Chef Juan Lugo shows us the real deal – this classic rendition of huevos rancheros, served at Carnation Café in Disneyland park. His rendition of this satisfying Mexican breakfast dish is a hearty stack of refried black beans, corn tortillas, cheese, poached eggs, warm ranchero salsa and avocado-black bean pico de gallo.
Chef Lugo shows you how to create the kicky ranchero salsa and put together one of our favorite “brinner” recipes – breakfast for dinner.
Huevos Rancheros
Serves 6
Refried Beans
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans black beans
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1 Serrano pepper
Ranchero Sauce
- 1/2 ounce dried Guajillo chile (about 2 chiles)
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup canned chipotle peppers (about 2-3 peppers)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1 Serrano pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
- Coarse salt, to taste
Avocado Black Bean Pico de Gallo
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted and diced
- 1 cup roasted corn kernels
- 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
- 3/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Poached Eggs
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 dozen eggs
Fried Tortillas
- 21 4-inch corn tortillas
- Vegetable oil, for frying
To Serve
- 6 tablespoons shredded cheddar-jack cheese
- Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish
For refried beans:
- Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and Serrano and cook until onions are tender.
- Add beans along with liquid from can, stirring to combine; cook 5 minutes. Remove and discard Serrano pepper. Mash half of the beans with the back of a spoon or a potato masher; continue to cook until thickened. Season to taste with salt.
For ranchero sauce:
- Rinse dried chile in running water. Break chile open and discard seeds and stem; use scissors to cut into strips.
- Combine chile, tomato juice, and vegetable broth in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer until pepper is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour mixture into a blender; add diced tomatoes and chipotle peppers. Puree until smooth.
- Heat oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat; add onions, Serrano, and dried oregano. Cook until tender; set aside to cool.
- Stir onion mixture into tomato-pepper purée. Season to taste with salt.
For avocado black bean pico de gallo:
Combine black beans, avocado, corn, tomatoes, onion, lime juice, and cilantro in a large bowl, stirring to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For fried tortillas:
- Cut 9 tortillas in half.
- Pour vegetable oil in a large, deep sauté pan to a depth of 1 inch. Place pan over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until oil shimmers.
- Add tortillas 1 at a time. (Bubbles should immediately form along edges of tortillas.) Cook until golden brown and crisp, pushing tortillas down into oil, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Add more oil to the pan as needed.
For poached eggs:
- Fill a shallow saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat until water is just simmering. Add vinegar.
- Working with one egg at a time, crack an egg into a small dish. Carefully slide egg into hot water and use a spoon to nudge whites close to yolk, keeping egg together. Cover pan and turn off the heat; cook until egg whites are cooked, about 4 minutes.
- Remove cooked eggs with a slotted spoon; place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain away excess water.
To serve:
Spoon about 1/2 cup beans in the center of each serving plate. Top with 2 fried tortillas and sprinkle each with cheese. Top each tortilla with a poached egg, then spoon Ranchero Sauce and Avocado Black Bean Pico de Gallo over top. Garnish with halved fried tortillas and cilantro sprigs.