Nopales con Huevo (Cactus and Eggs)

Nopales con Huevo is a Mexican dish of Eggs cooked with cactus paddles. It’s a simple yet nutritious meal to start your day.

What are Nopales?

Nopales are cactus paddles and can be found at most Mexican Grocery stores. Buying the paddles whole requires additional preparation of removing the thorns. I prefer to buy my nopales pre-cut (nopalitos).

I have been able to find fresh cut cactus at non-Hispanic grocery stores. However, a Hispanic store will have both types of nopales (whole and pre-cut).

While cactus may seem like an odd thing to eat, they actually provide amazing health benefits like lowering blood sugar and cholesterol.

How to Cook Nopales?

Nopales con huevo requires the cactus to be cooked first, just like my recipe for Ensalada de nopales.

For the pre-cut cactus (nopalitos), start by rinsing the cactus under cold water. You’ll see that there is some slime in the cactus. This happens once a cactus paddle has been cut and the liquid from the inside releases.

Then place in a pot of water along with salt, onion powder, and cilantro stems for flavor.

Boil for about 15 minutes or until the nopales are somewhat soft, but still have some crunch to them. The color of the cactus will be a muted green color after boiling them. Rinse them again under cold water and now they are ready to eat.

How to Make Nopales con Huevo

Once the cactus is cooked it can be refrigerated up to 3 days, or used immediately for this recipe.

You’ll need 3 main ingredients: Cooked nopales, yellow onion, and Eggs.

Start by sautéing some sliced yellow onions in a little oil until they develop some color. Trust me, this adds so much flavor to the cactus and eggs.

Then add the cooked nopales and saute for a minute. Whisk 2 eggs together, lower the heat of the skillet, then add the eggs. I prefer a soft scrambled egg and cook it low and slow. Add some salt and pepper to taste and you’re done!

Serve Nopales con Huevo as is or with a warm corn tortillas, refried beans, sliced avocado, queso fresco, or salsa roja for some spice. While this is a great breakfast option, it really can be enjoyed any meal of the day.

Leftovers can be stored up to 3 days, just keep in mind this dish is best eaten right after it is made.