Papas y Frijoles Rancheros

In my pre plant-based days, one of my favorite breakfast foods of all time was huevos rancheros. Whenever I made huevos rancheros, I also made fried potatoes, refried beans, bacon and tortillas to go with the eggs and ranchero sauce.

Those days are over! (Of course, if you eat eggs and meat, you can still use the recipe I am going to share with you).

Ranchero sauce is amazingly simple to make and keeps well in the refrigerator, ready to be slathered on whatever you choose, all week long. This makes an outstanding Saturday or Sunday brunch offering. This has always been a special occasion meal for us, served on special occasions like Father's Day, Hubby's birthday, and Christmas morning.

 

Papas y Frijoles Rancheros

 

For the Ranchero sauce, you will need:

 

1 onion, thinly sliced

1-2 (or more) jalapenos, thinly sliced (you can seed these if you don't want too much heat)

1 15 oz can diced, sliced, or whole tomatoes

1 vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in 1/2 can (appx 1 c) water

1 t olive oil (omit if oil free and use a bit of water)

 

In a skillet, heat olive oil and add onions. Sautee till the onions become translucent and start to caramelize a bit. Add the jalapenos and the can of tomatoes and water w bouillon. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Keep simmering till the liquids begin to thicken and the color of the tomatoes deepens to a rich red. With a potato masher, mash in the larger chunks of tomatoes. You want the sauce to be liquidy enough to ladle over your food and chunky enough to have some texture. Taste it and adjust to your liking. If it turns out a little too thick, you can thin it with a bit of water. If it seems too runny, continue to simmer a few more minutes till it's just right.

 

I serve this sauce over tacos made with fresh corn tortillas, pinto beans, and fried potatoes. For the hubs, I make him a couple of over easy eggs from our beautiful backyard hens. Top with avocado or eat it just like that.  Enjoy!