There is nothing as simple and satisfying as the following huevos rotos recipe. This is a comfort food that Spaniards hold near and dear -- try it and you'll see why!
Huevos rotos are one of those Spanish dishes that seem so simple and basic-- borderline boring even. So it is a shock to the system when you realize how amazingly delicious they really are. This popular Spanish egg dish has slowly become one of my favorite Spanish meals. Somehow, over the past year or so, I’ve come to crave this delicious plate as I once craved things like steak and cheese subs and my mom's chicken parmesan.
Luckily, huevos rotos is easy to make, inexpensive, and quick. And if I'm feeling lazy I can order it at countless neighborhood tapas bars.
Eggs for Dinner?
Like many Americans, I grew up eating eggs for breakfast. Besides the occasional quiche that my mother would make for a special brunch, eggs were strictly a breakfast food.
In Spain, eggs are anything but breakfast—and make a popular snack, lunch, dinner or even dessert! What is my favorite Spanish egg dish? It’s really hard to say! I love my tortilla de patatas and adore pisto con huevo, but I think huevos rotos have to be my number one.
See more: 14 Spanish egg dishes that never grace the breakfast table
What Are Huevos Rotos?
Huevos rotos literally means broken eggs. The trick to these eggs is to fry them only until perfectly over easy and to break the yolk with the tip of a knife just before eating. They’re also known as huevos estrellados (star eggs) for the star shape that the yolk makes when broken.
Huevos rotos are traditionally served over homemade french fries, which are fried in Spanish olive oil and tossed with sea salt. I usually make mine over steamed potatoes on the stovetop, although it isn’t traditional!
This Spanish dish can also include many optional ingredients as toppings. Popular choices are huevos rotos con chorizo (paprika spiced sausage), con morcilla (blood sausage), con pimientos (green peppers), con jamón (cured ham), etc. My all-time favorite huevos rotos are prepared with fried green peppers and good quality Spanish jamón. It is seriously heaven.
Next time you are thinking of something to make for lunch or dinner, why not try eggs? I guarantee that my huevos rotos recipe will not disappoint!
Huevos Rotos Recipe with Ham, Chorizo, & Peppers
Huevos Rotos Recipe: Spanish Broken Eggs with Ham, Chorizo, & Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 Potatoes About 1 per person
- 4 Eggs
- 1 large onion
- ½ Cup of sliced green pepper
- Thin slices of Iberian or Serrano ham or sub prosciutto
- 1 link of cured Spanish chorizo
- 5 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil and add the onions over medium heat.
- Cut the potatoes into thin slices and add to the pan.
- Cover with the garlic, parsley, and peppers and turn the heat down to low.
- Cover and gently stir every 10 minutes.
- Cook for about 30 minutes (until all potatoes are tender and starting to brown)
- Crack the four eggs over the potatoes and turn the heat down very low. Cover and cook the eggs just until the whites have set. Then, break the yolks and remove from the heat!
- In the meantime, dice the chorizo in rounds (or remove the casing and crumble), then brown over medium heat in a separate pan.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover the potatoes and eggs with thin slices of ham (you don’t need to cook the ham if you are using the good stuff) and the cooked chorizo.
Nutrition
The great thing about this huevos rotos recipe is that it's slightly healthier (and less messy!) than the version using french fries. Craving the crunch of a good fry? No worries -- just fry up some homemade potato wedges and skip the onion. Fry the pepper separately and use as a topping on the huevos rotos, along with the ham and chorizo.
Not a meat eater? Huevos rotos can be easily adapted for vegetarians. My favorite vegetarian huevos rotos recipes include mushrooms, peppers, and caramelized onion!
If you aren't convinced yet, just try the recipe! In less than an hour, you will realize that huevos rotos are so much more than eggs and potatoes!
Already a huevos rotos fan? What's your favorite topping?
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Carl Miller
Great receipe and dialog. Yo have struck gold in my book. My next door neighbors in childhood were from Madrid and Edwardo D. and his family did all they could to teach me this dish. Being only seven to eight years old, they had to endure my eating the dish voraciously while trying to teach the technique.
Thanks for the memories and I appreciate your contributions.
CC
Lauren Aloise
Such a nice memory! Thanks for the comment 🙂
RKBKirin
Sounds like an amazing recipe! Thanks for posting it. I'll have to give it a try.
Also it reminded me of this scene from Parks and Rec
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/66/19/fe/6619febc680d5e95bb389d2735411cfa.jpg
Mo
You´re so right Lauren. Amazingly (or tragically) I´ve never made them but had them when out. They´re fantastic. I´m a green pepper maniac, the long ones that are supposed to be "Italian" and with the huevos rotos the whole thing is just spectacular. Having served up haggis, neeps and tatties and then dumpling (a sort of fruit cake) recently, I am very clear that Spanish food is better, even something as simple as huevos rotos!
p@man
Mo, imho there's nowt wrang wi a guid haggis, champit tatties and bashed neeps, even a wee slice o Dundee - each dish in its place and time can be a delight. We have served this to Spanish friends who absolutely loved it.
I have never tried making rotos since eating them over Majorquine lobsters in Palma, which was such an extraordinary but amazing dish that I didn't want to sully its memory! However, after reading this I am now inspired to have a go - wish me luck!
Ansley
I, too, love huevos rotos. To me, this dish is a perfect example of the use of basic and inexpensive Spanish ingredients to make a satisfying meal that feels luxurious because each bite is so flavorful. I've never tried to make this at home, however. You've inspired me to try!
Lauren Aloise
Exactly! I'd venture to say that this dish is one of the best representatives of Spain I know of. It is really satisfying which is why I'm always craving it! Definitely make it at home.
Kaley [Y Mucho Más]
Why do I keep reading this blog when I'm hungry? Damn you! 😉
I love Spanish eggs dishes--huevos rotos, huevos estrellados, OBVIOUSLY tortilla, and huevo frito (that Mario's mom makes to perfection). I love dipping really good pan de pueblo in that runny yolk. Heaven!
Katherina
I LOVE huevos rotos... specially with really really good jamon iberico!!
jimy
I've never had these or heard of them. Closest thing I've had is" huevos a la flamenca". I'll definitely try this recipe!
Dan
So delicious and so easy to cook! Apparently, because whenever I cook them at home, they never come out even remotely close to the awesomeness they are in Spain. But then, I always try the "patatas a lo pobre" version, which is maybe too demanding for my poor culinary technique. Funny, I thought that "huevos estrellados" came from "estrellar" (like in crashing them against the pan) rather than from "estrella".
Steve
I agree with Dan. "Huevos estrellados" means "crashed eggs". If it had to do with stars, it would mean star-filled, as in a star-filled sky (cielo estrellado).
Some people ( a few) say huevos estrellados and huevos rotos are different. I know one restaurant that says the rotos are served on top of the potatoes as whole sunnyside-up eggs and you have to cut them up, while the estrellados are already cut up and mixed with the potatoes.
Lauren Aloise
It's true Steve! When I had my husband read this post, he couldn't stop laughing at my little mistake... oh well, it was a good theory while it lasted! I'm not sure if the two are technically different or not, but every restaurant seems to have their own version. Some are more mixed up with the potatoes and others are like whole eggs that are just oozing a little at the yolk. I like them both ways!
ChgoJohn
These dishes sound wonderful and the recipe you shared would make a great meal anytime of day. I see why it's your favorite.
Lauren Aloise
And it's easy to make anywhere-- AKA you must try it asap!
Shana
This is one of my absolute favorite Spanish dishes. I first had it on a hot Saturday afternoon when I studied abroad - our señora woke us up after a very late Friday night out (home around 7, of course) and took us out to her terrace to have gazpacho and huevos rotos. That, plus ice cold water, is my ultimate Spanish hangover cure. 🙂
Lauren Aloise
That would cure any hangover! For sure!!