The Best Sides To Serve With Chilaquiles

The only thing better than tortilla chips is tortilla chips soaked in your favorite chile salsa and topped with ingredients like cheese, meat or eggs, and your favorite veggies. This dish, called chilaquiles, has been served in Mexico for centuries, and today we can find it served in restaurants all over the U.S. Chilaquiles are easy to make at home, common as a breakfast dish, and once you add them to your repertoire you may find you have a new favorite meal. The dish was traditionally made as a way to use up ingredients on their way out, and because of this, what gets included can vary greatly from recipe to recipe. And in Mexico, where they originate, regional variations range just as wide. 

Chilaquiles are considered a meal on their own, typically well loaded up, but if you want to be a little extra (and who doesn't?), you can knock breakfast out of the park serving homemade chilaquiles with the perfect side dish.

Stick to a tried and true favorite by serving a generous helping of refried beans with your chilaquiles. Refried beans are a popular Tex-Mex dish, but they're sure to please in any setting. Despite the name, refried beans aren't actually fried twice. Refried beans are fried in a pan, usually with lard and salt, giving them a rich flavor and a smooth, creamy texture that pairs perfectly with the salsa-soaked tortilla chips in chilaquiles.

Pinto beans are a favorite choice for refried beans, but they can also be made with black beans or red kidney beans, giving the home chef lots of options. You can make your own refried beans from scratch at home, appropriately amped up with hot sauce and cheddar. Don't want to start from scratch? No problem. There are lots of ways to upgrade canned varieties, like adding a little bacon fat (yum) or mixing in your preferred spices.

Chilaquiles are a savory dish, often packed with protein, spices, and vegetables. Round out your meal by adding a little fruit in the form of fried plantains next to those steaming, drippy chips.

Plantains look an awful lot like bananas, but don't let the similarities confuse you. They're larger, starchier, and not nearly as sweet as their banana cousins. Fried plantains have an earthy flavor that lean on the nutty side, but this saltier, savory quality adds balance to the oft-bold flavor of chilaquiles. If you want to tip things more in the direction of sweet, just add a little agave nectar or cinnamon sugar as you're browning your slices. 

Plantains are easy to find, available in most grocery stores. Where you're looking for just past green with bananas, you want dark yellow or even brown for a ripe plantain. These should stay quite firm even when ripe, so squishiness is not a good sign. Serve them nice and hot next to your chilaquiles for the best culinary experience.

Veggies will always be in style. There's something about a grilled or roasted colorful veg medley that speaks right to the heart, making them optimal side dish for your chilaquiles. Because many chilaquiles recipes already include veggies, opt for some new ones before you throw them on the grill. Some easy choices are onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes. It's okay to think outside the box, though. Get a little wild and try grilling veggies like eggplant, asparagus, or sweet potatoes to serve as your side.

If you don't have a grill, or just don't feel like firing it up, you can get the same effect with roasted veggies. Make a simple roasted veggie recipe using mixed vegetables, or branch out a little with veggies like Brussels sprouts, carrots, or zucchini. Toss them in your favorite extra virgin olive oil, add your favorite spices, and top with fresh herbs for a culinary delight that will highlight your amazing chilaquiles.

When it comes to chilaquiles, you can't go wrong with the addition of Mexican rice. Mexican rice is a beautiful orange color, which comes from tomatoes, and is simmered with spices like cumin, chili powder, and garlic. It often includes vegetables, like onions, and fresh herbs such as cilantro. It's a hearty and nutritious option for your table, and when we're talking about Latin companion dishes, it doesn't get much more traditional.

You can buy ready-to-eat Mexican rice at your local grocery store, making for super simple meal prep. If you have a little extra time or want to create something special, you can make your own Mexican rice. It might take a little more effort, but the results will be well worth it. Not only can you customize the rice to your palate and that of your guests, but you can also use ingredients that are complementary with your chilaquiles.

Elote, aka Mexican street corn, has been around for centuries, and what we would recognize as modern maize, millennia. However, it wasn't until the last few that elotes fully entered the American consciousness. And not only are they delicious, they also happen to be a perfect side dish for your chilaquiles.

It's hard to find two elote recipes that are exactly alike, but most include mayo, crema, and cotija cheese, plus whatever spices and herbs you would like to add, sprinkled over corn on the cob. Easy to customize, elote is a fan favorite that will be welcome at your table. Make it spicy or keep it mild. Add cilantro or leave it off. Be generous and add some butter to the mix or keep it simple with mayo and cheese. Like it spicy? Get wild with the chile powder. Or try this recipe with a tangy lime crema and Tajin. 

No one ever complained about too many potatoes, am I right? Add a side of home fries to your next chilaquiles meal for a hearty and crowd-pleasing side dish that everyone will love (get ready to be everyone's new favorite breakfast destination).

Home fries are cubed potatoes that are cooked in a skillet with olive oil or butter (or many times, both). Sometimes they are cooked with onions, too. You can season them with just salt and pepper, or add your favorite spices while they're in the skillet. The perfect home fries will have a nice brown crispiness on the outside while being soft and creamy on the inside. 

Potatoes pair perfectly with pretty much any breakfast, and chilaquiles are no exception. Making home fries is simple, and once you've made them from scratch you'll never go back to the frozen, store-bought version. Serve your home fries on the side or layer them on your chilaquiles before serving. You literally can't go wrong.

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