Huevos Rancheros from Carnation Café at Disneyland Park

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:

  1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and Serrano and cook until onions are tender.
  2. 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:

  1. Rinse dried chile in running water. Break chile open and discard seeds and stem; use scissors to cut into strips.
  2. 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.
  3. Heat oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat; add onions, Serrano, and dried oregano. Cook until tender; set aside to cool.
  4. 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:

  1. Cut 9 tortillas in half.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:

  1. Fill a shallow saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat until water is just simmering. Add vinegar.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.