Healthy Huevo Rancheros – These Eggs Are No Yolk!
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Huevos rancheros are a quick and easy traditional Mexican breakfast that make a great healthy option for vegetarians.
If you want to know how to make huevos rancheros, try this recipe, easy to make and healthy as anything.
If you haven’t heard of huevos rancheros before, they are kind of like a Mexican shakshuka.
All you have to do is prepare a spicy tomato sauce, crack a couple of eggs over it and cook them until the whites are done and the yolk is still runny. Delicious!
Our huevos rancheros recipe is served with corn tortillas, avocados, black beans and our chef Abril’s grandma’s radish pickle!
If you’re looking to lose weight, these Mexican breakfast eggs are a fab dish to add to your meal plan, because they will fill you up with all the good stuff and keep you full through to lunch, so you don’t have to snack between meals.
Subscribe to get our FREE 7-Day Vegetarian High Protein Meal Plan for Weight Loss
Huevos rancheros: an eggs-tremely healthy dish!
We think that these Mexican eggs are a super healthy veggie breakfast or lunch, perfect for firing you up before a work-out or re-energising you after one (and if you like this vegetarian brunch and lunch egg recipes too!).
It is very easy for vegetarians to not get enough protein once they cut out meat and fish. However, protein is super important for many reasons, including for muscle maintenance and energy levels, so it’s vital that you keep on top of it.
Eggs are a great source of protein for vegetarians – one egg contains between 6-8g of protein. They also keep you feeling full.
These are not the only benefits of eating eggs – eggs have so many benefits, from vitamins b-12 and A which contribute to brain health, to choline which lowers the risk of heart disease!
If you want more delicious egg dishes, why not try some baked eggs in spinach and tomatoes, or tasty breakfast egg muffins.
Beans beans, good for the heart…
Our huevos rancheros recipe also contains a healthy portion of black beans, because we are not going to let any of our readers miss out on any of their protein!
Legumes are pretty fundamental to a vegetarian diet as a source not only of protein, but also of carbs, fibre and heart healthy nutrients such as antioxidants and magnesium.
That powerful combination of eggs and beans is one of the reasons we would recommend these easy huevos rancheros as part of a weight loss meal plan.
By eating such a nutritious, fibrous, protein-packed dish, you can make the most out of your daily calorie intake and ensure that the food you eat fuels you for as long as possible.
If you want to learn more about weight loss as a vegetarian, check out our vegetarian weight loss e-book and vegetarian weight loss course (yeah, this is kind of our thing!).
Toasty tortillas and awesome avos
Traditional huevos rancheros are served on a corn tortilla. This means they are naturally gluten free, which is great news for any coeliacs or gluten-intolerant folks out there!
The corn tortilla lends a nutty flavour to the dish, which complements the sharp, spicy tomato sauce.
We include avocado in our huevos rancheros recipe, because they are super healthy and delicious.
Adding half an avocado to your breakfast adds a whole load of nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C and folate, alongside plenty of fibre and unsaturated fats, to keep you full for as long as possible.
Avocados can help you lose weight as well! If you want to learn how, have a read of our article on avocados and weight loss.
Top tips and quick fixes
There are few things you can do to make sure your huevos rancheros are as tasty as possible!
Why not add a bit of paprika to the tomatoes for a smokier flavour? Or some red pepper, for extra veg and a bit of crunch?
If you want to up the heat levels in your huevos rancheros, a drizzle of hot sauce would be the perfect addition.
Furthermore, if you’re struggling to cook the eggs without burning the sauce, pop a lid on the pan for a bit, to help them on their way.
Finally, if you’re not a fan of the runny yolk, you can always whack them under the grill for a bit, to heat them from the top and harden the yolk!
We’re sure this will be your new favourite Mexican breakfast recipe (and probably one of your favorite egg recipes for breakfast too!)!
Ingredients
Pickles
- 2 radishes
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
Huevos Rancheros
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- ½ red onion (finely diced)
- 1 jalapeño (seeded and chopped)
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes (canned)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup black beans (canned)
- 2 corn tortillas
- ½ ripe avocado (sliced and seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice)
- 1 sprig cilantro/coriander, fresh
Instructions
For the pickles
- Make the quick radish pickle: Finely slice the radish and place into a small bowl.2 radishes
- In a small pan, heat the white vinegar, sugar and salt.¼ cup white vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, Salt to taste
- Once the sugar and salt have dissolved and the vinegar begins to boil, pour the liquid into the sliced radish bowl and store in the fridge.
Huevos Rancheros
- In a medium sized non-stick pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and turn the heat to low. Sauté the onion until the pieces are soft.1 tsp olive oil, ½ red onion
- Add the chopped garlic and half the chopped jalapeño and continue cooking until the edges of veggies begin to brown.1 clove garlic, 1 jalapeño
- Add the crushed tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste, mix and cook for about one minute. If it feels slightly dry, add a tablespoon of water.Salt and pepper to taste, ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- Crack the eggs into the sauce and cook at low heat until the whites are cooked. If necessary, cover the pan with a lid for about a minute to cook the egg whites completely. However, avoid over-cooking the egg yolk – make sure it remains runny. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.2 large eggs
- Heat the corn tortillas and black beans. I've found the beans work well in a small pan or in the microwave. You can also mix the beans into the tomato sauce if you wish. The tortilla I usually give a couple of minutes in the oven.2 corn tortillas, ¾ cup black beans
- Immediately serve the eggs with the tomato sauce on top of the tortillas with a side of black beans, sliced avocado and radish pickles.½ ripe avocado
- Sprinkle the remaining chopped jalapeño, cilantro leaves and enjoy.1 sprig cilantro/coriander, fresh
NOTES
Nutrition
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
Abril Macías
Creator of this wonderful recipe!
I am a culinary creator and food photographer from Quito, Ecuador. I have a Master’s degree in New Food Thinking and a Bachelor’s degree in Gastronomy, my expertise lies in crafting and capturing creative dishes. Collaborating with websites and blogs worldwide, I develop recipes and bring them to life through captivating photographs.
I dedicate my work in the kitchen and through the lens to explore food from different backgrounds, origins and diets. I would describe my style as “comfort food with a twist”. My goal is to create recipes that are homely, yet attractive, delicious and have something different and exiting to them.
This article has been medically reviewed by James LeBaigue MSc Learn More
James LeBaigue MSc
James has a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Human Nutrition.
He loves combining his scientific knowledge along with food in the real world, and these recipes are the result.
He’s on top of all the latest evidence and guidelines to make sure our nutrition advice on the website is as accurate as it can be.
By day he works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in a busy NHS GP Practice.
Each recipe is tested and then eaten (much to James’ delight), many times before it is deemed worthy to be published. Bon appetit!
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