Tex-Mex Migas Recipe
When I’m feeling too tired to cook, this quick and easy Tex-Mex migas recipe is my go to! With less than 10 ingredients I almost always have on hand, it’s a budget friendly breakfast, lunch or dinner that always satisfies! Plus, it’s on the table in less than 15 minutes!
As someone who partially makes a living doing recipe development and food blogging, I know a post a lot of pretty pictures of food. But don’t let that fool you - there are plenty of things I eat that are less than photogenic and don’t make it to instagram.
Real life: sometimes I’m too tired to cook. And unless you’re a bot reading this, sometimes you’re too tired to cook too, because you too are a human being who has stressful days at work or home, forgets to go to the grocery store, or just would rather watch Outlander than be in the kitchen.
While I’m a huge fan of takeout pizza and pho, and will never turn down Whole Foods sushi and frozen veggie dumplings, I do like to keep a few simple and satisfying pantry meals up my sleeve. One of those meals is this quick and easy Tex-Mex migas recipe.
What are migas?
Migas is a traditional Mexican dish of day old tortillas fried until crispy and scrambled with eggs. As with chilaquiles, it’s a way to stretch leftover tortillas into a filling meal. Tex-Mex migas are made with additional ingredients like onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, cheese and peppers, and usually served with refried beans.
What I love about this quick and easy Tex-Mex migas recipe is that I almost always have the ingredients on hand, because I always adapt it based on what I have. Sometime’s I make migas with just onions and pile on some salsa or hot sauce. Other times I load it up with veggies like peppers and zucchini.
Tex-Mex Migas as a Pantry Meal
Having the ingredients to make pantry meals on hand keeps my life sane. Seriously. It is the loveliest thing to come home and know I can quickly whip up something tasty and filling. Takeout is fun, but I don’t want to blow my whole monthly restaurant budget on it, partially because the takeout scene here in Columbia is kinda meh (78% of the reason I want to move to NYC). So having shelf stable ingredients on hand to make quick and easy meals is key for having a satisfying dinner on the table when I’m running low on groceries or don’t feel like cooking anything more time intensive. This Tex-Mex migas recipe is one of my favorites, but I also love to make pasta puttanesca, baked eggs and tortillas in a spicy tomato sauce (sensing an egg + tortilla theme here) and a variation of my mushroom and white bean pasta with frozen spinach.
I always have eggs, tortilla chips, onions, garlic and hot sauce on hand, so if anything I can make a simple version of these Tex-Meg migas. I also like to keep frozen jalapenos or have a can of diced green chiles to add spice. If you don’t have tomatoes, just add a little salsa and it’ll do the trick, or leave it out! You can also use different kinds of cheeses like feta, pepper jack, manchego, or even goat cheese.
Tex-Mex Migas Recipe Adaptions:
Other than adapting this recipe based on what ingredients you have, you could also dress it up to make fancy migas! One of my favorites was with chorizo, roasted red peppers and feta. If you want to boost the protein, add black beans, chicken or ham. Or, if you want to boost the carbs (which is a totally acceptable option in my book!) add diced precooked fried or roasted potatoes.
Another fun adaption was when I stirred in enchilada sauce halfway through the eggs cooking to turn these Tex-Mex migas into a sort of chilaquiles hybrid that was really tasty!
Tex-Mex Migas Serving Suggestions:
My favorite way to enjoy this dish is with refried black beans, which I pretty much always have in the pantry. I love Trader Joe’s refried canned black beans with jalapeno! Taco Bell’s canned refried beans are also really good, although I’m not sure if that’s because I’m nostalgic for them from college - their canned beans with salsa and tortilla chips was basically my cheap ramen for when i was running low on funds.
Other ideas for Tex-Mex migas pairings:
Fresh fruit, like sliced bananas, mango or watermelon.
Avocado toast
Grilled zucchini
Frozen hash browns
How to Make the Best Quick and Easy Tex-Mex Migas:
You could make this dish with leftover corn tortillas, and I often do. To do that, just cut them into strips and fry in oil until crispy before adding in beaten eggs. But to save time, I like to use tortilla chips, especially since we always have them in the pantry for snack on with hummus. Lightly crush them into smaller pieces, but don’t totally break them down otherwise your migas will be mush.
I like my migas with a little bit of texture and crunch. My trick in this recipe is to add half the tortilla chips after sautéing the vegetables and before adding the eggs (these will soften), and the other half when the eggs are cooked halfway, which will keep them a bit crunchy.
If you like this Tex-Mex migas recipe, follow my favorite Mexican recipes Pinterest board for more inspiration.
This recipe for quick and easy Tex-Mex migas was originally shared June 2015. Recipe, images and text have been updated to give you the best content possible.
Tex-Mex Migas Recipe
Serves 2-4ish, depending on hunger levels
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomato, seeded and chopped
4 large handfuls of lightly crushed tortilla chips
8 large eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Optional garnishes: sliced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, scallion, hot sauce, crumbled queso fresco or more cheddar
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion, jalapeno and garlic with a pinch of salt and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato and saute until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in half the tortilla chips and cook about 2-3 minutes.
Push the vegetables and tortillas to one half of the skillet or around the sides. Pour the eggs into the open area (drizzle the skillet with a little more olive oil if needed). Scramble the eggs, pushing the outside of the eggs towards the center as they set. When the eggs cooked about halfway, stir in the remaining chips and cheddar cheese. Cook eggs to desired doneness.
Serve migas garnished with avocado, hot sauce, cilantro, scallions and queso fresco.
If you like this Tex-Mex migas recipe, you might also like:
Mediterranean Quesadilla
Quick and Easy Meal Inspiration
The Best Vegetarian Nachos
