It’s easy to make scramble eggs on a weekend, whether you want to make brunch or dinner on the go. When I was going through my pantry and refrigerator to see what needed to be used up today, I noticed that I had half the jar of taco sauce I had bought, a small can of diced green chiles, and a block of pepper jack cheese in the cabinet. For lunch, I knew right away that I would be eating Ultimate Southwest Scrambled Eggs. It’s like loaded nachos, but there are no nachos. LOL! In spite of the fact that I am a devout egg lover, I do not find it sad at all.
Loaded Southwest Scrambled Eggs
How to Serve Southwest Scrambled Eggs
These scrambled eggs are delicious on their own, but they can also be topped with other things, such as tacos, burritos, or even quesadillas. These “loaded” scrambled eggs can also be used as a base for breakfast tacos, breakfast burritos, or even breakfast quesadillas. If you have leftover tortilla chips, break them up and throw them right into the skillet alongside the cheesy eggs.
Other Topping Ideas
It is also a good idea to use avocados in season and buy them for less than a dollar each and add them to the mix. Salsa can be substituted for the taco sauce (though it can make the mixture a bit watery), or if you have any leftover homemade enchilada sauce, you can use it in the recipe.
Can I Add Meat?
It’s easy to add some shredded chicken rotisserie chicken to the skillet if you’re a meat-manditory person (remove the meat first, then add it back in later), or brown some breakfast sausage, ground beef, or bacon before cooking the eggs. SWEEP THE KITCHEN and see what you have to choose from.
Ultimate Southwest Scrambled Eggs
This recipe for Ultimate Southwest Scrambled Eggs makes an easy and filling dinner or brunch recipe, and is a great way to use up leftover ingredients you have lying around your kitchen.
Author: Beth
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs ($2.16)
- 1/4 cup milk ($0.08)
- salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.08)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.89)
- 1 4oz. can diced green chiles ($0.87)
- 1/4 cup taco sauce ($0.48)
- 4 oz. pepper jack, shredded ($1.00)
- 2 green onions ($0.17)
- 1 small tomato ($0.34)
Instructions
- While you are preparing the eggs, rinse the beans in a colander and drain them while you are preparing the eggs.
- The eggs should be combined in a large bowl with the milk, a pinch of salt, and pepper. It is important to whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- When the skillet is hot, place the butter in it and let it melt. Spread the melted butter evenly throughout the surface of the skillet with a spatula. Carefully pour the whisked eggs into the skillet and fold them gently with the spatula as they begin to set. Do not overmix the eggs.
- There is no need to drain the green chiles yet. When the eggs are already about 75% set (still soft, moist, and fluid around the edges), add the beans that have been drained and the chopped green chiles. Gently fold the beans and chiles into the scrambled eggs. Drizzle taco sauce over the scrambled eggs, then add pepper jack cheese on top.
- As soon as the eggs are fully set, place a lid of the skillet and leave it at room temperature for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese on top is melted and the eggs are fully set.
- After the eggs have heated through, slice the green onion and dice the tomato. Just before serving, top the eggs with the fresh tomato and green onion and serve immediately.
Nutritional
Serving: 1 Serving ・ Calories: 458.5 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 33.25 g ・ Protein: 30.75 g ・ Fat: 22.93 g ・ Sodium: 1182.15 mg ・ Fiber: 12.3 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
How to Make Southwest Scrambled Eggs – Step by Step Photos
Since eggs cook quickly, I like to make sure I prepare the ingredients in advance. I rinse and drain a 15-ounce can of black beans (the beans are not pictured because they are in my sink). I open a 4-ounce can of diced green chiles and slice them.
I diced one small tomato, shredded four ounces of pepper jack cheese, sliced two green onions, and sliced two slices of pepper jack cheese as it heated up in the skillet (I actually diced it later, but I think it’s always a good idea to do it in advance).
Using a large bowl, combine 8 large eggs, 1/4 cup milk, a pinch of salt and pepper, and whisk until relatively smooth, taking care not to over-whisk the eggs. Personally I prefer not to over-whisk, so that at the end of the process there will still be lines of white and yellow in the scrambled eggs.
The most important thing I do when making scrambled eggs is cook them over a medium-low heat so that I am able to control how fast they cook. Most people make the mistake of over cooking and stirring scrambled eggs to the point where they are dry, flaky, and crumbly.
As a precautionary measure, heat a large skillet on a medium-low flame. Add a tablespoon of butter and let it melt before spreading it evenly across the entire surface of the skillet.
The eggs should be added first, then gently folded as the mixture begins to set on the bottom, but do not move them excessively as soon as the bottom layer has solidified. Do not move them excessively.
Once they are 75% set, you can start adding in the other ingredients (don’t worry about the eggs continuing to cook, they will continue to cook).
In a large bowl, combine the drained black beans and a 4oz. can of diced green chiles. Gently mix them into the eggs. Do not stir too much, the mixture will get pasty and gross. Instead, gently fold to keep the nicely sized pieces of egg intact.
Place the eggs in a bowl, and drizzle a small amount of taco sauce over the eggs (about 1/4 cup)
In a medium skillet, place four ounces of shredded pepper jack cheese, then cover it with the lid, and keep it over a medium-low flame for about five minutes until the eggs are heated through and the cheese is melted.
Upon setting the eggs and melting the cheese, sprinkle the diced tomato and sliced green onion on top of the omelette.
In the same manner as you set the eggs and melt the cheese, you can sprinkle the diced tomato and sliced green onion on top of the omelette as soon as it is completed.
There are also some yummy breakfast tacos, burritos, and quesadillas that you can make if you have some tortillas on hand (I ALWAYS have tortillas in my fridge), or you can stuff the eggs into something sweet like a breakfast burrito!
