Huevos Rancheros

Peter absolutely LOVES huevos rancheros for breakfast. Luckily for me, they are super easy and fast to make. In fact, this is ready so fast that it is another one of those quick, weekday work-morning staples, just like our breakfast b-egg-les.


Huevos rancheros is a traditional Mexican dish served upon fried corn tortillas. However, in an attempt to make it healthier, I've found that toasting my tortillas under the broiler gives them that same traditional crisp but without those fried calories.


Shopping List: 

• Corn Tortillas
• Grated Cheddar Cheese
• Eggs
• Tapatio or hot sauce of your choice
• Pico de gallo Salsa
• fresh Cilantro
• *Other possible additions: Avocado slices, and Refried beans.

First I turn the broiler on in my oven. When the broiler is hot and ready, toss your corn tortillas directly onto the top rack (one tortilla for each huevo ranchero). 


While the tortillas are crisping, start the eggs:
Make sure the frying pan is nice and hot before the eggs are cracked into it; this will help the eggs firm up when they hit the pan and prevent them from running all over. We want each one in a nice little size that will fit on top of each tortilla nicely, so we can't have them running all over the pan. Use your spatula to corral each egg together if you need to.
When the eggs get white and opaque on the bottom, but still shiny and slightly runny on top, break the yolk into the top of the egg and turn off the stove top. Sprinkle a little grated cheddar on top; let the cheese melt and the the eggs continue to sit in the pan to cook through with the heat off.

While the eggs are finishing cooking, flip the tortillas so that they are nice and crispy on both sides. Then, gather together all the other ingredients. Sprinkle a bed of cheddar on top of the warm, crispy tortilla. This will act as a glue that will hold the egg in place on top of the tortilla. (Or you could opt for the more traditional 'glue' here; refried beans.)

Slide your soft cooked fried egg right on top of the cheddar melting on the tortilla. Then simply dress up the egg with your desired toppings. I like to adorn with a couple spoonfuls of fresh salsa, a few big shakes of Tapatio, and finally some freshly chopped cilantro. If I have avocados on hand, sometimes I will even place a few slices of avocado on top of this simple and flavorful breakfast. 

Pick 'em up like an open faced sandwich and eat with your hands :) but keep some napkins handy. 

Oh man, looking at these pics makes me want to cook up some more huevos rancheros right now!