It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

I love a saucy, eggy brunch dish, and this Southwest-meets-Middle East mashup is my new favorite way to begin a weekend morning. Black beans simmer in a base of tomatoes, onions, and green chiles while eggs are gently poached right on top. Spiced with chili powder and cumin, this easy, one-skillet bake has flavors reminiscent of huevos rancheros with the look and ease of shakshuka.

When I first made this dish for my family, every generation loved it. My little girls can’t get enough beans and chili, so the familiar flavors and ingredients were an instant hit. My parents order shakshuka at any opportunity, and they enjoyed this higher protein, extra hearty twist. My husband, a Type 1 diabetic, appreciated the low-carb aspect of this dish—mopped up with a carb-smart tortilla, it was an excellent option for him to start the day with.

The egg bake is delicious straight out of the oven, scooped up with warmed tortillas, tostadas, or tortilla chips. To make it even better, add some cheese and greenery on top—my favorites are crumbled cotija and fresh chopped cilantro. You could also go with Mexican cheese blend, pepper jack, or cheddar, along with sliced green onions or jalapeños, pickled or fresh. 

Add a bottle of your favorite hot sauce to the table and you’re set.

Two Tips for Making My Black Bean and Egg Bake

1. Use the full 3 tablespoons of oil. It might seem like a lot to fry the onions in, but it truly is just the right amount to give the sauce its body and richness. If you skimp, the dish will lack a certain something. 
2. Let your onions fry for a decent amount of time. They don’t need to be fully caramelized or anything, but they need a good 10 minutes to take on just a bit of color before you add the rest of the ingredients to the pan. This way they add a wonderful sweetness, offsetting the acid from the tomatoes, and their texture is silky, melding in with the sauce. 

Easy Tweaks

This recipe lends itself to variations and substitutes. You can add fresh diced jalapeño, poblano, or bell peppers in place of the canned green chiles. Any jarred tomato-based salsa can sub in for the canned diced tomatoes (just omit the salt, since the salsa will add plenty to the recipe). 

You’ll also want to lower the salt a bit if you replace the chili powder with taco seasoning, a great option if you have some around. And you can add in other spices if you please—a little ground coriander gives the sauce a lemony bite, a shake of oregano gives an herbal background note. For a little acid and freshness, try serving some lime wedges on the side.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
• 8 taco-size corn or flour tortillas, warmed, for serving

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic:Heat the oil and garlic to a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium heat. When the garlic begins to bubble around the edges, add the onion. Sauté until the onion is softened and just starts to take on a golden color, 7 to 9 minutes.
3. Make the bean chili:Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and sauté until the spices are fragrant and toasty, 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, green chiles, and black beans. Stir to combine.
4. Add the eggs:Bring the mixture up to a simmer, then crack the eggs, adding them to the skillet one at a time in a single layer. After you crack in each egg, use a wooden spoon to gently nestle it down into the sauce.
5. Bake:Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the egg whites are just set and the yolks are still liquid, 15 to 20 minutes. The whites will be jiggly but no longer translucent. If you prefer your yolks more cooked through, bake for a few more minutes.Remove from the oven and then sprinkle on the cheese and cilantro. Spoon the eggs and beans onto plates or into bowls and serve right away with warmed tortillas.

It wouldn’t be the holidays without it.

Every family has a dish that is so beloved that it doesn’t feel like a holiday if it’s absent. My family’s Christmas must-have is a quirky appetizer called “sprouts in blankets.” Essentially bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts brushed with maple syrup, my mom came up with this three-ingredient treat when the tiki bar appetizer rumaki was all the rage in the Midwest. 

Rumaki is made up of chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon doused in a sweet and sour sauce. Water chestnuts were hard to come by in our small town, so my mom subbed Brussels sprouts. Since liver of any kind was a hard sell in our home, she omitted it altogether. And instead of the multi-ingredient sweet and sour sauce the original dish required, my mom, ever the pragmatist, simply brushed the sprouts with maple syrup. The sweetness of real maple syrup counters the bitterness of the sprouts. 

Mom’s sprouts in blankets are easy to make, can be prepped up to three days ahead, and have a luxurious flavor that sets the tone for holiday meals. We serve them as a hot appetizer with cocktail picks, but they could also be a vegetable side dish if you’re feeling especially decadent.

Tips for Perfect Sprouts in a Blanket

The most important thing for this dish is the shopping. With just three ingredients, each one has got to be just right, or the dish won’t taste special. First, look for fairly large Brussels sprouts, 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches across. Any smaller and you risk overcooking the sprouts by the time the bacon is done. Don’t buy bagged Brussels sprouts because you’ll get a mix of sizes, and avoid any that have damaged leaves or powdery-looking spots on them—a sign of aphids infestation. 

Don’t skimp on the bacon. My family uses Wisconsin-made Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon because it has got a great fat-to-meat ratio and a delicious sweet-salty flavor that works beautifully with the sprouts’ bitterness. Use whatever locally made bacon you like, just make sure it’s the thinner slices and not thick-cut, which can be difficult to wrap around the sprouts. 

Use real maple syrup, not imitation stuff. The flavor of the maple syrup intensifies as it roasts and caramelizes as it drips on the sheet tray. If you use artificially flavored syrup, it will burn and taste, well, artificial. 

If you’re feeling fancy, you can add fresh chopped rosemary when seasoning the sprouts. About 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary adds a woodsy, herbal flavor. It’s my addition since I have a huge rosemary bush in my yard. 

How To Make My Brussels Sprouts in a Blanket

 To make enough to serve 4 to 6 people as an appetizer, you’ll need:

• 10 slices (about 10 slices) applewood smoked bacon (not thick cut)
• 20 large (1 to 1 1/2-inch wide) Brussels sprouts (about 1 pound)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 grinds freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Grade A Amber maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Place the bacon in the freezer for 5 minutes to make it easier to handle. Meanwhile, rinse sprouts, trim off the ends, and halve them through the root end. Toss with the oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

Separate the bacon slices and cut them in half lengthwise with a sharp paring knife. Cut each strip in half crosswise, making 4 pieces. Starting with the cut side of a sprout, wrap a piece of bacon around the sprout. Ideally, the bacon will wrap all the way around the sprout and end on the cut side. Depending on the size of the spouts, the bacon may wrap around 1 1/2 times, that’s fine. Place the sprouts cut side down on the baking sheet, arranging them with 1/2 inch space between them. The sprouts can be covered in foil and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature while the oven is preheating.

Transfer the sprouts to the oven and bake on the center rack for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and brush the sprouts lightly with maple syrup. Return to the oven, increase heat to 425°F, and cook until the bottoms are deeply browned and the bacon is crispy, 8 to 10 minutes more. Carefully transfer the sprouts to a small serving plate or bowl with a small spatula (I use an offset frosting spatula) and serve with cocktail forks or picks for picking up the hot sprouts.

Plus, it’s no-cook!

Part of being a mom is being a problem-solver. You are somehow gifted with the ability to see a solution for a problem when no one else can. You scraped your knee and we don’t have bandages? No worries! I found a sticker and a straw wrapper in my purse, we’re good to go. We need dinner and no one wants to cook? Easy! Black bean nacho bowls it is. 

I like cooking, but I also like eating. Sometimes I don’t want to dirty a bunch of dishes or spend hours cooking; I just want to eat. For those nights, I open my fridge and look to see what’s in there and what needs to be eaten before it goes bad. Next, I head to my pantry to see what staples are available for use. After that, I come back to my kitchen and brainstorm.

I’d like to think that I excel at problem-solving, especially when it comes to dinner. It’s the reason my not-so-famous black bean nacho bowls became, well, famous (at least in my house).

A Truly Versatile and Quick Dinner

There’s really no wrong way to make these bowls, but if I’m in charge, here’s what I do: First, I add a healthy amount of lettuce to my bowl as the base. Next, I add a scoop of black beans and another of corn. I squeeze in another scoop of pico de gallo and then cover with cheese. I’ll either tuck in corn tortilla chips around the side or crush and scatter them across the top. Lastly, I’ll add my favorite toppings, which, once tossed while eating, become a delicious dressing.

The best part of the meal is that everyone can create their bowl however they like. That makes it easy for you and easy for the people you’re feeding. I like to set everything out in bowls on my kitchen countertop and then encourage everyone to have fun “making their own meal.”

How To Make My 5-Minute Black Bean Nacho Bowl 

To make four servings, you’ll need: 

• 1 (12-ounce) bag salad mix 
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can sweet corn, drained
• 1 cup salsa or pico de gallo
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or pepper Jack cheese
• 8 cups corn tortilla chips
• Optional toppings: prepared guacamole, sour cream, chopped cilantro, hot sauce

Divide the lettuce among four bowls and top with black beans, corn, salsa, and cheese. Tuck in some tortilla chips and add toppings as desired. 

Substitution Ideas

• Lettuce: Lettuce is the base of the bowls, so choose something you and your family love. I’m a fan of crunchy romaine, but a blend of leaf lettuce and baby lettuce is also delicious.
• Beans: I love the convenience of canned beans, but I love the flavor of cooking beans from dry. Yes, it’s cooking and it’s an extra step, but it’s relatively fast and hands-off. About 45 minutes before serving dinner, I add beans, a couple of cloves of garlic, and some chopped onion and water to my Instant Pot and cook for 20 minutes followed by a natural release. I season with salt and let sit 10 minutes, then serve with the meal. 
• Corn: Using canned corn here is a suggestion, so feel free to explore other options. Frozen corn will also work, just be sure to cook it first. When corn is in-season, I’ll buy it on the cob and cook it on the grill.
• Salsa: Jarred salsa is the easiest choice and any variety is delicious with these bowls. My personal favorite is pico de gallo, which you can often find in the produce section of your grocery store. It makes the bowls feel fresh and bright.
• Cheese: We’re big cheddar cheese fans in this house, so I typically use that for these bowls. Other cheeses that would work nicely: cotija, queso fresco, or Monterey Jack.