Veggie Frittata
As my fridge’s contents start to look a little sad and disjointed, I’ve been trying to find creative ways to use ingredients that are starting to go bad and clever ways to use up leftovers.
The other day, I had three asparagus, two mushrooms (lol) and one bunch of broccolini in my fridge and had the idea of making a frittata with them. Frittatas are great because you can either do what I did (use fresh veggies that are on the brink of going bad) or you can use leftover veggies from previous meals. I’ve included a more in-depth synopsis on the types of veggies I recommend along with how to prep fresh veggies in the “Notes” section below.
I love eating this frittata hot out of the pan topped with this super acidic herb salad but it’s also great at room temp or even cold. A major life hack is making a frittata sandwich with two pieces of sourdough toast (perhaps even focaccia!?), avocado and maybe even a little salsa verde. It will keep in the fridge for a few days too. I hope you love this one as much as I do!
INGREDIENTS
6 large eggs
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 heaping cups pre-cooked vegetables of choice (see notes section below)
1/4 cup cheese (grated or fresh cheese of choice – optional)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups fresh greens of your choice (arugula, spinach, and/or fresh tender herbs such as basil, mint and/or parsley)
Juice from 1/2 lemon
METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs just until homogeneous. Add a big pinch of salt and black pepper to season the eggs.
Fold in the vegetables. If you’re adding a grated cheese (i.e. cheddar or jack), mix that in too. If you’re adding a fresh cheese (i.e. goat cheese or ricotta, set it aside – we will add later).
Heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet over high medium-heat and add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Pour in the egg + veggie mixture and using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture, as if you were making scrambled eggs, for 15 seconds.
Using the side of the rubber spatula, flatten out the top of the frittata and form into a big pancake. Smooth out the top of the frittata and do your best to evenly distribute the vegetables. Note: the mixture will basically be raw at this point.
If you’re adding a fresh cheese, spoon dollops of it on top.
Allow the frittata to crisp up on the bottom and around the edges over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Then, run your rubber spatula around the perimeter of the frittata to make sure it isn’t sticking.
Transfer to the oven and cook for 5 minutes, or until the center is almost set.
While the frittata is in the oven, toss the greens with the lemon juice, 1 tsp of olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Remove the frittata from the oven and again, use your rubber spatula to loosen up the frittata around the edges.
Carefully place a large plate on top of the pan and quickly invert the frittata onto the plate. Then, slide the frittata back into the same hot pan (with the browned side facing up) and transfer to the stove over medium-high heat. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the frittata is set.
Remove the frittata from the pan and serve in slices, topping with the lemon-y salad. You can eat this warm, room temp or cold and it will keep in the refrigerator for a few days!
NOTES
Vegetables: This is a place where you can use any leftover roasted veggies you have in the refrigerator, OR you can cook the veggies yourself. Even if you have three mushrooms, half of a bell pepper and a potato, you can make it work!
Vegetables I recommend: Asparagus, broccoli, mushroom, cauliflower, red bell pepper, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, zucchini, potato, spinach, onion, shallot.
If you have leftover roasted vegetables: Throw them right into the egg mixture, as is.
If you have raw vegetables: It’s important to cook and cool them prior to adding to the egg mixture. You can steam them, blanch them or saute them. This does two main things: 1) It ensures you don’t bite into raw vegetables when you eat the frittata. We aren’t cooking the frittata for long enough to where a raw vegetables will cook through. If you add vegetables to the egg mixture that are already cooked to perfection, you’ll end up with a frittata full of perfectly cooked veggies. 2) Pre-cooking your veggies helps manage moisture in the frittata. Veggies are full of natural water, so adding a raw bell pepper, raw spinach, raw onion, etc. to the egg mixture without pre-cooking it will results in a overly wet frittata. The moisture of the veggies will release as the frittata cooks and you’ll end up with a soggy end product. NOTE: this of course depends on the vegetables you’re using — for example, I often add raw asparagus because they taste good raw and don’t contain very much moisture.