Deliciously cheesy and filled with the crispy crunch of fried tortillas, Migas are one of my favorite quick meals! Give this versatile Tex-Mex egg dish and all its yummy toppings a try – you’re sure to love it!
What’s your game plan for leftovers? Whether you’re reheating, reinventing, or accidentally cultivating a mini ecosystem in the back of your fridge (hey, no judgments here!), I’ve got a great tip: turn them into an omelet. This isn’t a new trick—frittatas, quiches, and migas thrive on this principle. Ever heard of Macedonian Shakshuka? It’s all in the same delicious vein.
The process is simple: grab those leftover tortillas and chopped veggies, whisk some eggs, and you’ve got the foundation for a fantastic skillet meal. Toss in cheese and salsa, crumble those tortilla chips, then garnish with whatever toppings sing to you. Voilà, you’ve transformed simple ingredients into a mouthwatering plate of migas, ready to dazzle your taste buds in moments.
What Are Migas?
“Migas” is the Spanish word for “crumbs” or “scraps.” There are many variations of migas across the world in different Spanish-speaking regions, with all kinds of different ingredients. In this recipe, I’ll show you how I make Tex-Mex migas. That means we’re making a skillet meal of eggs, crispy tortillas, chopped veggies, salsa, and a few other ingredients, including plenty of cheese! It’s the most perfect brinner recipe!
Recipe Ingredients
This easy Migas recipe is flexible, and you can tweak it to fit the ingredients you have on hand. Keep in mind that this is more of a suggestion or outline than a strict must-have list.
- Oil: You’ll need the cooking oil for crisping the tortillas and frying the ingredients. Vegetable oil is fine, or you could use avocado oil, peanut oil, or olive oil.
- Tortillas: I used about four corn tortillas, cut into two-inch strips.
- Onion: Dice up one onion.
- Bell Pepper: A diced bell pepper adds color and so much flavor! Feel free to use any colored bell pepper, or use a mix of red, green, and orange.
- Jalapeno: You may want to wear gloves for this part. Finely chop one jalapeno, and remove the ribs and seeds.
- Garlic: If you use fresh garlic, mince about three cloves. Another option is to use jarred garlic, or substitute about a teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Eggs: This recipe uses 8 large eggs; you can use up to 10.
- Seasonings: To season my eggs, I add a teaspoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of pepper.
- Salsa: You can use half a cup of your favorite salsa here! Any kind is great.
- Cheese: Again, use what you have and/or love! For my version, I used a cup of shredded monterey jack.
- Cilantro: Omit this if you don’t like cilantro, but I find that ¼ cup of cilantro leaves, chopped, add a wonderful flavor to my migas. I like to save some for garnish, too.
- Avocado: Everyone’s favorite! I love including some thinly sliced, creamy avocado.
- Chopped Tomatoes: Another great idea for serving.
- Cotija Cheese: This dry and tangy grating cheese is similar to Parmesan. If you can find some, it goes wonderfully on just about everything, and I think it really takes this humble dish up a notch.
How to Make Migas
This recipe is an easy breakfast or dinner option. The secret to making these delicious Tex-Mex migas is to crisp up the tortillas until they’re just golden brown.
- Fry the Tortillas. Heat a couple of tablespoons of the oil in a nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the tortilla strips to the hot oil and fry until crispy. Then, remove the tortilla strips from the skillet and set aside.
- Fry the Veggies. Pour the remaining vegetable oil into the skillet and heat it up. Add the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno to the hot oil; cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 10 seconds or so.
- Scramble Everything. While the veggies are cooking, whisk together the eggs, chili powder, salt, and pepper. When the veggies have all cooked, turn the heat down to medium, and pour the eggs into the pan. Stir until everything is scrambled together; about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the Salsa, Cheese, and Tortillas. Add the salsa to the eggs and stir. Then add the cheese and about ⅔ of the chopped cilantro. Stir in the tortilla strips and cook for a minute, or until done.
- Enjoy! Remove your skillet from the heat, and top with cilantro, avocado slices, chopped tomatoes, and cotija cheese. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Any Tortillas Will Work: While some cooks will insist that you have to use corn tortillas, the truth is, flour tortillas also work! Some people even prefer them. And, while the most traditional migas might be made with day-old tortillas that are beginning to go stale, feel free to make this dish with fresh tortillas.
- Don’t Overcook the Eggs: Overcooked scrambled eggs can sometimes crumble into unmanageable little bits, and take on a discolored look. Keep your heat medium to low when scrambling, and stop when the eggs have a creamy, curd-like texture.
- Make It Your Own: At its simplest, migas can just be tortillas and eggs, so don’t hesitate to go that route if you don’t have (or don’t like) any of the other ingredients. Other ways to customize this dish include omitting the cheese, omitting the garnishes, adding some sour cream to the final presentation, using more salsa or no salsa, maybe just a bit of taco sauce instead, etc.
Serving Suggestions
Migas is a complete meal on its own, so you can serve it as-is, but if you’d like to round out the menu with a few sides, here are some ideas for inspiration!
- These Easy Air Fryer Potatoes with Herb Butter are amazing. I think they go beautifully with just about everything, including scrambled eggs.
- For me, guacamole is one of the best parts of eating Mexican food! My easy homemade guacamole features fresh mango, too.
- Complete your meal with this Grilled Zucchini Salad with Corn and Tomatoes! It’s a beautiful and healthy way to use summer’s bountiful produce.
How To Store Leftovers
Migas are amazing for using up food scraps, but the leftovers tend to get soggy when refrigerated. You could store them in an airtight container and refrigerate them for a couple of days, but I recommend consuming Migas immediately.
More Tex-Mex Recipes
- Mexican Street Corn Salad with Grilled Chicken
- Easy Baked Salsa Chicken
- Crock Pot Steak Fajitas
- Tamale Pie Recipe
Migas
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 3 to 4 low carb flour tortillas, cut into two-inch strips (you can also use corn tortillas)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped, ribs and seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 to 10 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ cup tomato salsa
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped, leave some for garnish
- 1 Avocado, thinly sliced, for serving, optional
- 1 cup Chopped tomatoes for serving, optional
- ½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat.
- Add tortilla strips to the hot oil and fry until crispy; about 4 minutes.
- Remove tortilla strips from the skillet and set aside.
- Add remaining vegetable oil to the same skillet and heat it up.
- Add onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno to the hot oil; cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
- In the meantime, whisk together the eggs, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the eggs to the pan. Stir until everything is scrambled together; about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add salsa and stir.
- Add cheese and ⅔ of the chopped cilantro; stir to combine.
- Stir in the tortilla strips and cook for a minute, or until heated through.
- Remove from heat.
- Top Migas with cilantro, avocado slices, chopped tomatoes, and cotija cheese.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
