Cactus Scramble

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Nopales are the pads from prickly pear cactii. I had never had them before, but when we received them in our Local Box this week, eggs felt like the perfect fit. We always source our eggs locally, and pairing them with local veggies is a great karma-enriching way to start out the day.

De-thorned on the left, trimmed and prepped on the right

Nopales have a bit of slime to them, much like okra, and I found that adding a bit of baking soda while boiling the pieces helps cut down on the goo. Be careful, though, because the baking soda will cause the water to boil quite high, and if you aren’t careful you’ll soon be cleaning up a big mess on the stove.

While there is a bit of prep work involved, this breakfast comes together easily and makes for a nice change in morning routine. You want to make sure you trim the nopales all the way around, and then carefully cut out the thorn nodes without losing too much of the meat. And of course, make sure you wash them well before slicing.

Cactus Scramble

A simple scramble using cactus pads, also called nopales.

Author : Megan Myers

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Recipe Review

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 2 servings

Calories 253 kcal

Ingredients

  

1/2x1x2x3x

• 2 cactus pads, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch chunks
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Olive oil
• 1 Hatch or poblano pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 palm-sized tomato, diced
• 4 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• Hot sauce

Instructions

• Heat a deep saucepan of water to boiling. Add the cactus and baking soda, and boil gently for about 10 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure pot doesn’t boil over. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• In a saute pan, heat a swirl of olive oil over medium. Add the pepper and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, then add tomatoes and cactus and cook for 2 minutes.
• Beat eggs with a fork and add to the vegetables. Cook until eggs are desired consistency, stirring every so often.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with hot sauce.

Recommended Products

• Calphalon Santoku Knife, Black
• Cuisinart Stainless 2-Quart Saucepan with Cover
• Cuisinart Classic Stainless 5-1/2-Quart Saute Pan 

Nutrition

Calories: 253 kcalCarbohydrates: 12 gProtein: 16 gFat: 17 gSaturated Fat: 4 gCholesterol: 372 mgSodium: 1015 mgFiber: 5 gSugar: 5 g

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.

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