Turn Leftover Pot Roast Into A Flavorful Mexican Style Breakfast

Pot roast is a delicious dish served for holidays and Sunday night dinners. But not many know that you can turn your leftover beef into a Mexican-inspired breakfast plate. The roast can be transformed into the delicacy, Machaca con Huevos, which translates from Spanish to "shredded with eggs." While normally the meat used for this dish is dry and salted, one doesn't need to cure the beef to make this tasty morning entree.

Making Machaca con Huevos isn't as hard as one may think when using leftover roast. In fact, it only takes about 15 to 20 minutes of cooking time. Simply heat the leftover pot roast with some onions in a pan with oil for a few minutes before adding other ingredients like jalapeños and other peppers. Next, throw in your tomatoes for another few minutes until they form a salsa-like paste that you can top with eggs and whatever spices you might like.

Once complete, don't forget the morning's staple beverage. After all, this recipe pairs perfectly with a good old-fashioned cup of instant Mexican coffee.

The high-protein and low-carb Machaca con Huevos originated in the 1920s from a woman named Fidencia Quiroga in the town of Ciénega de Flores, Mexico. Quiroga, who owned a restaurant called Merendero Quiroga, had served the meal to workers who were building a highway between Monterrey and Laredo.

Quiroga would cut strips of beef over a mesquite wood-filled charcoal burner and then pound them out to make them thinner. Then, once the meat was flat enough, she tore each piece by hand so it could be eaten properly with the egg and other accouterments like beans and salsa. While flour tortillas were the traditional option used when the dish first became popular, Machaca con Huevos, whether made with fresh meat or leftovers, also works when paired with corn tortillas.

With Machaca con Huevos, not only are you getting a time-honored tradition, but you're also preventing waste by using up food you already have. And, in that spirit, you shouldn't stop at pot roast. Instead, continue to expand upon this breakfast meal with other leftover meats, veggies, and more.