Chilaquiles
These budget-friendly bad boys are made with crispy, homemade tortilla chips soaked in a flavorful red enchilada sauce and served with loads of toppings.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup neutral flavored cooking oil ($0.16)
- 8 white or yellow corn tortillas (8-inch)* ($0.53)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 10oz. can red enchilada sauce** ($1.06)
- 1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco ($0.57)
- 1/2 cup shredded Oaxaca cheese ($0.80)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves ($0.11)
- 1/3 cup sliced green onions ($0.35)
- 1 avocado, diced ($0.96)
- 2 Tbsp Mexican crema ($0.27)
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan or large plate with paper towels. Stack 8 corn tortillas and cut them into quarters.
- In a large skillet set over medium heat, warm the cooking oil until shimmering***. Add two layers of tortilla quarters at a time and fry, turning as needed, until lightly browned and slightly crunchy, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer the tortilla quarters to the paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining tortilla quarters.
- Warm the red enchilada sauce in a large saucepan.
- Divide tortilla chips between two large plates. Divide the warm sauce equally, drizzling it over the tortilla chips on each plate.
- Sprinkle each plate equally with the shredded Oaxaca cheese, crumbled queso fresco, fresh cilantro leaves, sliced green onions, diced avocado, and Mexican crema.**** Enjoy the ridiculously yummy contrasting flavors, textures, and temperatures immediately!
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Equipment
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet
Notes
*This recipe needs thick tortilla chips that can withstand getting soaked in a sauce without getting soggy. This usually means frying your own, which is super easy, budget-friendly, and what I do in this recipe. But if you can find really thick, restaurant-style tortilla chips, you can use those to speed up the preparation process.
**You can find this premade smoky red chile sauce in the Latin section of most grocery stores. Or, you can make our homemade enchilada sauce and call it a day!
***Make sure the oil you are frying the tortillas in is hot enough so they don't end up soggy. Add a small piece of tortilla to the hot oil. If you're at the right temperature, it will bubble and sizzle then turn golden in about 40 to 50 seconds.
****For this recipe, I topped my chilaquiles with sliced green onions, fresh cilantro leaves, diced avocado, shredded Oaxaca cheese, and crumbled queso fresco. If you can't source Oaxaca cheese, use a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend. I also use Mexican crema, which can be replaced with sour cream. I skipped the eggs in this recipe to keep it budget-friendly, but if you'd like to make it a heartier breakfast, top it with fried eggs.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 546kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 17gFat: 51gSodium: 1005mgFiber: 1g
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