Also Known as “Oh shoot, I don’t have anything to make and I need to at least pretend I eat healthy!”
We're sure it's happened to you: you're home late, the kids are clamoring for dinner, and you need a quick and easy idea before they start gnawing on you. Or maybe you've got some unexpected company on the way; a friend called and they'll be coming over on short notice. Perhaps it's your turn to bring the main course at the church potluck, or you're hosting a holiday meal for extended family, or even preparing meals you can freeze for someone who's bereaved or expecting?
All of these potentially stressful situations can share one simple, flexible solution. Better yet, the dishes are minimal; one cast iron pan can handle the job alone. And as another added bonus, this recipe can even work if you're serving special diets, like vegetarian or gluten free.
Allow us to introduce you to your new favorite dish: the frittata.
It's like an omelette, but fluffier. Or like a quiche, but gluten free. Or maybe it's whatever you make it. You could do a pizza frittata for the kids, a roasted vegetable frittata for your friend, Mediterranean for church and Mexican inspired to freeze as a make-ahead meal for someone else. No matter what you choose to do with it, the Italians knew what they were doing when they invented this dish.
So please, take the basic recipe from this post and make something amazing. And maybe leave a note in the comments section so we can hear about it, too.
Property of The Kitchn
Ingredients
Rainbow Vegetable Frittata
(Serves 2)
4 Large eggs
1 Roma tomato, diced
2 mini orange sweet peppers, chopped
1 small blue* potato, finely diced
1 handful of fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter, for sauteeing vegetables
*The blue potato is optional; please feel free to omit it entirely, or to substitute a baby red or small Idaho potato if heirloom produce isn't available in your area.
Instructions:
Before you do anything else, preheat the broiler on your oven. You'll need it briefly at the end.
In a heavy cast iron skillet, drop a pat or two of butter and bring it up to medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the potato (if you're using one) and let it cook slowly while you prepare your eggs. We find it helpful to cover the pan for this step if possible.
Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk the eggs up with the spices. Set to the side for now.
Add your remaining vegetables to the pan and saute, stirring frequently, until potatoes are soft and onion is nearing translucency. This should take you about 5 minutes, but don't worry if you need extra time - better an extra two minutes here than a par-cooked potato ruining the meal. Be mindful of the fact spinach wilts quickly, and consider adding it last.
Once your vegetables are ready, pour the egg mixture over top. Keep the heat no higher than medium.
As your egg begins to set, resist the urge to stir! Instead, take a thin spatula and gently pry it away from the edges of the pan and up from the bottom. The goal here is to let the raw egg slip into the opened space. Repeat this process as each layer sets.
Cook in this manner for about 7 minutes. You want the bottom portion to be completely set and the top portion to be soft-set.
Spread your shredded cheese in a thin layer over the top of the eggs.
Move the pan from the stove top to under the broiler. Broil for 3 minutes.
Now the fun part! Cut into whatever shape you want, and enjoy!
Let us know what you think over on our Facebook page! We’d love to hear from you and how your meal turned out!
If this isn’t your thing, we have something completely different coming out in two weeks, so be sure to check back then.
Remember, if your appliances are giving you trouble, or if you just want someone to give them a once over, give us a call. We want to help keep your home running in tip top shape.
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Notes
As we said in the beginning, this is a flexible recipe. Use whatever herbs, spices, meats, vegetables and cheeses speak to you. We love the combinations of chorizo, garlic, cilantro, tomato and sweet onion topped with queso fresco, or of spinach, artichoke hearts, rosemary and feta, or hot Italian sausage with sun dried tomato, zucchini and provolone cheese. We've even heard tell of Cajun-inspired shrimp and Andouille sausage frittatas with red beans, onions, peppers and hot sauce.
A good rule of thumb to work with is two eggs per person. For every serving of eggs, you'll want half a cup of "filling" (meats, vegetables, etc.) and 2 tablespoons of cheese. (Unless you're like our family, which would gladly put half a pound of cheese into eight eggs and call it a frittata. We're not sure if the recipe is really flexible enough for this interpretation, but... We're not judging your fritatta, so be nice about ours.)
Courtesy of Nature Farms