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February 22, 2016 (updated Nov 22, 2019) — by Lindsay Landis
Every season is skillet season.
I’m convinced that food cooked in a skillet tastes 42% better, be it oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, roasted chicken breasts, or macaroni and cheese.
On second thought, make that 142%.
Combined with the previously proven theorem of Lindsay’s Laws of All Things Sweet (the first rule of which, coincidentally, also applies to Savory things) stating that everything tastes better in miniature, it follows that these personal-sized skillet huevos rancheros are 284% more delicious than full size huevos rancheros (henceforth known as huevos aburridos, or boring eggs).
So it’s no surprise that this skillet-ized and personal-sized version of one of Taylor’s favorite breakfast dishes earned high marks in our house. Suitable fodder for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I’d call these skillet huevos rancheros (once we got the forumula right, that is) a resounding success.
We first tried to use a bed of potatoes, but they never seemed to get crispy and stuck to the skillets like wallpaper paste.
On to plan B: tortillas.
Preheating the skillets first ensures the tortillas get nice and crispy on the bottom, exactly the kind of texture and crunch that the potatoes failed to deliver. Tortillas for the win!
On top of the tortillas is a layer of refried black bean, cheese, and what I like to call our shortcut ranchero sauce (bypassing the roasted peppers for a can of fire-roasted tomatoes instead). The beans form a dam of sorts, a well tasked with holding a precious golden-yolked egg while it bakes until the egg is runny to perfection and topped with avocado and fresh cilantro.
The best part about the tortilla base is that the whole thing slides out of the skillet in one perfect little package, ready to be sliced and devoured.
Yield: 4 servings
Skillet Huevos Rancheros
Total Time: 35 minutes
Classic huevos rancheros baked in a single-serving cast-iron skillet, layered with tortilla, beans, ranchero sauce, cheese, and a perfectly runny egg.
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Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth, divided
- 4 (6-inch) flour tortillas, plus more for serving
- 1 cup refried black beans
- 1 1/2 cups mexican blend shredded cheese, divided
- 4 large eggs
- 1 avocado, sliced, for topping
- coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for topping
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Oil four 6.25-inch cast iron skillets. Arrange on a baking sheet and place in oven to preheat.
- Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until softened and fragrant. Add tomatoes and their juices along with oregano, chipotle, and salt. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. (Sauce can be made up to 2-3 days ahead of time; rewarm prior to using).
- Return saucepan to medium heat (no need to wash it out). Add refried beans and remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth and stir until smooth and warmed through.
- Remove baking sheet with skillets from oven. Carefully (skillets will be very hot) press a tortilla into the bottom of each skillet. Spread 1/4 cup refried beans onto the tortilla, making a small ‘well’ or indentation in the center to hold the egg. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheese, and top with a few tablespoons of sauce. Repeat with all four skillets.
- Gently crack one egg into the center indentation of each skillet. Return baking sheet to oven and bake for 10 minutes or until egg whites are starting to turn opaque; yolks will still be quite jiggly. Sprinkle an additional tablespoon or two of cheese around the yolk, then return to oven for another 5 to 7 minutes, until cheese is melted and egg is cooked to desired doneness (ideally the whites will be set but the yolk will still be slightly runny).
- Carefully (remember skillets are very hot!) release tortilla from bottom of skillet with a thin spatula, and slide the whole thing out onto a plate. Top with sliced avocado and fresh cilantro, serve warm with additional sauce as desired.
TIP: If you’d like extra tortillas to serve along side, roll them up in a piece of foil and place in the oven with skillets for the last 5-7 minutes of cooking to warm through.
If you want to prepare this in a single larger 10-inch skillet, use a single extra-large flour tortilla and put all the beans and cheese in a single skillet; make 4 indentations evenly spaced around the skillet so the eggs don’t run together. Increase cook time as needed to acheive desired doneness.
All images and text ©Lindsay Landis / Love & Olive Oil
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Breakfast Main Dishes Quick
posted February 22, 2016 (last updated Nov 22, 2019)
19 Comments »
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19 Comments
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Kay — July 3, 2023 at 2:19 pm Reply
Would the cooking time increase with 2 eggs??
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BJ — May 23, 2021 at 10:57 am Reply
love the presentation but agree with Bob—-these are NOt huevos rancheros!
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Marilyn — May 27, 2020 at 8:27 am Reply
Am I missing something? Do you mention in the instructions when to add the tomato sauce?
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Lindsay — May 27, 2020 at 9:58 am Reply
Step 4, “Sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheese, and top with a few tablespoons of sauce.” ;)
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Bob White — August 1, 2017 at 2:08 pm Reply
That is so not Huevos Rancheros. Lived in New Mexico and Texas my entire life. While each state has a different idea of the sauce, both agree that the eggs are topped with a rich chile sauce.
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Jonathan Allen — July 22, 2016 at 11:06 am Reply
Really excellent exciting recipe. I bet it would go well with prawns too for variety. I’ve generated a cowboy version of the recipe… :D
listen to Johnny cash and make sauce, stock, throw in any beans, tortilla, cheese, egg, avocado and coriander. -
Kate — March 1, 2016 at 11:56 am Reply
I could not agree with you more about the skillet thing. Made a chocolate chip cookie cake in a skillet over Valentine’s Day and it might have been the best things I’ve ever eaten. These huevos look exceptional too!
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Joleen @ Joleen Cuisine — February 29, 2016 at 3:23 am Reply
Love the GIF! And both the avocados and the eggs are just so aesthetically pleasing…
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Hannah Hossack-Lodge/Domestic Gothess — February 26, 2016 at 8:40 am Reply
Agreed, everything does taste better when made in a skillet, and there is something so satisfying about individually portioned things too! I would eat this at any time of day, I love breakfast for dinner :)
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Stefan — February 25, 2016 at 9:31 pm Reply
DelOYSHUS!!! Absolutely doing this for Sunday brunch, thanks for the inspiration! My girlfriend and I use Infinity Jars to keep all our spices super fresh, check them out!
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Mel @ The Refreshanista — February 24, 2016 at 9:09 pm Reply
Oh yum! Totally love this idea for any meal of the day :) and I totally agree, everything is better in a skillet! I finally got one and I’m obsessed!
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Julie @ Cooks with Cocktails — February 23, 2016 at 10:57 am Reply
I am so with you. Everything tastes better in miniature form and in a skillet! I love huevos rancheros, but I never make it at home. I need to change that…
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Tally — February 23, 2016 at 1:45 am Reply
Fantastic!!
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Alexa [fooduzzi.com] — February 22, 2016 at 8:37 pm Reply
Ooooooh my goodness. These sound incredible! Love that you made them in their own cute little single-serve skillets, too!
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Larry Sombke — February 22, 2016 at 4:31 pm Reply
Taylor and Lindsay — Love your recipe and idea for cooking the huevos rancheros in a skillet. If you are really interested in a short cut sauce, try Larry’s Southwestern Ranchero Sauce, an all-natural ranchero sauce that I invented when I was a chef in a natural foods restaurant. I produce Larry’s Ranchero Sauce in Austin, TX and I would be happy to send you a sample.
Larry -
genevieve @ gratitude & greens — February 22, 2016 at 11:26 am Reply
I totally agree that food made in a skillet tastes way better! There’s something magical about it ;)
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Katrina — February 22, 2016 at 9:01 am Reply
So flipping easy!! Definitely saving this for a lazy (hungover?) Saturday!
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Cheese and Chinese — February 22, 2016 at 5:35 am Reply
I’m seeing these skillet meals everywhere lately and all I can think is I need one in my life RIGHT NOW! Love the look of this, wish I hadn’t already had breakfast! I guess it could work for dinner too, of course..
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Lindsay — February 22, 2016 at 8:31 am Reply
You know I’m *always* in favor of breakfast for dinner. :)
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