Huevos Divorciados

One of the things I miss the most about living down the street from my mom is being able to go over for breakfast on the weekends. After my dad was done cleaning the stables and feeding his horses, she’d typically call me over for a cafecito con pan dulce, chilaquiles, or huevos divorciados.

Huevos divorciados quite literally translates to “divorced eggs.” It’s a traditional Mexican dish consisting of one fried egg drenched in salsa roja and one egg drenched in salsa verde, usually separated by a serving of refried beans or potatoes to keep them “divorced.” Huevos divorciados are a great way to use up any leftover salsa you might have stored in the fridge, and they’re even easier to make with store-bought salsas. 

Huevos divorciados make a filling weekday breakfast but are special enough for a weekend breakfast or brunch with friends. I wrote the recipe for two but it’s easy to scale up for a group and goes perfectly with a giant michelada.

Upgrade Huevos Divorciados With Homemade Salsa

If you’d like to make the salsa from scratch, there’s a basic formula that I tend to follow and adjust depending on what flavor profile I’m looking for. It all starts with a pound of tomatoes. You can broil them for 15 minutes to char the skin and add smokiness to the salsa, or you can boil them for 10 to 15 minutes until soft for a sweeter profile. 

From there, I like to add a handful of cilantro leaves, a quarter of an onion, a few garlic cloves, and either chiles de arbol for a punch of heat or chipotles in adobo for smoky heat. Add a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of kosher salt and blend it together.

How I Serve Huevos Divorciados

There are several different ways to serve this dish. Personally, I like to keep it simple and serve the fried eggs drenched in the salsas along with refried beans, plenty of salty queso cotija, and warm flour tortillas. 

Store-bought refried beans work great if you don’t have time to make them from scratch—the Original Recipe Refried Beans from Isadora are my go-to. You can also opt for serving huevos divorciados with home fries, or place the eggs on a corn tortilla before drenching them in the sauce for a huevos rancheros hybrid!

Must-Make Mexican Recipes

• Elotes
• Mexican Red Chile Sauce
• Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
• Albondigas Soup