Huevos Rancheros Cups with Green Chile Avocado Sauce

If you've been reading this food blog for very long then you have probably already recognized this, but most of the recipes you find here are the recipes that I use on an everyday basis in my family kitchen. There are some exceptions, some once-in-a-while desserts or extra special dishes that only get made for holidays or occasions. However, most of the time, the food I'm writing about is what's rotating in and out of our regular repertoire.

This particular recipe, Huevos Rancheros Cups with Green Chile Avocado Sauce, is a recipe that I adapted from Cornerstone Cooking several years ago and it's been on the permanent menu ever since. It works in every season and we've been known to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and even dinner.

Living in New Mexico, really good Huevos Rancheros are easy to come by. During graduate school here, I think I tried the huevos rancheros on every menu in town so I feel pretty confident in saying that I know a good huevos batch when I see one.

There are a hundred different ways to make this famous rural Mexican dish, but I've finally settled on my favorite and most often used ingredients. Black beans (though pinto work too). Green Chile (but you can always choose red). Corn tortillas (or at least a corn + wheat flour blend). Lot's of cilantro. Tomatoes (fresh in the summer, canned in the winter).  And the creamy avocado sauce to step it up a little bit. I throw in spinach because I'm a mom (moms and spinach are notorious) and the kids never even notice it in a loaded Mexican dish like this one.

This is the recipe that we make for breakfast when we have a little extra time and want something more than granola or oatmeal. These Huevos Rancheros make a really great, quick lunch - especially when you have a friend over and you want to serve up something nice but easy. These Huevos even make a really great dinner when the clock hits 5:30 and you realize that there's nothing much to eat. 

These Huevos Rancheros come with my highest endorsement: the kids love them, I love them, and they are really easy. When I tell you we've made them hundreds of times there isn't even a stretch of exaggeration. I feel like I say this often on the blog, but only because it's true. Three meals a day, five mouths to feed. You know how it is.

Yield: 4

Huevos Rancheros Cups with Green Chile Avocado Sauce

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• pinch of ground cumin
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cayenne
• generous pinch of red chile powder
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
• ⅓ cup chopped baby spinach (optional)
• 4 corn tortillas (or a corn/wheat blend), warmed slightly just before use
• ½ cup cheese, grated (cheddar or jack)
• 4 large eggs
• ½ cup diced tomatoes, for serving

For the Sauce

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• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 cup green chile sauce or salsa verde (see note)
• juice from ½ a lime
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush four ramekins with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the black beans, 1 tablespoon oil, spices, lime juice, cilantro and spinach.
3. Press the lightly warmed tortillas down into the ramekins to create tortilla cups. Press gently to avoid tearing the tortillas. Spoon an even amount of the bean mixture into each tortilla cup. Cover bean mixture with grated cheese and then crack an egg over the top of each cup.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until egg whites are cooked through but yolks are still runny or soft, as desired.
5. Meanwhile, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.
6. After removing ramekins from oven, cool slightly then remove tortilla cups gently. Top huevos rancheros with tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and green chile avocado sauce.

Notes

I use local Tio Frank's New Mexican Green Chile Sauce