Frittata is a baked egg dish that takes less than 30 minutes, is easily customizable, and can work for any meal of day. Made with asparagus, bacon, and goat cheese, this one is great as breakfast, brunch, lunch, or light dinner. (We also like it packed in lunches and chopped into bite-sized pieces for the baby.)
Would you be surprised to know that the first place I look when I'm planning a meal is this blog? Nearly all of my favorite recipes are documented here, but since I've been writing this blog for 9 (!) years, I sometimes realize that I forget to share a classic. And so it happened, that I was looking for something to make for Easter brunch, turned to this site, and typed in "frittata". Nothing came up. How could that be? We have a frittata recipe in our free mini cookbook and over at Cook Smarts, we use frittata as a go-to weeknight meal all the time, so I can't believe I've never shared one here.
The flexibility of this dish made it the perfect fit for our Easter brunch. I was looking for something to serve alongside bagels (see pics at the bottom to understand why we served bagels at Easter), so I wanted it to be light, colorful, and not involve a bunch of extra carbs. I also wanted to make it ahead, since we'd be hosting brunch a mere 30 minutes after church. This dish was just the thing! I made it on Saturday afternoon, and it was still great (warmed up) at brunch-time the next day. Details for making it ahead and re-heating are below.
What is a Frittata?
A frittata is a baked egg dish made from whisked eggs. Typically the dish starts cooking on the stovetop and is finished in the oven. Meat, cheese, or vegetables can be added before cooking. At the end, the dish is sliced into pieces and served.
Great Things about Frittata
There are a few truly great things about this easy dish. A frittata...
- Works for any meal
- Cooks fast
- Can be made in one pan
- Makes great leftovers
- Can be made ahead
- Can be customized to use almost anything in your fridge
- Is Vegetarian, Keto, Paleo, Gluten-free (depending on added ingredients)
Ingredients
- Eggs - You'll need about 1 ½ large eggs per serving.
- Milk - Add a small amount of milk to give the eggs a slightly creamy texture. Any type of milk (or milk substitute) will work, or feel free to skip it.
- Salt and Pepper - It's important to season the eggs before adding them to the skillet.
- Meat, Cheese, or Vegetables - All optional and there are endless combinations to try. See below for ideas.
How to Make a Frittata
- Whisk Eggs, Milk, Salt and Pepper - Whisk these together until evenly combined and slightly frothy. (The more air whisked into them, the lighter and fluffier the frittata will be.)
- Cook Meat / Vegetables - Add a bit of oil or butter to a skillet (we use a 10-inch cast iron skillet) and then saute the meat and / or vegetables.
- Add eggs - Pour eggs over meat / vegetables and stir to combine.
- Add cheese - If using cheese, sprinkle it on top.
- Bake - Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake at 425 F until the eggs are puffy and there are no liquid egg spots on top (be careful not to overcook it), 8 to 15 minutes. (Note: The cook time varies a bit based on the type of pan you're using and the ingredients in the frittata. Don't be intimidated by the range, just keep an eye on it, and pull it out of the oven as soon as the entire dish is firm.)
- Slice and serve!
Flavor Ideas
- Thinly sliced steak, bell peppers, shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Rotisserie chicken, chopped spinach, goat cheese
- Artichokes, roasted red bell peppers, feta
- Bacon, broccoli, cheddar
- Zucchini, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella
- Mushrooms, garlic, Swiss
- Chopped deli-ham, cauliflower florets, Gruyere
How to Make a Frittata Ahead
A frittata is a great dish to make ahead. We like it served at room temperature or slightly warmed up. To make it ahead, bake according to directions, slice, and refrigerate. The frittata will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When it's time to serve, cover pieces of the frittata with a slightly damp paper towel (this will prevent it from drying out) and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until just heated through.
If making frittata ahead, don't leave it in the skillet after baking. Slice and store in another container or bake it casserole-style in another dish. This is how I served it at Easter. I sautéed all of the ingredients according to the directions, poured the eggs into a 9-inch baking dish and dropped the other ingredients on top.
More Egg Breakfast Recipes
- Brioche Baked Egg in a Hole
- Egg, Brie and Arugula Breakfast Sandwich with Strawberry Glazed Bacon
- Bagel and Egg Breakfast Bake with Whipped Scallion Cream Cheese
- Herbed Baked Eggs
- Sheet Pan Hash Browns and Eggs with Avocado Salsa
- Spaghetti Squash Egg Nests
Favorite Tools
- 10-inch skillet or a similarly-sized baking dish in glass or ceramic.
Frittata with Asparagus, Bacon and Goat Cheese
Equipment
- 10" Skillet
Ingredients
- 12 Eggs
- 3 tablespoon Milk, any type
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- 8 strips Bacon, chopped
- 6 oz Asparagus, trimmed and chopped into small pieces
- 4 oz Goat cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 F.
- Whisk together eggs and milk until light and frothy. Add salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
- Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon and cook until bacon is crisp, ~5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to cool. Drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease out of the pan (no need to be precise, just leave a small layer of oil in the bottom of the pan).
- Return skillet to heat and add asparagus. Saute until asparagus is tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Pour eggs over asparagus and stir to combine. Let the eggs cook for about 1 minute, until starting to set around the edges. Crumble goat cheese over the eggs and top with bacon.
- Note: If you'd like to bake the frittata in a baking dish, do not add the eggs to the skillet. Pour whisked eggs into a lightly greased baking dish (8 to 10 inches in diameter). Drop cooked asparagus, crumbled goat cheese, and bacon on top.
- Bake frittata in the oven until the eggs are puffy and there are no liquid spots on top (be careful not to overcook it). This should take 8 to 15 minutes in a skillet; 14 to 20 minutes in a baking dish. (Note: The cook time varies a bit based on the type of pan you're using and the ingredients in the frittata. Don't be intimidated by the range, just keep an eye on it, and pull it out of the oven as soon as the entire dish is firm.)
- Let the frittata rest for 5 minutes at room temperature.
- Slice frittata and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
In addition to Easter, this past Sunday was Molly and Clara's fifth birthday and my birthday! It was BUSY! We had bagels (their request), this frittata (my request), cake (everyone's request), and more Easter candy than I'd like to admit. Here are the girls in all their birthday glory and decorating eggs (which we didn't have time to do until Easter afternoon). Also a little snap of 9-month-old June eating chopped up asparagus and bites of this frittata.
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