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Baked Huevos Rancheros

March 16, 2008

I sometimes feel like the things I cook taste exactly like the combined raw ingredients — there’s no synergy that happens in the cooking to elevate the dish beyond the sum of its parts. Tonight’s dinner totally breaks that mold — I loved how the cinnamon, cumin, cloves, and cilantro combined with the tomatoes to make an unexpectedly bold and flavorful sauce.

This recipe can feed 8 adults when a salad and brown rice are served alongside, so don’t freak out about the dozen eggs and pound of cheese, please.

Baked Huevos Rancheros
Adapted from Doug Horn’s Deep Pan Huevos Rancheros in Penzeys One

olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
4 whole cloves
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
12 corn tortillas, at room temperature
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
12 eggs
16 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Saute onion and garlic in a large skillet with a little bit of olive oil. As they start to caramelize, add cumin, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Then add tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Take pan off the heat and mix in the cilantro; set aside. Don’t forget to remove the cloves!

Grease 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Gently overlap the tortillas so they completely line your baking dish, covering the bottom and the sides of the casserole. Spread the drained black beans over the tortillas. Then spread the sauce on top.

With a spoon, make a dozen evenly-spaced indentations in the sauce (in a 3 x 4 grid) and crack an egg into each hollow. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until eggs are set. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Filed under: Veggie Mains