SERIES: eggs and frittatas
Week 4 of this 4-week series on eggs, brings us to the frittata. The frittata is the low-calorie version of a quiche. It’s crustless and typically there is nothing mixed into the egg other than salt, pepper, herbs, and maybe a little milk, but this is optional. No cream or cream cheese. While it is less decadent than the quiche, it offers a lot of protein with little fuss. You don’t have to make the crust!
I love them because they:
- Don’t contain sugar
- Are a protein heavy breakfast
- You can use nearly any combo of vegetables, meats, and cheeses that you have in the fridge
- Easy to reheat; and you can enjoy hot or cold
Cooking a frittata, however, does require a bit of technique. Nothing too complicated – you can pick it up quickly – you just need a couple of pointers. My first introduction to the frittata was through Bon Appetit. They ran an illustration called Recipe Freestyle: Frittata. It is what inspired my vinaigrette illustration. It included a base recipe with ingredient variations. I liked it because it taught you the basic technique and provided a few different ingredient combinations to try or riff off.
What you’ll need for equipment:
- 10” oven safe skillet (I like cast iron the best, but you can also use stainless/aluminum skillets)
- A good, flexible metal spatula
frittata
The frittata is a great recipe freestyle. Once you have the basis of eggs, salt, pepper and and a well seasoned pan, you can make endless variations using your imagination or what you have on hand. It's a great go to when you just need to get something wholesome on the table quickly.
Ingredients
- 10-12 eggs, depending on the size of the pan
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 onion, sliced
- olive oil
- meat, of your choice
- cheese, of your choice
- vegetables or aromatics, of your choice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. In a 10-12" cast iron pan (or any oven safe pan), heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and season with salt and pepper (not the amount in the recipe, just season). While the onion is cooking, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Once the onion is adequately caramelized, add more olive oil to the skillet covering outer edges liberally and entire bottom of the pan. If you turned the heat on the pan down to accommodate the onions caramelizing, be sure to turn it back up. The combination of a hot pan that’s well oiled will prevent the frittata from sticking to the bottom. Add vegetables and meat filling. Next pour the whisked egg mixture into the pan. With the pan still over medium heat, cook until the edges of the egg start to pull away from the pan, about 5-7 minutes. During this cooking process, you’ll want to use a fork or a metal spatula to loosen the egg from the bottom of the pan in places to allow the uncooked egg to seep through. Once the edges start to full away from the pan, sprinkle with cheese and turn off heat. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake until the egg is set, 16-18 minutes.
When the frittata is done cooking, remove the skillet from the oven and use the metal spatula to release the egg from the pan. If the pan is seasoned appropriately, it shouldn’t require too much effort. Slide frittata on cutting board to cut and cool.
Notes
Inspired by: Bon Appetit