A tortilla full of scrambled eggs and black beans, drizzled very lightly with sour cream, is one of the most rewarding bites you can take – believe it or not. It was one of the first meals made for me when I lived in Mexico, and I watched horrorstruck as a perfectly good pan of scrambled eggs was drowned in the sloppy gray drabness of a generic can of black beans. Moments later I was a firm convert.
Scrambled eggs and black beans holds the distinction of being one of the few meals that became a comfort food while was still south of the border. Most of the time when I needed a taste of the States, I’d wander around the local supermarket in search of cheeseburgers or peanut butter, but good ol’ eggs and beans made it on the list pretty quickly as well. Now it’s my way of reminiscing about my time there. I personally like mine with a touch of salsa verde on the spicy side. It’s hot without burning, delicious without being rich, and filling without being heavy. You have to try it.
This is a great recipe for those of us trying to live simply because it’s both delicious and also really really easy. This is the kind of meal you can make last minute when you suddenly realize you don’t feel like cooking at all. Slam it in the pan, slap it on the table, and enjoy. If you do decide spend any real time making this, use it to cook up some fresh corn tortillas to eat it on; you won’t regret it.
This works fine with canned beans if that’s what you have. Lately we’ve been making a whole pot of beans and freezing most of it, and that’s almost as convenient (and a little tastier) of an option. There’s a lot of room for variation here; you can use Mexican chorizo sausage to make the meal richer and spicier (crumble it into the pan and cook well before adding the eggs), or with diced onions, tomato, and serrano chiles like they often do in Mexico (because it matches the colors of the flag, I’m told). Today I’m making them with onions and avocado as well as the wonderful black beans. Enjoy!
Scrambled Eggs and Beans Recipe
for 4 people:
12-16 fresh corn tortillas
6 eggs
3 tb milk or water
1/2 of a medium white onion, diced
11/2 cups black beans, with cooking liquid
1 avocado, diced
salt and pepper
crema or sour cream, and salsa of choice, to garnish
Warm a pan to medium-low heat, and grease lightly with butter or oil. Sweat your onions for a few minutes in the oil.
Beat the eggs and the milk or water together. When the pan is fairly warm and the onions are translucent and soft, pour the eggs into the pan. It should hiss a little but not bubble or sizzle much. Immediately turn the heat up to medium high.
After a few minutes, once the eggs have set up a little more from the increased heat, stir and scrape them with a spatula to break them up and cook more evenly.
When the eggs are about 75% done, add your beans, liquid and all. It’ll look nicer if you leave the liquid out, but it tastes better with it included. Fold the beans into the eggs.
Right before serving, add the diced avocado to the mix and fold in gently. Heat briefly, then remove from heat and serve immediately. Have the crema and salsa and additional tortillas on the side for people to serve themselves.
Delicious, isn’t it?
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