Baked Chilaquiles Breakfast Casserole (Healthy Chilaquiles) is a family favorite for brunch that’s always a hit around the holidays.  I like to think of this dish as breakfast nachos with a healthy twist!

This savory breakfast casserole is so delicious and a snap to put together.  It’s loaded with savory flavors of chips and salsa, protein-packed eggs, and tempting cheeses along with tomatoes, cilantro, and fresh sliced avocados. 

One of the reasons we love to make it, especially around the holidays, is that it’s a balanced meal that pleases all ages, from young cousins to older grandparents.  It’s a meatless meal option for days when taking a break from meat feels right.  If you’re guilty of too many holiday festivities and libations, this dish works as a hang-over Rx.

Living in the west, we are fortunate to be able to visit and vacation in Mexico fairly frequently.  This recipe for healthy chilaquiles has become a favorite breakfast food in our family.  The first time we had it we were flabbergasted.  Nachos for breakfast – yes!  History has it that chilaquiles were cleverly created to use up stale chips and leftover salsa.  In Mexico, they offer chilaquiles rojo (with red sauce) and chilaquiles verde (with green sauce).  We love ’em in any way shape or form.

What’s different about our recipe for chilaquiles is that we bake the tortilla chips instead of frying the tortilla triangles.  We save on fat and calories by using this technique.  Of course if you don’t have the time to slice and bake, go ahead and use up those stale chips from the half-eaten, forgotten bag of chips.

How to make healthy chilaquiles: 

• Bake corn tortilla chips yourself (see the recipe for home-made baked corn tortilla chips)
• Add sauce to chips and stir until all the chips are coated
• Sprinkle with your favorite cheeses
• Crack eggs on top and bake in the oven
• Garnish with fresh avocado, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro

Here is a quick summary of how to bake your own corn tortilla chips; – start with a stack of corn tortillas; cut them into triangles; use canola spray oil and salt; bake in the oven.  For full detailed instructions on how to make freshly baked corn tortilla chips, click HERE.

For the post on how to make home-baked corn tortilla chips click HERE.

Time-saving tips for making Baked Chilaquiles Breakfast Casserole:

• bake the corn tortilla chips in advance or use a bag of store-bought chips
• use pre-made enchilada sauce (or your favorite red salsa)
• buy pre-shredded or pre-crumbled cheeses
• clean and trim cilantro; slice avocado and sprinkle with lime juice; slice cherry tomatoes

I like the taste of enchilada sauce on my chilaquiles however any red or green salsa will work.  365 Organic Red Enchilada Sauce is good and not too spicy.

You can order red enchilada sauce and get it in a snack with Amazon Prime.

Chilaquiles are sometimes served with a side of pinto beans.  They can be served either whole or mashed/blended into refried form.  Find OvenHug’s recipe for “The Best Crockpot Refried Beans” by clicking HERE. 

Authentic versions of chilaquiles use queso fresco (that tasty, creamy white Mexican cheese).  I recently made some with goat cheese and it was amazing!  Feta cheese is also an option.  If there are kids in the bunch you can’t go wrong with a little light Mexican shredded cheese blend.  Top it with fresh avocado, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro.

Pair this healthy Mexican breakfast recipe with a Jugo Verde smoothie! 

iBUEN apetito!

Yield: 4

Baked Chilaquiles Breakfast Casserole

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Baked Chilaquiles Breakfast Casserole is a family favorite for brunch that's always a hit around the holidays.  I like to think of this dish as breakfast nachos with a healthy twist!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 small corn tortillas
• spray oil
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups red enchilada sauce or red salsa
• 1/2 cup favorite cheese (queso fresco, light Mexican blend, feta, or goat)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bake corn tortilla chips (see Oven Hug post Baked Corn Tortilla chips) in advance. 10 tortillas make about 80 small chips
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
3. Add red sauce (enchilada sauce or salsa) to baked chips and stir until chips are coated in a cast iron pan or baking dish. Flatten down a bit with a wooden spoon
4. Sprinkle cheeses on top of saucy chips
5. Crack eggs on top
6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until egg whites have gone from clear to white and eggs have set to desired consistency
7. Remove from oven allow to cool slightly
8. Garnish with fresh avocados, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes
9. Season with salt and pepper

Notes

Bake the tortilla chips in advance to save time (see Oven Hug's post on Baked Corn Tortilla Chips).

Add some fresh lime or lemon juice to fresh slices of avocado to preserve freshness and to enhance flavor.

5 small corn tortilla chips cut into 8ths make about 40 chips and fills a large baking tray. Make 2 rounds or 10 tortillas worth of chips for this recipe - about 80 baked chips.

If you are serving baked chilaquiles for breakfast you may consider having the fresh cilantro on the side. Some folks don't care for cilantro in the morning.

Serve with a side of pinto beans, whole or refried.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 364Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 248mgSodium: 1394mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 6gSugar: 9gProtein: 17g

Looking for more healthy breakfast casserole ideas?  Check out this oldie but goodie recipe post, Light Blueberry French Toast Casserole.

 – Bita