Huevos Rancheros Grits Bowl
Classic Mexican meets classic Southern with this Huevos Rancheros Grits Bowl! Serve this grits bowl for brunch, and everyone will be begging for more!
We don’t often do brunch here in our house. We’re early risers (yes, even on the weekends), so the thought of waiting until mid-morning to eat is a bit too much. Don’t get me wrong – we love brunch, we just don’t do it often. But when we do – we do it right!
Last year, we took a trip down to the Asheville, NC area in late February. We were planning our move, and we wanted to check out the different towns and neighborhoods in the area. We were staying in Hendersonville, and that’s when we stumbled across an amazing breakfast/lunch spot in downtown Hendersonville. The menu was full of delicious-sounding dishes, but one jumped out at us. Grits bowls. More specifically, a Huevos Rancheros Grits Bowl.
Huevos Rancheros Grits Bowl
This recipe is like Mexican meets Southern. Let’s break it down a bit. Huevos rancheros is a breakfast recipe that is often served on rural Mexican farms. It’s typically served mid-morning (i.e. brunch), and it’s designed to keep you going throughout the day.
Traditional huevos rancheros consist of fried eggs, pico de gallo, avocado and rice/beans. It’s all piled on top of lightly fried tortillas. Grits, on the other hand, are an iconic Southern food. They sometimes get a bad rap for being bland and lumpy, but I’m telling ya – when prepared the right way, grits are amazing!!
Why are grits bowls not a thing? They need to be a thing! Imagine cheesy grits as the base piled with whatever toppings you want to add. In this case, the toppings for huevos rancheros. Holy cow! These grits bowls were delicious. Bonus – this is a fun and unique recipe, so it would be great to serve to company!
For these Huevos Rancheros Grits Bowls, you’ll need to make a big ole batch of creamy grits. I included a couple diced jalapenos in there, too. This is the base recipe I always use for grits. If I’m serving it for dinner, I’ll add some shredded sharp cheddar cheese and cooked bacon in there, too. Grits are versatile, folks! But in this case, we’re going brunch style.
That means we’re adding some fried eggs, crumbled queso fresco, cooked chorizo and a sliced avocado. All of that goes on top of the creamy grits. Now that’s how you do brunch! (Truth be told – we still ate these Huevos Rancheros Grits Bowls for dinner. Breakfast for dinner is delicious – especially when grits and huevos rancheros are involved.) Enjoy!
Did you make this Huevos Rancheros Grits Bowl at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Huevos Rancheros Grits Bowl
Ingredients
For the Grits
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 2 jalapenos ribs and seeds removed, diced
- 1½ cups corn grits
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1½ cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese I used Cabot’s Pepper Jack
For the Toppings
- 16 oz. chorizo
- 6 large eggs
- ½ cup queso fresco or crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- green onion chopped
- avocado sliced
Instructions
For the Grits
- Using a large saucepan with a lid, add olive oil and place over medium heat. Once hot, add diced jalapenos. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until jalapenos have softened.
- Add grits, salt, chicken stock and hot water; stir until well combined. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in cream and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until grits are tender and have thickened. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm. (Note: Cheese will be added later.)
For the Toppings
- Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium heat. Add chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, or until full cooked. Transfer cooked chorizo into a bowl.
- Drain most of the excess fat from the skillet, leaving ~½ Tbsp for frying the eggs.
- Crack eggs into the pan, taking care to keep them as separate as possible. (Note: If necessary, cook the eggs in 2 rounds.)
- Cook eggs for 2-3 minutes, without flipping, or until whites are completely set.
- Meanwhile, add shredded cheese to grits and stir until cheese has fully melted. (Note: If necessary, add a splash of water to the grits to loosen them up.)
- To serve, divide grits into bowls and top with crumbled chorizo, queso fresco, cooked egg, chopped cilantro, avocado slices and green onions.
Looking for more tasty grits recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me for the grits can i use vegetable broth / coconut cream and vegan cheese and toppings can i use mushrooms and vegan feta i never had huevos rancheros grits bowl before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
I do think those toppings sound pretty tasty…especially over grits! Give them a try and let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Looks really tasty, David! I’m a big fan of grits from way back. Something so comforting about that warm and creamy texture, a bit like polenta. And like polenta they go with just anything so the idea of making grits bowls with different toppings makes a lot of sense to me. And, of course, I do enjoy me a plate of huevos rancheros.
Speaking of huevos rancheros for brunch, as you may know, Mexican meal times are really interesting and a bit confusing for us foreigners (at least for me). With their late breakfasts (more like brunch for us) which they call “almuerzo” (lunch) then what we would call lunch—which they call “comida” or meal— anywhere from 2 pm to 4 pm, followed by a very late and light supper… It takes some getting used to!
You make a great point about the similarities between grits and polenta. Both are really tasty in their own right, but both shine when used as the base for other ingredients. Grits get a bad rap, but good grits are downright amazing! Now that I think about it, these grits bowls would be “brunch” here in the States but just “almuerzo” in Mexico. Ah, who cares what we call it or what time it is – this recipe is delicious any time of the day! 🙂
This is fabulous. Love all of these flavors. The grits are outstanding!
You have to try this recipe out, Mimi! I feel like it has your name all over it!
I’ve never had (nor heard of Huevos rancheros), but oh man, I should have been familiar with this awesome dish. I’m a huge fan of polenta / grits, and I particularly crave for it around summer (although it’s a bit weird as it’s a hearty dish perfect for colder times of the year). This looks seriously good and satisfying! We rarely have brunch either, but I don’t mind having a second breakfast then lol.
Ah, I’m glad I could introduce Huevos Rancheros then, Ben! They’re amazing. I have to say that this twist of serving them over creamy grits takes a great recipe and makes it even better. Definitely put this one on the menu sometime soon!
apparently polenta is a substitute for grits here in australia – just a bit coarser or less coarse?? I love the idea of this dish David. Yes brunch is not something we do often unless we’re going out for a weekend late breakfast/early lunch.
Polenta isn’t the exact same as grits as grits are a bit smoother in texture. But I do think that polenta would be a passible substitution since grits probably aren’t readily available down there in Australia. The combination of flavors in this recipe is SO good, Sherry – give it a try!
Greeting David, it’s been a while. My fault, life has just been getting in the way of my time in the blogosphere. But, I’m back and came to your site just in time to see this very yummy-sounding dish.
Huevos Rancheros and I go way back, I mean way back. It’s one of my favorite egg dishes any time of the day. So, when you put that on grits, the comfort food of my youth, you got me.
But alas, we don’t get grits here so I can only dream of the taste. You know, we make many Asian rice bowls, I’m wondering how rice would work? I’ll let you know…
Hey Ron! I was thinking about you a couple of weeks ago – I stopped by your blog, but I didn’t see anything new. (On a side note, I see a new post now. I’m going to read it shortly!) Glad to hear from you, my friend!
Switching over to this recipe, it’s downright fantastic. I wonder how expensive it would be to order grits over there? Amazon sells everything! Or as Sherry pointed out, you could use polenta in a pinch.
So much deliciousness in a bowl — although, admittedly I have not tried grits yet — it’s just not commonly available here. One day!
Oh you have to try grits, Michelle! Just order some on Amazon. 🙂 Seriously. Grits (when prepared correctly) are downright magical!
I don’t think I’ve ever had a well-prepared bowl of grits. But topped with things like chorizo, cheese, and eggs … what wouldn’t I eat if it were topped with these?
Then it sounds like you just need to come to Asheville, Jeff. 🙂 Grits are downright magical when prepared correctly!
Loving this tasty fusion dish, David! I’d gladly devour this for any meal of the day!
Grits are such a good base for all sorts of delicious meals! Thanks, Marissa! 🙂