We live on a tight budget and it's important to us to stay within it. Some months that's easier than others. There are times when it feels like there's a whole lot of month left at the end of the money!
We recently had a week without grocery money. By the end of the week, things were looking pretty scant. It was one of those times when I found myself really grateful for eggs in the fridge and a well stocked pantry.
The night before payday, I needed to come up with a quick, after-work supper from what we had on hand so I made frittata of sorts, filled with tomatoes, potatoes, and onions, and topped with havarti cheese (from our freezer, bought on sale, shredded and frozen). I served our eggs with some frozen green beans, simply steamed in the microwave.
They were good! Good enough that I thought I'd share the dish with you for days when you, too, need a quick, tasty pantry supper.
To make Night Before Payday Eggs, you'll need:
- 3/4 cup onion, cut in 1/4 cup dice
- A little oil to coat your pan. (I used safflower oil this time.)
- 1 pint (or one small tin or half of a large tin) of canned tomatoes, drained, seeded, and torn into bite-sized pieces. (I ended up with about a cup of tomato pieces and saved the drained liquid and seeds for use in stock.)
- 1 cup of bite-sized potato pieces. (I used home canned yukon gold potatoes, just roughly broken apart with my hands but leftover cooked potatoes of any sort will work too.)
- 1/2 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried oregano
- salt and pepper
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup of shredded havarti (or whatever cheese you prefer)
Prepare your pan. If your saute pan's handle is not heat resistant enough to withstand broiling, wrap it in foil to protect it.
Preheat your pan over medium high heat and then add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
Add in your onions and saute them until they're tender and have begun to take on a little colour.
Stir in the tomato and potato pieces, the oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.
Beat your eggs until the whites and yolk are well combined, then pour them over the vegetables.
Cook the eggs on top of the stove until they set at the bottom of the pan, then transfer them to a 350F oven and continue cooking until they're almost done, but still a little moist on top.
Remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven on to broil.
Spread the shredded cheese over the top of the eggs.
Place the pan under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Remove the finished eggs from the oven, and portion them into wedges.
We had one portion left over. I popped it in the fridge for lunch the next day. It made an excellent sandwich filling.