Easy Huevos Rancheros with Homemade Ranchero Sauce

Why you’ll love it

• Restaurant-style brunch at home with everyday ingredients.
• Homemade ranchero sauce that is smoky, mildly spicy and ready in 15 minutes.
• Easy to customize with your favorite beans, cheese and toppings.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the ranchero sauce

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 jalapeños or serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz / 411 g) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with their juice
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water or chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

For the beans

• 1 can (16 oz / 454 g) refried pinto or black beans
• 2 to 3 tbsp water

For the tortillas and eggs

• 8 corn tortillas (6-inch / 15 cm)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 8 large eggs
• Salt and black pepper

To serve

• 1/2 cup (60 g) crumbled queso fresco or cotija
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Thinly sliced radishes (optional)
• Mexican crema or sour cream (optional)
• Lime wedges

Step-by-step method

1. Start the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and chile and cook 4–5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.

2. Simmer and blend. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the water, cumin, oregano and salt. Simmer 5 minutes. Carefully blend with an immersion blender (or in a blender with the lid vented) until mostly smooth, then simmer 5 minutes more, until slightly thickened. Stir in the cilantro, taste for salt and keep warm over low heat.

3. Warm the beans. Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) to keep things warm. In a small saucepan, warm the refried beans with the water over medium-low heat, stirring, 4–5 minutes, until creamy and hot. Cover and keep warm.

4. Fry the tortillas. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the tortillas one at a time, 20–30 seconds per side, until softened, puffed in spots and lightly crisp at the edges but still pliable. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven.

5. Fry the eggs. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Crack in 4 eggs and cook 2–3 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny; cover the pan for the last 30 seconds if you like the tops more set. Season with salt and pepper and repeat with the remaining eggs.

6. Assemble. For each plate, overlap 2 tortillas, spread them with a quarter of the beans and top with 2 fried eggs. Spoon the ranchero sauce generously over and around the eggs, leaving the yolks visible.

7. Garnish and serve. Sprinkle with queso fresco and cilantro, add the avocado and radishes, drizzle with crema if using and serve right away with lime wedges.

How to know it is done

The ranchero sauce is ready when it is mostly smooth, thick enough to coat a spoon and no longer tastes of raw onion. The tortillas are ready when they are golden and crisp at the edges but still bend without breaking. The eggs are done when the whites are completely set and opaque, with no clear, jiggly parts, while the yolks stay runny; for fully cooked yolks, cook until firm, about 4–5 minutes.

Tips for the best result

• Use fire-roasted tomatoes for a smoky flavor with no extra work.
• Control the heat by removing all the seeds and ribs from the chiles, or keep some for more spice.
• Make sure the oil is hot before frying the tortillas so they crisp instead of absorbing oil.
• Cook the eggs in batches so they do not run together and are easy to lift out.

Variations and substitutions

• With chorizo: brown 8 oz (225 g) Mexican chorizo and spread it over the beans before adding the eggs.
• Huevos divorciados: serve 2 eggs per plate, one covered with ranchero sauce and the other with green salsa verde.
• Whole beans: use 1 can of drained black beans, warmed and lightly mashed with a pinch of cumin.
• Scrambled: replace the fried eggs with soft scrambled eggs for picky eaters.
• Flour tortillas: warm flour tortillas in a dry skillet instead of frying corn tortillas.

Make ahead

The ranchero sauce is perfect for making ahead: refrigerate it in a covered jar up to 4 days or freeze it up to 3 months, then reheat over medium-low heat with a splash of water. The beans can also be warmed ahead and reheated. Fry the tortillas and eggs just before serving so they stay crisp and runny.

Storage and reheating

Assembled huevos rancheros are best eaten right away. Store leftover sauce and beans separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Reheat the sauce and beans in a saucepan over medium-low heat, 4–5 minutes, stirring, or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, and cook fresh eggs and tortillas when you are ready to eat.