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Meat, Americas

Charquicán with fried egg

Charquicán is a Chilean stew of ground beef and mashed vegetables, potatoes, squash, corn, and peas, topped with a fried egg. This recipe serves 4 and takes 55 minutes, easy level, for €2.60 per serving. The key is mashing the vegetables with a fork instead of blending them, which keeps real texture in the dish.

Tonight it's a simple Chilean stew, charquicán, ground beef and mashed vegetables topped with a fried egg.

Charquicán with fried egg
Total time
55 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€2.60
Calories per person
700 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter
The kids
They generally like it

Charquicán combines well browned ground beef with roughly mashed winter vegetables, soft potatoes, sweet squash, corn, and peas that add a bit of bite. The fried egg on top, with its runny yolk mixing into everything, changes the texture with every bite. It's a generous, comforting dish, no fuss involved, built to feed a family on a chilly fall or winter evening.

This is the kind of dish Mon Chou suggests for a weeknight when everyone's hungry and you want to watch just one pan. Kids love breaking their egg yolk into the mashed vegetables, and the recipe stays flexible enough to use up whatever is left in the fridge. You don't need to be a skilled cook, the fork does most of the work.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Ground beef 500 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Potatoes 800 g
  • Butternut squash 400 g
  • Onions 2
  • Garlic 2 cloves

Pantry

  • Canned sweet cornoften in the pantry 150 g
  • Oreganooften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Oiloften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Frozen foods

  • Frozen peas 150 g

Dairy

  • Eggs 4

Allergens Eggs

The step by step recipe

  1. Peel the potatoes and squash, cut them into cubes, and cook them in salted water. 20 min

    Cut into even cubes for an even cook.

  2. Saute the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil, then add the beef, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. 10 min

    Let the meat brown without stirring it too much.

  3. Drain the vegetables and roughly mash them in the pan with the meat.

    Keep a little cooking water to loosen the mix if it looks dry.

  4. Add the corn and peas, then let everything simmer over low heat. 10 min

    The frozen peas go straight into the pan.

  5. Fry the eggs in the remaining oil and place one on top of each plate. 4 min

    Salt the eggs only at the end to keep the whites tender.

Our tips to get it right

  • Cut the potatoes and squash into similar sized cubes so they cook at the same rate and mash together without lumps of one or the other.
  • Set aside a bit of the vegetable cooking water before draining, it's handy to loosen the mixture if the beef has dried out the pan.
  • Fry the eggs right before serving so the yolks are still runny when they hit the mashed vegetables on the plate.

The variations

  • Swap the ground beef for ground or shredded chicken for a milder version, keeping the same cooking times.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with cooked lentils or crumbled tofu sauteed with the same spices.
  • For kids in a hurry, skip the fried egg and melt a bit of shredded cheese on top instead.

What to serve it with

  • A fresh tomato salad
  • Crusty country bread
  • A glass of lemon water

Storage

Charquicán keeps 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, egg kept separate. It freezes well without the egg for up to 2 months. Reheat the base in a pan over low heat with a splash of water, then fry a fresh egg right before serving.

Questions about this dish

Can you use a different cut of beef instead of ground beef?

Yes, small beef cubes or shredded beef both work well. Just adjust the cooking time so the meat is tender before you mash it together with the vegetables.

Do you need a blender to mash the vegetables?

No, a fork works perfectly and gives the slightly chunky texture that makes this dish what it is. A blender would make it too smooth and less authentic.

Can you make charquicán ahead of time?

Yes, make the beef and vegetable base up to two days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Fry the eggs only right before serving so the yolks stay runny.

Is canned corn essential to this recipe?

It adds crunch and a touch of sweetness, but you can swap it for extra peas if you don't have any on hand. The dish still stays close to the original.

How long does it take to make a charquicán?

Count 55 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a charquicán?

About 700 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a charquicán cost?

About €2.60 per serving, or €10.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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