1-Pan Huevos Rancheros Recipe

Quick, close your eyes and think of the first Mexican dish that comes to mind! You may picture tacos, burritos, fajitas, or maybe even some chimichangas. But what about huevos rancheros? The classic Mexican recipe, enjoyed across much of the country and in countries beyond, is most often eaten as a breakfast, seeing as eggs are a big component. And with this one-pan huevos rancheros recipe, courtesy of developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating, you can prep this classic breakfast or brunch dish with about 5 minutes of prep and less than half an hour of cooking time. As for how best to enjoy your handiwork? "With rice, on a tortilla wrap, or with corn chips, or even with warm crusty bread," says Brookes.

The next time you think of a Mexican dish, chances are good it will be this one. And hey, if you happen to think of huevos rancheros in the afternoon, who ever said it can't be a lunch or dinner meal, too? With a dish this good, there's no limit to when you can best enjoy it.

To make a pan of huevos rancheros, you'll need olive oil, diced onion, diced red bell pepper, crushed cloves of garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper a can of black beans (drained), 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (not drained), and of course some eggs. And some freshly chopped cilantro for serving is a good idea, too!

"I would say the combination of spices that get added to the tomato base are what give the dish that delicious boost of smoky, spicy flavor," Brooke says of her special ingredient.

Like so many great recipes, this one starts off with veggies cooking down a bit in a pan. Heat the olive oil in a pan with decently high sides (it will need to accommodate all of the ingredients at once) and, once it has warmed, add the diced onion and diced red bell pepper. Stir occasionally as these veggies cook, keeping them over a medium for between 6 and 8 minutes, ensuring they soften and become fragrant. Once that has happened, stir in the crushed garlic and let all of the veggies cook for an additional minute.

Once the garlic has had a minute to cook, add to the pan the red pepper flakes, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika and some salt and pepper — you can add those latter two spices to taste. Let the spiced pan simmer away for 2 to 3 minutes, then pour in both cans of tomatoes and the drained black beans and stir everything well to blend it all, then let all of these ingredients simmer over a low-to-medium heat for 10 minutes.

Next, using a spoon, make four wells in the veggie and bean mixture, creating spaces into which you'll add the eggs. Then crack an egg into each well — if you're not overly confident in your egg-cracking ability, maybe crack each into a cup and pour them from there to avoid bits of shell, though! Now cover the pan and leave it alone to simmer away for between 6 to 8 minutes, or as long as it takes for the egg whites to be cooked through. "If you want nice runny yolks, keep an eye on the eggs to make sure the yolks don't cook through completely," Brookes says. "Check how they're doing after 6 minutes covered."

Once the eggs are cooked, remove the pan from the heat, top the huevos rancheros with chopped cilantro if you'd like (it's recommended, to be sure!), and then serve and enjoy this classic, authentic Mexican dish.