Top with additional toppings as desired, including: grated cheddar, sour cream, olives, avocado slices, guacamole, peppers, fresh salsa.
Slow Cooker Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups vegetable stock or 1 14-ounce can
- 1 14- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 12- ounce can tomato paste
- 1 8- ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoons ground pasilla pepper**
- 2 teaspoons ground New Mexico chili pepper**
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper**
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat butter or coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute until it turns golden brown. Add minced garlic and saute 30 seconds more.
- Put sauteed onion and garlic mixture along with all the remaining ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4-6 hours. Sauce is ready to use immediately.
- OPTIONAL STEP: If you prefer your enchilada sauce smooth, simply use an immersion blender to puree it right in the slow cooker. (You can also just pour everything into a stand blender.)
Notes
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What an adorable plate! My new year’s tradition is more liquid… it’s mimosas and the Rose Parade. though this year I changed it up by adding orange sherbert.