I have never met an intersection of tortillas and salsa and cheese and eggs I did not love excessively, or at minimum, could leave a restaurant where it was on the menu without ordering. Things were relatively controlled between the earliest iteration of huevos rancheros on this site, to a still-favorite, almost shakshuka-ish baked eggs in ranchero sauce with beans, a cheesy broiled lid, and strips of fried tortilla chips in my first cookbook. But it was during a brief trip to Mexico City two years ago that my obsession really went off the rails as I realized I’d need a month to get through all the glorious ways to eat eggs/salsa/tortillas, see also: huevos revueltos al gusto, rancheros mexicanos, divorciados, motuleños, al albañil, and ahogados, not to mention chilaquiles.
Actually, let’s talk about chilaquiles. Fried tortillas are smothered with red or green salsa and simmered, then topped with shredded chicken, refried beans, or eggs, followed by crema and crumbled cheese and it’s quite amazing on any plate, at any time, anywhere, but when my friend made us this casserole-d version for brunch on New Year’s Day, I threatened to never leave. [Also there was champagne, freshly baked cinnamon buns, and not a single person discussing a cleanse or resolution, praise be.]
Hardly authentic but no less delicious despite this, you’re going to want to fry corn tortillas until they’re crisp, smother them in enchilada or ranchero sauce, homemade or storebought (I’ll walk you through some options below), cheese, and beans, and bake it for a bit before adding eggs on top and baking them until they’re perfect. We had this for dinner with a quick slaw, but if you want to save it for a weekend brunch, well, just let me know what time to bring the cinnamon rolls.
Previously
One year ago: A Really Great Pot Of Chickpeas
Two years ago: Shaved Asparagus Frittata and Palm Springs Date Shake + Monkey Flip
Three years ago: Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Crispy Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic, Not Derby Pie Bars
Four years ago: Blue Sky Bran Muffins
Five years ago: Spring Vegetable Potstickers
Six years ago: Cinnamon Toast French Toast
Seven years ago: Sour Cream Cornbread with Aleppo and Ribboned Asparagus Salad
Eight years ago: Lime Yogurt Cake with Blackberry Sauce, Blue Cheese Scallion Drop Biscuits, and Creamed Chard and Spring Onions
Nine years ago: Buttermilk Ice Cream and Black Bread
Ten years ago: Caramelized Shallots and Chocolate Walnut Cookies
Eleven years ago: Chicken Empanadas with Chorizo and Corniest Corn Muffins
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Bakery-Style Butter Cookies
1.5 Years Ago: Russian Honey Cake
2.5 Years Ago: Baked Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Ragu and Twinkie Bundt
3.5 Years Ago: Homemade Harissa
4.5 Years Ago: Lazy Pizza Dough + Favorite Margherita Piza
Chilaquiles Brunch Casserole
Red enchilada sauce (also known as salsa roja or salsa roja para enchiladas) is a tomato and chili sauce. Most readily available in a can in the U.S., which works fine here, it’s not hard to make at home at all. If you want to tackle a homemade version, here are a few leads (this last one has the fewest, and probably easiest to get, ingredients). I made one from garlic, onion, dried chiles (all ancho/passila, in an attempt at mildness), broth, and some oregano, cooking and blending them and the end result was absolutely delicious but way too hot for my kids to eat, and since I didn’t want them to throw their dinner in the garbage and cry, I then used the canned stuff instead and we used the sauce as an extra condiment. C’est la vie.
- 12 small (6-inch) corn tortillas, quartered and fried until crisp
- 1 1/4 cups (from a 10-ounce can) red enchilada sauce [see Note]
- 1 3/4 cups (from a 15-ounce can) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups (8 ounces) coarsely grated shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese (I used a mix)
- 6 to 8 large eggs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Thinly sliced scallions, sour cream, diced avocado, and hot sauce, to finish and serve
Coat a 3-quart baking dish (mine was 7.5-x-11.5 inches) with oil or a nonstick spray. Spread 1/4 of tortillas in bottom of dish. Drizzle/scatter with 1/4 (eyeballing it) of enchilada sauce, followed by black beans and cheese. Repeat 3 times. Bake for 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and tortillas have softened a little. Remove from oven to a cooling rack (leaving oven on) and use a spoon or fork to push little nests into the tortillas where you’d like each egg to go (it won’t fully hold it, but will help them stay in place). Crack 6 to 8 eggs into them, however many you’d like to use, season the eggs with salt and pepper and return casserole to the oven until the whites of the eggs are opaque but not fully set.
[“What? Deb, that’s gross!” you’re thinking right now but trust me, I’ve made dozens of baked egg casseroles and they all end up with hard-cooked yolks. Letting the whites finish cooking in the residual heat is the only way to avoid it. If you take it out when the whites are set, the residual heat will solidify the yolks.]
Remove from oven and let rest on a rack for (about) 4 to 8 minutes, after which the whites should be fully set but the yolks still runny and serve with finishes of your choice.
I had chilaquiles at a brunch place a couple of weeks ago and was just trying to find a recipe to try for a low key Cinco de Mayo with my boyfriend. You always seem to know exactly what I’m looking for, thank you!
I love chilaquiles! I’d been so deprived since leaving southern CA, until I found Melissa Clark’s recipe in Dinner which is so, so easy. I’m definitely going to try this 5e next time I make tortilla chips, but with my favorite, salsa verde.
I love chilaquiles, too, especially semi-raw eggs on the top.
Just made this… delicious, but could not get the whites to set outside of the oven, so we had hard yolks. Not sure what went wrong, other than possible hot spots in my oven (1 or 2 of the eggs behaved appropriately)… still something I would make again. Another thought is that the internal temp of the dish might affect it as the middle would not be as hot as the edge, so even when I took it out, the middle was not hot enough to finish cooking the whites… ? Maybe? Not sure how to correct that, except to bake it longer before the eggs go on so it is hotter internally. We added chorizo so that may have affected how long to bake it. I think we had it in the oven almost 20 min initially. Anyway, just thought I’d share. I tend to think as I write so you get my long ramblings. :) I will make this again for sure and figure it out! Thanks so much for all the recipes!
Baking the eggs on top?! 🙌 Why haven’t I thought of this?!!! We LOVE chilaquiles and don’t make them nearly often enough because for some reason that final step of poaching the eggs for the top was just a bridge too far most mornings. So excited for tomorrow morning to come now!
Could I make this and bring it to a work brunch? My concern is the eggs being less than delicious if the casserole has been sitting out for 30 min or so…thoughts? Could I scramble the eggs?
30 minutes should be fine, but if it’s warm the whole time, the eggs will probably fully cook.
You could poach the eggs in advance, and stop the cooking with an ice-water bath. Leave them in the water – they’ll keep this way for a day or two — until ready to eat, then drain. At work, boil a (different) glass of water in microwave. Drop the poached eggs in the hot water for 30-60 seconds to warm them through. Drain, and add eggs to the chilaquiles.
If I were to want to make this last two meals, would I bake two meals worth of eggs in it the first time, or would they be kinda unappetizing after they were reheated? Or maybe easier would be to make it with one meal’s worth of eggs and just cook the eggs separately for the second meal? Also, as another option, I have used the enchilada sauce listed in this recipe: http://thefitchen.com/chicken-and-roasted-pepper-enchiladas-with-creamy-cauliflower-sauce/ and it worked really well for my spice-adverse husband.
You could definitely bake on 2 eggs at a time.
This looks sooooo good! However, and I really hate to be *that* person, I am not a fan of eggs (I know… sorry!) – could/should I leave them off and have a tasty chilaquiles casserole, or need I search for another recipe?
I used to go to a restaurant that served their chilaquiles with scrambled eggs, so you could try scrambled tofu, but I think they real solution would be to increase the beans or add chicken, and don’t skimp on the avocado.
I can’t with soft yolks, it is just too gross for me. So the idea of scrambled eggs is excellent!! Thank you!
I am also that person….I really want to like eggs, but I haven’t since I was a kid. (it’s a shame because I don’t eat that much meat). I love the idea of adding more beans or adding some chicken. Deb, this looks amazing.
I don’t see why not. You could add some meat or cooked vegetables to the layers, just do the avocado or maybe sliced radishes on top for garnish.
Thank you so much for all the kind answers to my stupid question!
No stupid questions here!
So, reporting back re: eggless chilaquiles casserole. Added shredded rotisserie chicken to the layers as some suggested, followed recipe otherwise. We really liked the result and will be making again, with or without chicken.
This sounds delicious, but it really doesn’t sound anything like chilaquiles. Sounds more like really delicious breakfast nachos.
How much oil did you fry the tortillas in? And for about how long? It would be nice to add this step to the recipe or in a note since I think many people may not be familiar with this process. Thanks.
I don’t want to speak for Deb regarding her frying methods, but an alternative to frying the tortillas is to bake them. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake for about 10-12 minutes. The end result has the same crunchy, slightly-greasy (in a good way) texture but without the mess of frying.
…thanks for this suggestion. My son loves chilaquiles but I seldom made them because frying the tortillas was just TOO greasy for us. Then I discovered that one can just use tortilla chips and the whole thing became something he learned to make. But baking them sounds more authentic!! gracias.
I heated about 1/4 to 1/2″ of a high-heat oil (I used solid Crisco, but peanut oil or safflower/sunflower/canola would be fine here) and dropped in a few at a time (there’s a picture up top, the skillet was smallish so I didn’t have to use as much oil) over medium-high and they cook in about 1 minute per side. Scoop them out, drain them on paper towels. You can lightly season them with salt when they’re hot but I didn’t do it consistently.
Would something horrible happen if you made these without the enchilada sauce? Would you lose too much of the flavor?
I love the overall concept, but I can’t eat anything acidic or spicy.
Chilaquiles without enchilada sauce is basically just nachos with eggs.
Which sounds delicious, imho
Can you use green enchilada sauce? Not a fan of red. Would it taste as good?
I’m sure it will be!
My favorite dish. Thank you for this!!!
Ohhhhh thank you thank you! I can’t wait to try this.
I want to add chorizo also should I precook chorizo!!
YES!!!!!
Love it! I am just getting into eggs thanks to your fried egg and soft boiled eggs. Wait- your kiddos eat Chilaquiles ? Why am I not surprised?
P.S: What kind of pan is this? Looks beautiful!
Lol, my older kid eats them. My daughter won’t eat the eggs, but nibbled at the rest of it, which is about as much as we get out of her most days.
This is the baking dish; it’s enameled cast iron and very heavy.
Deb, if you ever get the bug up your butt to post a enchilada sauce recipe, I’d be forever indebted. I’ve yet to find one that I’m truly happy with. And I’ve been craving “wet burritos” for too many moons. Looking forward to this casserole! Fingers crossed I get the sauce right this time!
Hi Molly,
I’m not Deb but this is my mom’s recipe — good, simple Tex Mex. It’s quick and about 100 times better than canned.
2 TBL flour
2 TBL oil (I use olive but my mom uses canola)
2 garlic cloves minced
8 oz tomato sauce
15 oz broth (I use vegetable but you can use chicken or beef)
2 TBL chili powder (approximately 2 but really, to taste). You can use whatever you can get in your area. I like New Mexico and Ancho but will also just use grocery store chili powder.
2 tsp ground cumin
Instructions:
Heat oil and add flour to make a roux until deep brown. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and broth. Stir in chili powder and cumin and simmer for 15 minutes.
That’s it! It is tasty and so simple my teenagers make it.
Thank you so much!!
What store bought enchilada sauce do you like? I tend to buy Old El Paso but wondering if there’s something better.
I don’t have a favorite because my store had one brand, Casa Fiesta (I remember this because I thought it was a terrible name, lol, I guess you can tell this isn’t sponsored) and it totally worked fine here but I’m sure there’s better out there. It was definitely mild, could be spruced up with a splash or three of hot sauce or a spoonful of chipotle puree.
I lay no claims to its authenticity but I really like Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce. I will be using it in this recipe tonight!
I don’t know if you have a Wegmans nearby, but they have their own brand of enchilada sauce that was really tasty! https://www.wegmans.com/products/international-foods/american-mexican-foods/sauce/red-chile-sauce.html
Rick Bayless makes some great “skillet sauces” in pouches that I plan on using for this recipe– my local grocer carries them in the salsa section.
Rosarita brand is great, it’s certainly got some heat to it. Sometimes i stir in a bit of plain tomato sauce to tame it.
Oh boy and just in time! The only thing I have a problem with is waiting 4 to 8 minutes after taking it out of the oven…ha ha ha. Have a gang coming for dinner tomorrow evening and this will be perfecto! And isn’t today Cinco de Mayo! Good way to celebrate.
Just made this for breakfast, and it was so delicious!! Will definitely be making it again!
I just saw this and I have all of the ingredients..so guess what I am having for breakfast! Yum!
Thank you for your delightful writing. It’s been a rough morning and your beautiful food and words remind me where my sanity lies!
Does anyone have any ideas for something to replace the beans? I absolutely loathe beans, which sucks because I know they are such a great source of protein.
You can omit the beans.
Any pre-cooked meat would be great: chorizo, shredded rotisserie chicken, beef, chicken sausage… on and on. If you can tolerate lentils, that would work for a vegetarian version. Or, yeah, I’d just omit them.
This looks delicious……I’ve been making Chiliquiles for years. Basically the same with a few alterations. I put it together the night before. Fry the tortillas, layer with red sauce and cheese, adding the beans would be fabulous!! I scramble my eggs with milk, salt and pepper and pour over the casserole. Cover and refrigerate over night. In the morning, pop into the 350 degree oven for 45 mins. Uncover, add a bit more cheese and continue to cook until the cheese melts. Soaking in the eggs overnight causes the tortillas to get nice and soft; like a Mexican Lasagna. So good.
Can this be prepped the night before a brunch? If so, how much longer would I have to bake it?
Thank you!
Does this freeze/store well? I’m consider doing this as an easy breakfast hack.
wondering the same!! Seems like would tough on the eggs, but maybe not?
Yummy, looks awesome!!
How long does it go back in the oven to get the eggs close? I’m seriously up to 1/2 hour here and getting really impatient to eat them but the whites aren’t even close.
I’m having the same issue. Taking way longer than the recipe says!
This sounds fantastic. It will be on my list for dinner sometime this week. Thanks for this.
How long after you crack the eggs, Until the whites are opaque? I’m cracking the oven every 5 minutes and wondering….
Stop cracking the oven; you’re letting all the heat out, and prolonging the cooking time.
Forget work. I want this RIGHT now. (PS This dish is known through out Mexico for its amazing hangover curative powers. Seriously.)
You cannot make this without Salsa, I don’t think ordinary sauce can give the same taste. Looks really delicious from the pictures, thanks for sharing!
Chilaquiles are a desert island food for me. My favorite are found in Sunnyside, at a Mexican breakfast joint called The Haab. Get the green sauced ones. I had the ones at Atla last summer which were good, but I prefer the ones in Queens. Last summer was when I realized I could be making my own with all the tomatilloes I’d pick at the farm share. Hope to post the recipe this summer – pickled onions, green chile sauce – it’s truly a magnificent dish. Happy brunching!
Sunday, 11 am PET. Bring the kids.
Made it last night, to rave reviews from my companion. Made one change: I amped up my canned enchilada sauce by chopping up an onion, a red bell pepper, a jalapeno, and some garlic, and sautéing that in a pot before adding in the canned sauce, which I simmered for a while and then whirred up with an immersion blender. I wasn’t hard to do and think it improved the flavor of the canned sauce. I did everything else exactly as written, including baking the casserole for 15 minutes before adding the eggs, and then baking again until the egg whites are opaque. The recipe does not say how long that part will take, but it took my oven another full 15 minutes to get the whites cooked, so a total of about 30 minutes of baking altogether. I let it sit on the counter for another almost 10 minutes before eating; Deb was right that the residual heat out of the oven finishes off the egg whites and keeps yolks runny. But, next time, I might try laying a sheet of tin foil on the pan for the last 5 minutes of baking, to see if the tops of the eggs will get a little it more firm. While they were white, they were still a little jelly-like for my preference, but again… BF absolutely loved it.
Sounds yummy.
But how do you serve 8 if you go with the 6 eggs
Works if you have 2 kids who don’t eat eggs!
If you don’t want to serve partial eggs, you can definitely fit 8 eggs on top.
How does it serve eight? Shouldn’t everyone get an egg?
nice dish for brunch. really awsome dishes you have over here. nice collectin and blog….
excellent post.
This looks totally delicious. I’m going to make it on the weekend. Can’t wait. I love this combination of ingredients – just like you! I can’t resist it.
Boy do I love some Mexican Chilaquiles! Delicious! I am so going to try this recipe this weekend, thanks!
Made this for dinner tonight, and had to force myself to stop eating it. Baked the tortillas (per an earlier comment), but otherwise made as written. Baked for 15 mins without eggs, and then close to 20 with eggs on top. Probably could have baked a few min less – the yolks weren’t runny enough for my preference. Thanks, Deb! This one is going in the rotation!
My son broke his arm this week and cooking was the last thing on my mind. By some miracle, we had all the ingredients for this recipe in the fridge in the exact quantity needed. I confess that I made it for dinner, not brunch, and It was just the comfort food we needed. Not one crumb was leftover. It’s perfection.
I made this today for an early Mother’s Day brunch and it was great. I baked the tortillas in the oven following the instructions from the comments and burned the heck out of them. I put another batch in for a few minutes less and also burned the heck out of those! I grumpily gave up and went out and bought Mission tortilla chips instead. Everybody absolutely loved it. In the future, tortilla chips it is.
We had it alongside home fries with peppers and onions, bacon, the Perfect Blueberry Muffins from the cookbook, and some fruit salad, and out of all of that food I had one blueberry muffin left — which I ate just now, lucky me. Thanks for making me look like a really good cook, Deb!
Try their organic chips they are delicious I’m going to try this with those.
Love Chilaquiles!! I don’t know why I never combined these into a casserole with the eggs just set on top! Genius! I used my aunt’s home-made spicy red Chile sauce to make (no tomatoes).
10-12 qty – Mixture of Guajillo, Red New Mexico Dried Chile’s and some Chile árbol. Seeds & stems removed. 1/2 – chopped onion. 2 garlics, 2 tsp oregano (crush in your palm), 2-3 cups water and 1-2 cups chicken broth, salt & pepper to taste.
Toast the chiles til aromatic, soften the Chiles in the water. Once softened remove Chiles and discard water. To a blender add softened Chiles, oregano, salt pepper, onion, garlic and chicken broth. Blend til smooth and strain through a sieve into a sauté pan with some oil. Cook Chile sauce to desired thickness.
Made this for Mother’s Day brunch yesterday to rave reviews all around. Went the convenience route, garnished with cilantro and avocado. Followed directions and the dish came off without a single hitch. I’m making 2 pans next time, it was that good and there wasn’t enough for our leftover dinner last night!
Made this for Mother’s Day brunch, omitted the beans per guests’ request, it was still fabulous!! Next time I’m adding pintos for myself. So scrumptious and simple, a few dishes of Cholula and Ay Caramba!!!
What a wonderful week night dinner! I made this with pinto beans since that’s all I had, and forgot to grease the pan and it was still lovely. We will definitely have this again soon. My toddler even ate most of a portion!
My husband makes super-easy chilaquiles for us on average of once every week or two. I taught him the basic recipe — just chips, enchilada sauce, eggs, and cheese — he memorised it, and it only takes about 20 minutes total [he’s really not a cook, so that’s something]. We use store-bought chips, canned enchilada sauce [we prefer the Meijer store brand; tried Old El Paso again recently and it was way too sweet!], and scramble the eggs with some of the chips before simmering. Then we add lots of garlic, black olives, and, lately, some garbanzos — that’s majorly filling. Once we mixed in avocado when it was finished cooking and that was good too. It’s our go-to easy lunch/dinner when we can’t be bothered making an elaborate or time-consuming meal.
Is there a PRINT version of your recipes?
There is a print icon that leads to a print template at the bottom of each recipe, where it says “DO MORE:” You can also click CTRL + P from any recipe post and it will take you to a streamlined print template.
So easy, so satisfying. I made this for my own Mother’s Day brunch. (A Mom can eat what she wants, right?). Might spice it up with garlic and jalapeños next time. I recommend a blob of guacamole on top. Thanks for a great recipe!
Oh wow! This looks so yummy! I love tortillas but I never tried chilaquiles. Need to try this as soon as possible!
Thank you!
We don’t get enough of these types of recipes in the UK, I think we could open a restaurant on the back of dishes like these – plus, the pictures were much easier to follow than text (I can’t retain the text :-)
Many thanks for your work,,
Just finished eating this for dinner, it was great! Bonus, I scrambled up one of the eggs into the casserole (my tortillas sort of fell apart) called it “egg taco casserole” and my kids even ate it.
We were just in Mexico and I had chilaquiles for breakfast several times– they are so good! I am excited to try out this recipe and make them for myself. Thanks!
This was fridays dinner. Baked the tortilla as another commenter(s) suggested. This is insanely easy and has so few ingredients but tastes like good, solid comfort food. We reheated and ate it for two days with no problem-still delicious. We initially baked it with only the eggs we planned to eat on the first sitting. Subsequently we just left eggs out, topped with avocado and cilantro after reheating it. I’ll make again just bc of how easy it is. In the future will add more beans and I’d like to exoermeient w adding veggies (diced onion? Zucchini?)
Also just a heads up, if you have a Mexican market nearby, you can get chilaquiles style tortilla chips already fried- they are labeled as such. Perfect if you are wanting to make this for a crowd and minimize prep.
Great tip; I hadn’t realized. Are they less crispy than tortilla chips or just larger?
Very large rounds, crispy and salty. I can find them at my local LA Smart and Final.
This looks awesome! Can’t wait to try it. Has anyone tried covering/tenting with foil to help eggs set quicker?
I’ve spent a lot of time in the Yucatan and so have had my fair share of chilaquiles, but I often find them a bit too dry for breakfast food (I call them breakfast nachos!). But this looks like a much more delicious take on chilaquiles that will solve that! Brilliant!
Have you had the breakfast burritos from the Donkey Cart in Chelsea Market? I worked across the street and one of the best parts was getting a burrito in the morning. Now that I am outside of the city would like to recreate at home if I can, but I am fairly stumped on the sauce and that sauce is amazing!!!!!
Any chance you might take this on as a project or have a follower who has recreated?
I have not but please know how little encouragement I need to go eat a breakfast burrito — I’m on it!
Deb, you did it again!! Your recipes are always amazing. Chilaquiles are one of my must-order menu items but I hadn’t found a recipe to make at home that was quite right. I made this tonight for dinner and it was perfect – and so easy! Thank you!
We eat chilaqueles poolside whenever We Visit Cancun. I am very excited to bring the flavors into my kitchen!
Made this with the leftover verde sauce from this recipe (which was delicious btw!) and it was very tasty!
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chipotle-rubbed-chicken-sheet-pan-dinner/amp
I made this, and the eggs took foreeeeever to set. I’m talking 30 minutes. Is that how long yours took? The recipe doesn’t really say.
No, mine usually take less than 15 minutes.
I was planning to this for dinner, and then realized someone poured out the enchilada sauce I had leftover from a previous recipe. I do have salsa verde on hand {and really don’t feel like going to the store}. I know the taste will be different, but I’ve seen lots of chilaquiles recipes using it. What do you think about the substitution?
I would definitely use the salsa verde! I’m sure it will be delicious.
I made this for dinner tonight, using store-bought tortilla chips, and salsa verde instead of enchilada sauce. We also like our eggs fully cooked, so I fried eggs, and laid them atop everyone’s servings. The family loved it!
Do you have recommendations for Brunch foods for hosting a brunch for a bunch of guys? Obviously, this would be a great option, but I am looking for something that they can put on a plate and walk around with and chase kids while all the women are at a baby shower. Cute scones and other brunch foods often seem so girly to me, but I may just be being immature on that. Any suggestions would be great! Cinnamon rolls? What savory item could be carried around (besides bacon)? Any other good recommendations? Thank you!
Definitely this. We’ve made the breakfast pizza (or pizzas) for playdates before. I haven’t made it as mini-calzones but it’s on my to-do list, if you’re feeling creative. The sheet pan quiche is pretty easy to eat with your hands because it’s so thin and vegetable-full. The chocolate-tahini buns are less heavy and goopy than most cinnamon rolls and all the men I know like chocolate more than women do, no matter what the Cathy cartoon told us. Oh, and these biscuits are so good and savory.
And always a big heap of bacon. (Okay, that’s for my toddler.) Btw, you can make bacon the day before and rewarm it — or, in a trick Shutterbean once taught me, get it already made from the breakfast bar at Whole Foods and rewarm it at home and then you don’t have grease/bacon splatter everywhere.
Gluten free recipes for me as I am coeliac. and in Australia so our flours are veery different from yours in the USA
Deb,
I made this last weekend. Not sure what’s up with me but I can never get eggs to bake correctly on top of a casserole in the oven. I was excited to follow your directions but using your time and temp. I had raw eggs I doubled the time still raw. I finally resorted to turning off and on the broiler as my family was sitting at the table waiting. Some eggs were done perfectly, mine still had some runny white which I can’t abide. Everything else was good but the dish was spoiled for me. Did you have your eggs at room temperature before you put them on the casserole?
I do not (mine were cold), but it’s okay to bake it longer if needed. Someone else mentioned theirs took longer too, although overall most people are finding their egg-baking time similar to mine.
We’ve lived and travelled through Mexico for the last year and chilaquiles has become one of my favs! Some of my adaptations: I use whatever sauce, usually in Mexico they ask if you want them rojo or verde (made with red or green sauce), I love green best for sure (luckily it’s everywhere here)! Chicken is a great substitute for eggs too. And I use meltable cheese (oaxaca generally) as opposed to the crumbles when making at home. We also do plain yogurt on top since sour cream is impossible to find and I’m not a huge fan of crema here.
Yours look scrumptious and love the onion and olive addition to the top!
tryed and i love it.
very good. more good recepies http://www.receptdomacekuhinje.com
I made a bit of a mash up version to use up things I had in my freezer – subbed in tomatillo salsa verde and layered in leftover shredded chicken. I also subbed in feta because it’s more like the cheese used in chilaquiles in Mexico which is what I was craving. I highly suggest topping with thinly sliced white onion, cilantro, and drizzled sour cream (put it in a ziploc bag with a little water or milk to thin it out and snip off a corner and then drizzle). The white onion really makes it taste like the real deal. We really enjoyed it and had it for several meals, just didn’t cook the eggs with it and instead fried to order each time we reheated the casserole.
Great recipe! Gotta try
Can’t wait to make this for our family reunion! Can you fry the tortillas the night before or is it best to do right before assembly. Thank you for all you do- a treasure!
I think you could fry them the night before for sure.
I’ve also used leftover tortilla chips plenty of times, works just fine.
I wish you could mention your favorite brand of enchilada sauce
Has anyone made this with flour tortillas instead of corn?
I think either will work but the corn will hold their crisp longer.
Fantastic! Easy to make and full of flavor. The eggs took quite a while to cook in the oven. Next time I’m making them on the stove and putting in the dish. (Eggs took about 20+min to cook in the dish.)
Delicious! I used Mission Restaurant style tortillas for quickness and also fried my eggs while casserole was baking (also because my family was waiting for breakfast). We really enjoyed this!
We have a dairy allergy in the family. If I attempt this without cheese, would you suggest I add extra sauce or make any other adjustments?
I think it will be fine to just skip it.
Dearest Deb, you never let me down and I tell EVERYONE all about it. I made this deliciousness this morning for my Mom’s birthday. Cheated by using Mission chips, but made homemade enchilada sauce. The baking time was perfect and even after being slightly reheated the eggs still ran a bit. Served it with avocado, green onions, and black olives. It was enjoyed by all and I can see a repeat of this for dinner very soon. Thank you!
Lalo! in Mexico City has the chilaquiles I have been dreaming of since we visited in January. I have never made them, and this recipe was such a good way to start. I forgot to make sturdy “nests” so my eggs migrated to the corners, but this had zero effect on our ability to tear into the pan with gusto. Gracias!
Excellent! I was worried about it being dry or not saucy enough, but it was just perfect.
Two tips/tweaks:
1) I used Elise Bauer’s guide on Simply Recipes for making the chips – basically the same instructions that Deb posted in a comment reply, but I needed a little more detailed guidance. It was SUPER easy. I used my dutch oven.
2) The eggs weren’t firming up as quickly as I liked, so I put them under the broiler for a few minutes to finish the casserole. That worked well!
My family and I loved this recipe. I used homemade refried black beans instead of canned beans. I made the enchilada sauce recipe from the CookieAndKate blog.
I loved it so much that I made a dinner version. Instead of eggs I made it with shredded chicken and frozen corn. Another winner.
I added lime zest to the top layer and it was a perfect pop with your tasty comfort food recipe.
This was tasty, a great way to use up dried out tortillas that no one is touching (kind of the point of the recipe). I had found some cubanell peppers at the farmers market and was planning to roast them and add with the beans; alas, I forgot. While it wasn’t super greasy, I would try baking the tortillas with cooking spray next time, since I didn’t find frying the tortillas added a whole lot (plus I’d rather not stand over the stove if I don’t have to). The eggs did take about 15 minutes to set, plus the time out of the oven.
Finally made this with some homemade tortillas gifted to us by a friend. Delicious! I wound up cooking the eggs for a bit with the oven on, and then turning it off to cook a bit longer. The residual heat theory mostly works, but I think the egg whites have to be fully opaque (rather than barely) and the yolks still jiggly.
I love this….however my Mexican food loving children and grandchildren hate those kinds of eggs. Could you suggest a better way possible cheese scrambled?? An thoughts?
I’ve made this for a breakfast-for-dinner meal several times, but have never managed to get the eggs to come out properly from the way you suggest– the white never gets fully white, and when I tried turning the oven back on to make them cook, the yellows get overdone. I’ve finally just decided to just fry up individual sunny side up eggs and separately and serving them on top of each person’s portion. It allows me to still have the runny egg without getting all frustrated.
Made this for company again today. Oh my goodness, always a hit. Thank you.
This was delicious! I baked the tortilla chips as another person suggested, and it was perfect.
You can also just slice the tortillas into wedges, toast them on a baking sheet, and then use for chilaquiles. Frying is delicious but not strictly necessary.
If you’re in SW “las palmas” brand makes a great enchilada sauce but the real winner is their “Ranchero Sauce” that is more like what Deb made. Seriously the ranchero sauce tastes like my grandmother’s.
Wondering if I could use flour tortillas??
They don’t hold up as well to the sauce; can seem more noodle-y when soft.
This is a dish I love! I strongly recommend using a green chili for the sauce (Anaheim pepper based…no tomatillos in my house) and Monterrey Jack cheese. You won’t regret it!
Ok, our neighbor showed up with three different homemade hot sauces, and I needed to figure out what to do with them. I can report that they went amazingly well with these Chilaquiles. I had never made Chilaquiles before, this will now become part of our regular rotation.
Hi, what is the purpose of baking the eggs? If I make it again, I’ll cook them over easy and just put on top. They took forever to cook!
This was delicious! I halved the recipe for New Years breakfast for me and my husband and it was perfect. We had some chorizo so added that to the layers. Used trader joes enchilada sauce and topped with pickled onion, cotija, lemon slices, avocado and cilantro.
Also the eggs- I like them runny and husband likes them solid. I put his on the edge of the dish and mine in the middle. Turned off the oven and left them in for 5 mins when the whites of mine were opaque, let it rest for 5 mins at room temp and both eggs were perfect.
This was so good and easy to make.
Made it last night, part of keeping busy while in lockdown. Delicious.
This is definitely going in the rotation- made it for brunch today with your double coconut muffins & some fresh berries on the side. Absolutely divine! I added the sautéed veg you suggested in the head note (onions, bell peppers & spinach) but otherwise made exactly as described in the recipe. Good call to take the dish out of the oven a few minutes before the eggs are fully cooked- they were perfect by the time we dug in about 5 minutes from the oven.
Thanks for all the great recipes. I’ve been following your blog for… could it be 10+ years? I’ve never been disappointed by anything I’ve tried, and I’ve made a LOT of your dishes. Delighted, too, to have recently found you on YouTube – great videos!
This is fantastic! I turn it into a dinner by sautéing a bunch of whatever veggies are in the crisper and adding them to the layers. Easy and delicious!
Delicious! I was hesitant to make this because I hate frying things and I’m not a huge fan of corn tortillas but it was excellent and tortillas were easy to fry. I added chopped cilantro and jalapeño to one layer. It took surprisingly long to get the egg whites opaque. Next time I will try baking the tortillas per another comment.
Delish! Simple and a crowd pleaser! I also found that 15 minutes for that second baking time, plus a 10 minute rest was perfect for set whites and gooey yolks. Next time, I’ll follow the make ahead suggestions in the comments.
This is almost uncanny to a recipe I (‘d like to think I created*) made before.. I used a dutch oven, fried the tortillas without cutting (kept them intact as well) and more or less layered them like a chilaqui-sagna with black beans, fried onion, salsa, cheese (cotija and cheddar) and scrambled-ish egg. Topped with crema, cilantro and avocado. Results were mixed but never negative. One suggestion for salsa: If you can find it, El Pato (green can, labeled Jalapeno Salsa but it is quite mild) is far and away the best I’ve ever used for any variation of chilaquiles. I can’t stress that enough. It’s perfect in consistency and flavor, melding perfectly with freshly fried tortillas. Just a note on the former- I’m trying this recipe tomorrow morning!
Made this tonight for hubs and 6yo – it was devoured. I subbed mild salsa for the sauce, as 6yo is a bit picky about sauces, and it was so good. A repeat dinner for sure!
I made the Chiaquiles for our Christmas morning breakfast, it was delicious. I added some browned chorizo sausage to the layers and it was great. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Made this for New Year’s Day breakfast and OMG why have I waited so long to make this? I am a long time reader/supporter of Smitten Kitchen and have made countless recipes! So, I took the suggestion of others and baked the corn tortillas before layering them. I actually used my airfryer to “bake” them at 350 for 6 minutes. I used canned enchilada sauce because of the convenience. My family doesn’t care for runny eggs so I scrambled 6 and after baking I sprinkled the fluffy eggs on top. Added some Mateo’s salsa and delicious especially when it’s 0* outside!
Made this for New Year’s Day breakfast with added sausage (a pound of mild italian sausage out of it’s casing, crumbled and browned). So good – I baked my own tortilla chips and added pickled onions when serving. Great recipe!
Oh yes, I’ll be trying this for sure! Oh, and I tried doing a search for veggie nachos which I was sure you had posted here — was I mistaken?
Veggie nachos are here: corn and black bean weeknight nachos. Enjoy!
Thanks a bunch! I’m on it ;-)
How can I make this for just 2 people?
I think you could halve it in a skillet or maybe pie dish.
Approximately how long do you leave it in the oven once you put eggs in?
It can be anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.
I’m thinking that having the eggs at room temperature is also advisable.
So crazy! Did an internet wizard/computer see that I ordered a batch of Rancho Gordo beans and send me this chilaquiles article? Or was it you, Deb 😘
Looks like a perfect brunchy option for my weekend guests. To make this ahead of time, would you assemble and bake up until the point of putting the eggs on, then refrigerate, and reheat/add the eggs before serving? Or just assemble it and pop in the fridge without baking, then finish the whole thing as the recipe states on the day I want to serve it. Thanks!
Cook the fried eggs separately.
Made this yesterday and it was delicious! On the advice of others, I fried the eggs separately while the chilaquiles baked (cooking them a bit under) and then topped it with those. That worked well. I would probably use a little more sauce next time, but overall, it was a huge hit.
I’ve had this recipe on my to-do list for years now. I needed *just* the right opportunity for it, as leftovers don’t reheat well (and this recipe is far too much for my family of two) and it doesn’t travel well, either. I finally had my chance this last weekend, and even with store-bought tortilla chips and enchilada sauce, it was a STUNNER! I seriously haven’t stopped thinking about it. So, if anyone has figured out how best to reheat this (or scale it down for a small family), I am all ears!