Cheesy Black Bean Frittatas make a high protein, inexpensive meal to feed a family of 4 for under $5.50. #HungerActionMonth

Cheesy Black Bean Frittatas

Who goes hungry?

“Hunger can affect people from all walks of life. Many Americans are one job loss or medical crisis away from food insecurity – but some people, including children and seniors, may be at greater risk of hunger than others.” -FeedingAmerica.org

Presently, 42 million Americans have food insecurity. That’s 1 in 8 people. Of that number, over 12 million are children.

Food Insecurity means people often need to decide whether to pay bills, buy medicine or which food to buy within their budget. That often means making tough choices when it comes to nutritional options.

Festive Foodies support #HungerActionMonth. We put together recipes to meet the challenge of food insecurity. We’re sharing these recipes today to show you how far these dollars go – or don’t go – and to encourage you to donate to organizations addressing hunger issues. Feeding America and local food banks are the boots on the group helping feed your neighbors daily.

The challenge:

To create a meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) to feed 4 people while spending $5.50 or less (total, not per person). (A family of 4 receives roughly $16.60/day – which split evenly comes out to $5.50 meal.) Please include your final costs within the post (a breakdown would be awesome!) Even if you go over, I think it’s a valuable exercise in seeing how far a SNAP budget goes.

Also, be mindful that if you’re using items from your pantry or buying things in bulk but only counting the part you used for the recipe, people on a SNAP budget most likely don’t have that luxury. Shopping discount stores, utilizing bulk bins for just the amount you need, and using coupons are all great techniques for this challenge.

Thank you Kate from Kate’s recipe Box for putting us up to the challenge!

Below I listed ways to donate links.

For my Cheesy Black Bean Frittatas I bought a dozen eggs, an onion, a pepper, canned black beans (seasoned), American cheese and vegetable oil.

I only used half the pepper and half the onion, 8 of the eggs and 2 tablespoons of the oil, plus the cheese.

So I took the liberty to use store brand milk at $.23 for half cup of 2 percent milk. That put me over by $.06.

Here’s the breakdown:

cooking oil- $1.00
canned black beans- $.59
yellow onion- $.95
red bell pepper- $1.00
1 dozen large eggs- $1.09
American cheese- $.70 (with store card)
Total: $5.33
Under budget if I use 1/2 cup water. Ugh.
So I went for the milk from a previous purchase.
1/2 cup 2 percent milk: $.23
New total:
$5.56

Another great part of this recipe is it’s made in one pan. You can make frittatas for any meal. Sometimes we have them for brinner 😉 !

Cheesy Black Bean Frittatas

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup red bell pepper
8 each large eggs
1/2 cup 2 percent milk
1/2 cup black beans seasoned
1/8 lb sliced American cheese

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large non-stick over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add onions and peppers. Saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally until softened but not soggy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan and carefully coat bottom and sides.
While vegetables cook, whisk together eggs and milk in a medium-sized bowl until fully blended, about 1 minute.
Heat prepared pan over medium heat for about 1 minute until oil glistens. Pour egg mixture into coated pan. Sprinkle beans, and onion pepper mixture evenly over egg mixture. Break cheese into smaller pieces, about 1 1/2-inch size to easily melt. Place cheese pieces evenly on top. Cook frittata over medium-low heat until eggs are almost set, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let set an additional 5 to 10 minutes to finish cooking from residual heat. Cut into 8 pieces. Serve.

As a group, we’re supporting Feeding America’s efforts to end hunger. We are collecting donations for Feeding America here: http://help.feedingamerica.org/goto/FoodBloggers Will you forgo your morning coffee stop and donate $5 to help feed the needy instead? There are also many great local organizations fighting hunger too, including *ADD YOUR OWN HERE*.

Hunger Action Month Recipes

Kielbasa and Vegetable Skillet from Kate’s Recipe Box
Italian Sausage Alfredo Tortellini from Intelligent Domestications
Budget Beef Vegetable Lo Mein from Palatable Pastime
Veggie Burrito Bowls from Simple and Savory
Cheesy Black Bean Frittatas from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Creamy Spinach & Black Bean Falutas from Savory Moments
Mindful Shopping, Cooking Frugally, and Helping Others from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Feed a Family of Four for One Day in under $16 from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Bean Pasta) from The Baking Fairy
Sausage Green Bean Alfredo from Cookaholic Wife
Sheet Pan Crustless Quiche from Frugal & Fit
Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet with Buttered Rice from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Chicken Caesar Pasta from Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
Stove-Top Chicken Noodle Soup from Blogghetti
Pepper Jack Quiche with a Potato Crust from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Broccoli Mac Kielbasa Casserole from
A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Want to help?

Want to help?
As a group, we’re supporting Feeding America’s efforts to end hunger. We are collecting donations for Feeding America here: http://help.feedingamerica.org/goto/FoodBloggers Will you forgo your morning coffee stop and donate $5 to help feed the needy instead?
There are also many great local organizations fighting hunger too, including Second Harvest Food Bank.
Click HERE to donate through my fundraiser on Facebook.

Disclaimer: Fundraisers listed are not sponsored by Facebook.