Quick and Easy Chilaquiles Uses Leftover Tortillas
Make a Meal of Chilaquiles? Pronto!
For Chilaquiles, a Skillet Will Do
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Leftover Tortillas are the Base for Quick, Easy and Inexpensive Chaliquiles
Back in the early 1960s, my friend Frank spent his elementary school lunch hours away from the other children. During this time, children brought sack lunches and colorful lunch pails to school. Most likely, their mothers packed these lunches with sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper, with a small bag of potato chips, and an apple or an orange.
Frank, a tall, dark, attractive man of Mexican and Mayan descent, recalls being teased because of what he brought to school for lunch. His usual lunch of beans and tortillas were foreign to his classmates, and not understanding his heritage and culture, they made fun of him.
“This is what I used to do,” he said. With an imaginary tortilla in his hands, he showed me how he shielded his lunch from the other children. To avoid stares, he quickly ate his tortillas in shame.
Today, the young Frank of the schoolyard past would not be ashamed of his lunches from home. In fact, today's Frank would not be eating alone. Tortillas are an American staple, a known substitute for a serving of bread, and a popular ingredient for familiar dishes like tacos and enchiladas. At the supermarket, tortillas are inexpensive and can be frozen.
Tortillas are a staple at my home, and a permanent fixture on my grocery list. I don’t freeze my tortillas because I usually find ways to use them during the week. I use corn tortillas in casseroles and tacos. I cut tiny strips and fry them so that I may us them to top soups and salads. When I have time, I’ll cut and fry my own tortilla chips.
Flour tortillas are easy substitutes for bread during any meal. You may eat flour tortillas right out of the package, but I prefer heating them on one of my gas burners. One quick flip heats both sides, and a flour tortilla is ready to serve.
Sometimes, I don’t remember I have tortillas in my refrigerator or don’t have the occasion to use them. Instead of tossing tortillas that are a week old or nearing the expiration date on the package, I save them for an upcoming lazy weekend breakfast and make them into Chilaquiles. This dish is inexpensive, quick and easy to make. Although Chilaquiles are known as a breakfast dish, it is delicious enough for an easy lunch or dinner with what you already have at home. No formal measurements are needed here, so you can experiment and make this dish for one or more.
Chilaquiles
Ingredients:
Corn or flour tortillas, cut in strips or small squares
Enchilada, salsa or mole sauce
Oil
Shredded cheese (optional)
Instructions:
1) Pour about 2 tsps. oil into a skillet and heat.
2) Add strips or small squares of tortillas. Stir.
3) Pour sauce to cover tortillas. Lower heat and simmer.
4) When tortillas have absorbed most of the sauce, remove from heat.
5) Cover with shredded cheese.
6) Serve Chilaquiles or as a side dish. To stretch a meal, serve with chorizo, linguisa, breakfast sausage or bacon and poached, fried or scrambled eggs.
Chilaquiles as the Weekend Breakfast of Champions
Thank you, Rachel. I hope you give Chilaquiles a try. I've never tried it using tortilla shells. Maybe let it soak in the sauce a little longer? I have been in tortilla mode lately. You can make a meal out of a burrito or wrap a tortilla around filling for a meal. I think the first tortilla casserole I ever had for lunch was a turkey corn tortilla casserole made by the mom of my first boss. Easy and delicious!
I like your Eggs in Purgatory for a quick breakfast.
Thank you, rjsadowski! I was thinking of a different upcoming purgatory--waiting on the tax forms and paying taxes on last year's online writing projects. Ewwwwwww! I haven't gathered up my receipts for my accountant to show him that writing is not a hobby for me. Double ewwwww!
Yum, This is also called Migas over here in little Mexico, (where I live). I love this dish, it is satisfying as well as very flavorful. I make this about once a week as it is quick and easy.
Yes, Migas it is, too! Girl, I am hooked on this stuff for the weekends, and hubby and me found this cute little restaurant in Tahoe serving this up for breakfast. Only they make the little squares and serve it up with scrambled eggs and chorizo on the side. I am a big fan of chorizo. I know the 98-cent packages of pork or beef do not make it to the USDA nutrition triangle, but it's cheap and quick. I don't care what people have been telling me what chorizo is made of. I'll eat it because it's cheap and cooks quick. Yum! And if I don't have any sauces in the house, chorizo works just as well on stale strips or squares of tortillas. Who keeps track of servings? I can eat the stuff over the skillet while it sits on the stovetop!
I do the same, a little tidbit of naughty is okay in my book. I like to mix up all ingredients and pour into muffin tins and bake them. With cheese,of course.
Hey, jenubouka, that's a thought! I can see myself sitting down with that muffin tin and not sharing.
Arlene, this is the most useful recipe , and the quickest that I've seen for a long time. Thanks for the info. Voted up and useful.
scarytaff: Thank you! Here is my sign. I put this Hub out there right before Paula Deen's announcement that she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes three years ago. Now, I know this dish is not one that would make a nutritionist's hit parade, but I like having it most weekend mornings. That is, unless hubby takes me out for a breakfast of coffee, steak, eggs, and hash browns. Bad Girl!
Never heard of this dish but it sounds yummy. Can't wait to try it. Voting this Up and Useful.
alocsin, being from Southern California, you've never heard of this? It's so easy that you can make breakfast in your sleep. Better yet, having someone else make it for you. Like that cook at the little breakfast place in Tahoe. I always look forward to going there on some lazy Sunday morning.
You know I'd tear that up!
Man I love Mexican breakfast dishes!
Wesman, I hear ya on that one! I will even make this dish during the week and include portions for my neighbors. What??? They don't have time to eat breakfast because they will be late for work? Too bad. More for me.
Rachel Richmond 4 months ago
That looks interesting, I will have to use the tortilla shells like that next time. Something new to try! Great story too.