Chorizo and Eggs – flavorful, spicy, filling, and straightforward Mexican breakfast you can serve in so many ways. A possibly low-carb, gluten-free, and paleo breakfast ready in a cinch! Who says healthy has to be boring?
Mornings can get a bit crazy, especially on school days. So it’s a little bit challenging for this Mama to whip up a quick breakfast that is both healthy and appealing to kids and adults alike.
This chorizo and eggs recipe is one of my go-to breakfast meals because it’s bursting with flavors and is ready in no time. And a highly nutritious, high-protein meal is essential for our growing kids. Woohoo!
What Is Chorizo?
That depends on who you ask. Chorizo is a type of sausage used primarily in Spanish, Portuguese, and Mexican cuisines. Mexican chorizo is ground pork seasoned with chile powder, cumin, oregano, and other Mexican herbs and spices. You generally see them in casings in the meat section.
On the other hand, Spanish chorizo is cured and smoked ground pork infused with spices typical to Spain. And since it’s smoked, you can eat it even without cooking. All varieties of chorizo are a gorgeous red because of dried, ground red peppers. Of course, the Mexican red peppers are hotter than what they use in Spain and Portugal.
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe is basically scrambled eggs with sauteed chorizo. Simple and easy yet super tasty. Fancy a breakfast ready in less than 20 minutes?
- Onions – Both green onion and white onions add the perfect savory balance.
- Mexican Chorizo – I opted for the Mexican kind because you can remove it from the casing and saute it like ground pork. But it’s better because it’s already seasoned. The Spanish and Portuguese chorizo is cured and smoked, making it more like salami.
- Eggs – The eggs complete our breakfast meal. Plus, it perfectly complements the chorizo.
How to Make Chorizo and Eggs
Saute the Chorizo and Add the Eggs
- Saute – Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, pour olive oil, and add chopped onions and green onions. Saute for about 5 minutes until the onions have softened and become translucent. (Photos 1-2)
- Crumble the Chorizo and Cook – Remove the chorizo from the casing and add it to the skillet. Using a wooden spatula, crumble it into little pieces and saute until fully cooked for about 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat. If the chorizo is super fatty and oozes out a lot of greases, feel free to drain off any excess fat. (Photos 3-4)
- Add Eggs – In a small bowl, crack the eggs and whisk with a pinch of salt and pepper for about 30 seconds. Stir the eggs into the chorizo mixture and let it set for about 30 seconds. Continue gently stirring until the eggs are just cooked through. Do not allow the eggs to be brown. Then season with salt and pepper to taste. (Photos 5-6)
- Serve – Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately with corn tortillas and other Mexican favorites like queso fresco, a dash of spicy salsa, or refried beans.
Recipe Variations
- Meat Swap – Don’t sweat it if you can’t find Mexican chorizo in your local grocery store. Because ground pork, ground beef, or shredded chicken will also work in this recipe. We’ll just have to add seasonings, such as paprika, cumin, and thyme, to make up for the flavor. Adding Creole or taco seasoning will do the trick as well.
- Veggie Additions – To make this dish healthier, you can also try it with chopped bell pepper, carrot, potato, tomato, green peas, and corn.
- Cheesy Delight – It’s better with cheese – no doubt about that. Cheddar, gouda, gruyere, parmesan, and mozzarella are excellent choices to sprinkle on top.
- Spicylicious – Crank up the heat with a dash of cayenne pepper, pepper flakes, hot sauce, or sriracha. Feel free to adjust the spicy level to suit your palate.
Tips and Tricks
- Use lean chorizo to avoid excess fat.
- You can also substitute chorizo with Italian sausage or hamburger patty. Any ground meat will do.
- Try this recipe in omelet style to make it fancier.
Make-Ahead Instructions
This dish is easy to prepare and also great for make-ahead meal prep. You can cook it the night before and reheat it in the morning for a quick fix breakfast. You can also make a big batch and pack it in small portions before freezing for easy thawing and reheating.
Serving and Storage Instructions
There are many ways to serve chorizo and eggs. One of my favorites is making it into a tortilla wrap. However, you can enjoy it with rice or bread, such as dinner rolls and white bread.
You can store the leftover chorizo and eggs in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week, then reheat it when you feel like serving it for breakfast or lunch. Another option is to store it in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to two months. Yaaay for freezer-friendly meals!
FAQs
Pork (typically the less desirable cuts) and spices, especially garlic and paprika. It’s the spices that make this sausage incredibly delicious. Since paprika is harder to find in Mexico, they use their own red hot peppers for a spicier version.
It only takes 5-6 minutes if you remove the casing from Mexican chorizo and 15-20 minutes if you cook it whole with the casing. European chorizo has already been cooked.
Totally! Meat and eggs are rich in protein essential to muscle and bone strength, besides being fabulicious.
What to Serve with Chorizo and Eggs
This breakfast combo meal is fantastic with so many recipes, but here are some of my favorites:
More Easy Back-to-School Breakfast Recipes
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Spinach Quiche
- Cornmeal Porridge
- Baked Plantain Frittata
Conclusion
Making breakfast doesn’t need to be stressful. You only need a few tricks to create an easy and delicious breakfast meal. Would you like more ideas? Here are 30 Fuss-Free Egg Recipes for Breakfast for more ideas. 😉
This blog post was originally published in September 2019 and has been updated with additional tips.
Chorizo and Eggs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼-½ cup onion, chopped
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 2 chorizos (about 8 ounces)
- 6 large eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Tortillas for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil, then onions and green onions. Saute for about 5 minutes until the onions soften and become translucent.
- Remove the chorizo from its casing and add it to the skillet. Using a wooden spatula, crumble it into little pieces and saute until fully cooked for 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat. If the chorizo is super fatty and oozes out a lot of grease, feel free to drain off the excess fat.
- In a small bowl, crack eggs and whisk with a pinch of salt and pepper for about 30 seconds. Stir the eggs into the chorizo mixture and let it set for about 30 seconds. Then continue gently stirring until the eggs are just cooked through. Do not allow the eggs to brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately with corn or flour tortillas and other Mexican favorites like queso fresco, a dash of spicy salsa, or refried beans.
Tips & Notes:
- Store leftover chorizo and eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.
- Chorizo and eggs can be stored in a freezer-safe ziplock bag and kept in the freezer for about two months.
- You can use lean chorizo to avoid excess fat.
- Please remember that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used.
Glen says
I love Mexican food, and this is one of my go-to faves when on Whole30 (no tortillas). Thanks for the recipe.
Imma says
Thank you for your interest and love for my recipe 🙂
James w freeze says
I’ve been cooking huevos,chorizo y papas for almost 70 years. Now I fix it a lazy way.
I cook the chorizo & potatos/ tater tots in a small bowl for 3 mins in my micro wave. Then I scramble up 2 raw eggs & add them to the bowl & nuc. that mixture for 2 more minutes. I add some pepper jack when I have it. Muy bueno comida!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing this version with us. Can’t wait to give it a try.
Nelda Fair says
Great tip using tater tots!! Thanks!,
Amina says
Great! Thank you for your feedback.
sharyn bay says
Mexican chorizo comes in Pork or Beef. Does the chorizo change color so you know when it is done?