Baked Huevos Rancheros

Catherine Newman offers an inspired take on huevos rancheros, the Mexican breakfast favorite.

Huevos rancheros ("rancher's eggs" in Spanish) is usually some combination of eggs, beans, salsa, and cheese, served with corn tortillas and various toppings. This version, which is topped with feta, reminds me a bit of shakshuka, which is a dish of eggs baked or poached in a spicy tomato sauce. And it’s delicious: saucy, a little spicy (or not!), and a perfect weekend breakfast or brunch or, while we’re at it, lunch or dinner. If you’re pressed for time, you can skip the onion and garlic and sautéing them, and just add a half teaspoon of garlic powder with the spices.

You can also simply cover the pot and leave it on the stovetop to cook the eggs, thereby eliminating the oven altogether. If you want to serve this dish with corn tortillas, which are relatively low in carbs, go ahead – but it’s also really good just as it is.

Recipe Details: Baked Huevos Rancheros

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35-45 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

Total carbohydrates: 22 grams per serving

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Something spicy (1/2 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle powder; 1 teaspoon canned chipotle en adobo; 1 tablespoon hot sauce or chopped fresh or pickled jalapenos)
• 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (diced tomatoes will work too)
• 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• Cilantro leaves, crumbled feta, sliced radishes, avocado, and hot sauce, for topping

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a 9- or 10-inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is quite soft and turning golden, about 6-7 minutes.
3. Add the cumin and the spicy something and sauté just until fragrant – a few seconds – then stir in the tomatoes, beans, and salt. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally and then more frequently, until thick, around 15 minutes. Taste the sauce, and add more salt if it needs it.
4. Use a spoon to make a little well in the sauce, then crack in an egg. (I’m neurotic, so I crack the egg into a mug first, to make sure I’m not going to ruin the whole dish with shell fragments or a broken yolk etc. In fact, while the sauce is simmering, I crack each egg into a separate mug so each is ready to go! I have a dishwasher, so the dirty mugs are not a hardship.) Repeat with the remaining eggs, then put the pan in the oven. (Note: If you are super-particular about your eggs and how done you like them, then you might want to poach or fry them separately, as cooking them in the sauce is an inexact science. That said, do you really want to wash another pan?)
5. Bake until the eggs are as set as you like them, which will take anywhere from 7 to 15 minutes. (The eggs will be more cooked underneath than the way they look on top, just FYI.) Use the baking time to prepare the toppings, then top the finished dish and serve.

Photo credit: Catherine Newman