Evan was sick all weekend, so I made him his favorite chipotle chicken tortilla soup. Which meant I had a jar of chipotle peppers in my fridge, along with half a lime, cilantro, cotija, corn tortillas, and of course, sour cream (which, let’s be real, I always have in my fridge). I also had a can of black beans in the cupboard, and a brand new jar of Mel’s homemade salsa.
I went to bed Saturday night planning Sunday’s brunch, those ingredients dancing in my mind (seriously… who needs sugar plums). First I was thinking a scramble, then maybe something like chilaquiles, or maybe a fried egg tostada type deal. But just before I drifted off to sleep, it came to me: baked eggs in tortilla cups, with mashed chipotle black beans. EUREKA!
I woke up super early Sunday morning (ok, like 8am…which because of the time change should have been 9am, but whatever…I’m not an early riser), feeling like a freaking genius for the idea I had come up with. So I decided to just do a real quick search on the ol’ internetz to find some tips for tortilla cups and egg baking… and the Google search “tortilla cup baked eggs” popped up a recipe that was pretty much exactly what I had dreamt up. The top search result.
Like… get out of my head, Bon Appetit!
So, while I thought this recipe was totally unique and completely my own, it turns out tortilla cups filled with mashed black beans and top with a baked egg exists, outside of my head. They even used chipotle. C’MON, YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!
Anyway. These are super easy to throw together, and an awesome brunch party idea, since you can make individual little egg cups for everyone. Or you can make them for breakfast for yourself, then eat all 6 of them throughout the day… that’s also a thing that can happen.
Olive oil
Six 6-6.5-inch corn tortillas (soft taco size)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, diced + extra sauce adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
3/4 cup grated cheese (jack, cheddar, etc)
6 large eggs
Salt & pepper
Six 6-6.5-inch corn tortillas (soft taco size)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, diced + extra sauce adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
3/4 cup grated cheese (jack, cheddar, etc)
6 large eggs
Salt & pepper
Toppings:
Sour cream
Cilantro
Salsa
Lime
Crumbled cotija cheese
Sour cream
Cilantro
Salsa
Lime
Crumbled cotija cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Brush six 10-ounce custard cups with oil (or cooking spray), or use large muffin tins (not regular cupcake size).
Wet and wring out a paper towel, and wrap around stacked tortillas. Microwave until warm and pliable, about 30 seconds. Gently press 1 tortilla into each cup, and brush with oil (or spray).
Add beans, a splash of oil, the chipotle peppers and sauce (add more or less, depending on your heat tolerance), cumin, a pinch of salt, and ¼ of the grated cheese to a bowl, and mash with a fork or pastry blender.
Spoon bean mixture into bottom of each tortilla cup.
Crack 1 egg into each tortilla cup on top of the beans, being careful not to let it spill over the edge. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper, and the remaining grated cheese.
Bake uncovered until whites are set, about 25-27 minutes. Serve with suggested toppings.
