Huevos Rancheros with Quick Simmered Black Beans

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Eating meatless doesn’t have to be boring. You can make delicious, plant-based whole food meals from fresh ingredients that are much better for you. Made from mostly pantry staples and on-hand ingredients, Huevos Rancheros with Quick Simmered Black Beans is easy to make. You might only need the fresh produce, like tomatoes, jalapeño and cilantro from the store. 

Huevos rancheros, or ranch-style eggs, is a classic Mexican meal that comes from the rural parts of Mexico. Often eaten by farm hands, its name literally translates to “rancher’s eggs” in Spanish. You can eat huevos rancheros for breakfast, lunch or a speedy dinner, but note that the beans and fresh salsa in this recipe are so delicious you could eat them on their own. You could also swap the egg with (you fill in the blank here) and use the beans and salsa to make another meal altogether. 

Start with your beans. Black beans are a high-fiber, gut-healthy food and their thick, meaty texture adds stick to your ribs appeal. Using half of an orange, cut side down, in the pan with the beans as they cook lends a delicious citrusy element. As the beans cook, they’ll absorb flavor from the orange’s juice and rind, and the two flavors go surprisingly well together. 

Using canned beans saves time, and you’ll use the thick liquid from the can, too. Simmer your beans in it so that they soften and mellow, cooking them for about 25 minutes, while your get the rest of your meal ready. You can use a microplane to quickly grate your garlic and save yourself the bother of having to mince it. If you don’t have fresh oregano, just use a pinch of dried. 

Making your own salsa elevates this from kitchen to cantina. The spicy fresh salsa is quick and easy to make. Since you’re doing it diy-style, you can go whole jalapeño and make it extra spicy, or dial it back and leave it mild. Take the seeds out of your jalapeño if you want to remove some of the heat. Add your ingredients to a food processor and pulse until it’s still a little bit chunky, or chop everything by hand if you prefer. 

Char your corn tortillas over the gas burner of your stove, or use a pan. Giving them just a little char on one side will warm them and add flavor, while still keeping your tortillas nice and soft. And last, but not least, fry your eggs. You want a runny yolk, cooked just enough so that it will run into the other ingredients when you cut into it.  

Plate up your tortillas, beans, fresh salsa and top with an egg. Garnish as you like and enjoy!

Huevos Rancheros with Quick Simmered Black Beans

beans

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• kosher salt
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 sprigs oregano
• 1/2 orange
• 1 18.25-ounce can black beans, undrained
• 1/4 cup water

salsa

• 3 medium ripe Roma or vine-ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 to 1 jalapeño pepper, roughly chopped, a few slices reserved for garnish
• 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt

huevos rancheros

• 4 corn tortillas
• 2 teaspoons olive oil (for frying eggs)
• 4 eggs
• kosher salt
• optional toppings: crumbled cotija or feta cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeños, lime wedges, hot sauce

for beans:

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, season with salt, and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add cumin, cayenne, and oregano. Place orange cut side down, then add beans with their liquid and the water. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

for salsa:

While beans cook, make the salsa. Add tomatoes, onions, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and oil to the bowl of a food processor. Season with salt and pulse until finely chopped and saucy. Season to taste and set aside. (You can pour salsa into a skillet or saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce slightly and sweeten the flavor.)

for huevos rancheros:

If using a gas stove, or if you have access to a grill, turn on the heat and quickly warm corn tortillas directly over the flame until lightly charred; set aside. Or, heat tortillas in a pan over medium heat. 

Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggs and fry until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Season with salt.

To serve, place tortillas onto plates and top each with black beans and a fried egg. Spoon the salsa over the top and garnish with toppings of your choice.

-recipe by Mary Berg, foodnetwork.com