Huevos Rancheros

Name: Huevos Rancheros
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexico
Ingredients: 1 can (14 oz / 400 g can) whole peeled tomatoes; ½ onion, roughly chopped; 1 clove garlic; 1 jalapeño or serrano chili, stemmed; seeded for less heat; 1 tbsp neutral oil; 3 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt; 1 can (15 oz / 400 g can) pinto or black beans, with their liquid; 1 tbsp neutral oil; ½ tsp ground cumin; 8 corn tortillas, 15 cm; 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil, for frying; 8 large eggs; 80 g (3 oz) queso fresco or feta, crumbled; 1 avocado, sliced; 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped; 1 lime, in wedges

Fried eggs on crisp tortillas with ranchero sauce and beans

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 35 min
Level: Easy

Ranch-style eggs: crisp-fried corn tortillas topped with refried beans, fried eggs and a warm, slightly spicy tomato and chili sauce. It's a hearty breakfast that's equally good for dinner.

Ingredients

Ranchero sauce

1 canwhole peeled tomatoes (14 oz / 400 g can)
½onionroughly chopped
1 clovegarlic
1jalapeño or serrano chilistemmed; seeded for less heat
1 tbspneutral oil
3 gfine sea salt (½ tsp)

Beans

1 canpinto or black beans (15 oz / 400 g can)with their liquid
1 tbspneutral oil
½ tspground cumin

To assemble

8corn tortillas15 cm
60 mlneutral oil (¼ cup)for frying
8large eggs
80 gqueso fresco or feta (3 oz)crumbled
1avocadosliced
2 tbspcilantrochopped
1limein wedges

Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Allergens: egg, milk
Origin: Mexico

Method

Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic and chili until smooth. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, pour in the purée (it will spatter), add the salt and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, 8–10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in another pan, add the cumin and the beans with their liquid and cook, mashing with a potato masher, until thick and creamy, 6–8 minutes. Season with salt if needed.
Heat the 60 ml oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the tortillas one at a time for 20–30 seconds per side, until crisp at the edges but still slightly pliable. Drain on paper towels.
Pour off most of the oil, leaving about 1 tbsp. Fry the eggs, four at a time, sunny-side up, until the whites are set and yolks still runny, 3 minutes (see Fried Eggs).
Overlap two tortillas on each plate. Spread with beans, top with two eggs and spoon the warm ranchero sauce around the eggs.
Scatter with the cheese, avocado and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

Why it works

Frying the tomato purée in hot oil, a step used across Mexican cooking, quickly concentrates its sweetness and cooks out the raw taste of onion and garlic. Crisping the tortillas in oil gives them a sturdy base that won't go soggy under the toppings. Mashing beans with their starchy liquid makes them creamy without needing lard.

Common mistakes

Soggy tortillas: fry them in hot oil and drain well.
Thin sauce: simmer until it coats a spoon.

Variations

Divorciados: Top one egg with red ranchero sauce and the other with a green tomatillo salsa.

Make ahead and storage

The sauce keeps 4 days in the fridge; the beans 3 days.

Notes

Corn tortillas are naturally gluten-free; check the label. Use plant-based cheese or leave it out for a dairy-free version.