Nopales con Huevo is a breakfast staple at any Mexican home. It is a savory Mexican-style egg scramble with nopales (prickly pear cactus), tomato, onion, and jalapeño. It is super easy to make and only requires 5 main ingredients.
Nopales con Huevo
Nopales in English are called “prickly pear cactus” because this type of cactus grows a sweet fruit called the prickly pear. It has been scientifically proven to help reduce inflammation, control blood sugar, and lower cholesterol. Nopales are a “power food” as they contain so many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!
A lot of Mexican dishes were influenced by the Spanish. However, nopales are native to Mexico and were part of indigenous people’s lives before the Spanish arrived. Nopales are a big part of Mexican culture and for a good reason!
Nopales con Huevo are a great way to add more vegetables to your diet, Mexican-style! I grew up eating nopales con Huevo for breakfast all the time. It’s the most satisfying when paired with fresh homemade tortillas, vegan queso fresco, and homemade salsa.
Where to find Nopales
You can find nopales at your local Mexican grocery store. If you don’t have one of those nearby, I recommend looking in big grocery stores such as FoodMaxx, Lucky, or Safeway.
You can find nopales sold in 3 ways:
- Fresh nopal leaves. This one is sold with thorns and all. This is my favorite way to buy them because they are the freshest and most authentic type.
- Cut and cleaned, possibly diced. This is my next choice. A lot of people like buying them this way to avoid cutting off the thorns.
- In a jar/can. Canned nopales are available year-round and I use them when I know that nopales are not in season. Doña Maria and La Costeña are the brands I would choose.
Tips to Prep Fresh Nopales
- Lay out a big area of newspapers or a large area of baking sheets on the table where you will be cleaning your nopales. This will help collect any flying thorns.
- Clean and slice off all thorns on nopales carefully. Try to cut only the skin of the nopales to avoid waste.
- Cut the nopales around the edges to get rid of any excess thorns that may be growing on the sides/edges.
- When slicing off the thorns make sure to slice away from your face/body.
- Dice nopales into small cubes or whichever size you’d like.
JustEgg vs Tofu Scramble for Nopales con Huevo
I like to use JustEgg because the taste and texture is almost identical to scrambled eggs. It is also convenient and ready to go! Find it at Safeway, Lucky, Whole Foods, and more. I don’t recommend getting the egg substitute at Trader Joe’s. If you prefer tofu instead I highly recommend using this recipe to make it fluffy and egg-like. Cook it first and then just add the scrambled tofu to the nopales just as you would the JustEgg in step 5.
Serve Nopales con Huevo with:
Frijoles de la Olla (homemade beans)
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Nopales con Huevo
Description
Nopales con Huevo is a breakfast staple at any Mexican home. It is a savory Mexican-style egg scramble with nopales (prickly pear cactus), tomato, onion, and jalapeño. It is super easy to make and only requires 5 main ingredients.
Ingredients
- 4 nopales, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, diced
- 1 bottle of JustEgg OR 1 block of tofu
- (see above for tofu option)
- 1–2 tbsp oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice nopales into cube-sized pieces. Add to a pot with 2 teaspoons salt, and half an onion (not diced), and cover with water. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- While nopales are cooking, dice the other half of the onion, 2 tomatoes, and 1 jalapeño or Serrano pepper.
- Set up a drainer in the sink for when the nopales finish cooking. Drain nopales and set aside.
- Set a large pan on medium heat and add oil. Once hot, add in diced onion and cook for 2 minutes. Next, add diced tomatoes and jalapeño pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until tomatoes cook down a little.
- Add the nopales and cook for a few minutes to eliminate excess nopal juice. Finally, add in the JustEgg or Scrambled tofu. Cook for another 5-6 minutes or until fully cooked. Taste as you go and adjust salt/pepper.
- Serve with corn tortillas, salsa, avocado, and queso fresco.
