There are nights when the grocery budget is basically tapped out and you still need to put something real on the table. This Skillet Potato and Egg Hash is built for exactly that. Potatoes, eggs, one bell pepper, and a handful of pantry spices come together in one pan for around $4.50 total, and it works just as well for dinner as it does for breakfast or lunch. The potatoes get parboiled first so they crisp up properly in the skillet, the eggs bake right on top in the oven, and the cheese melts over everything at the end. It looks and tastes like way more effort than it is.

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the diced potatoes and parboil for 5 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Dry potatoes crisp up much better than wet ones.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the parboiled potatoes, bell pepper, and onion. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are golden and crispy at the edges and the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant.
Use a spoon to create 4 wells in the hash. Sprinkle the cheese into each well, then crack one egg into each.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Pull them a minute early if you like them looser.
Remove from the oven and serve straight from the skillet.

Notes

Budget notes. Skipping the bacon is what brings this under $5. The olive oil version is genuinely just as good, especially once those potatoes are golden and the spices are toasted. If you do want bacon, add it back in when you have a little more room in the budget and cook the potatoes in the drippings. That said, at around $4.50 for four servings this is one of the cheapest filling meals you can make. Russet potatoes are usually even cheaper than Yukon gold and work perfectly here.

Make it your own. Add a red bell pepper when they are on sale or swap in whatever color you have. A pinch of red pepper flakes in with the spices adds a nice kick. Hot sauce on top at the end is never a bad idea.

Meal prep tip. Cook everything except the eggs the night before and refrigerate the hash in the skillet. In the morning, reheat over medium heat, create your wells, add the eggs, and bake for about 11 minutes.

Storage. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium-low so the potatoes crisp back up rather than turning soggy in the microwave.

Budget-Friendly Skillet Potato and Egg Hash