Vegetable Frittata
Published Mar 30, 2023•Updated Feb 27, 2024
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A vegetable frittata is the ultimate make ahead, crowd-friendly breakfast, brunch, or dinner dish. Customize this versatile egg dish with your favorite vegetables and cheese and serve it any time of day.
Nothing beats a freshly baked frittata for brunch. This creamy, custardy egg dish can be made with just about any type of vegetables, cheeses, or herbs, which makes it perfect for using up leftovers that have been hanging out in the fridge. But my favorite thing about this recipe is that it really can be served anytime. Frittata is great for breakfast and makes a great light meal with a fresh green salad. Add some homemade French bread on the side for one of the simplest and most satisfying meals around.
Just saute a few of your favorite vegetables in a cast iron skillet, pour the whisked eggs into a baking pan, add the veggies and some meltable cheese, and bake! How easy is that for a healthy, filling meal? Frittatas are as easy as an omelet to make, but large enough to satisfy a hungry crowd.
What Is a Frittata?
A frittata is a baked egg dish filled with different veggies, herbs, cheeses, and meats. Frittatas are known for their custardy consistency, which is achieved by whisking the eggs with a bit of milk until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Frittatas are often called crustless quiches because they have that famous rich quiche-like filling, minus the pastry dough crust.
‘Frittata’, which basically translates to ‘fried’ in Italian, gets its name from “frying” eggs in a skillet. Although, frying eggs doesn’t literally mean to fry eggs, it can also mean cooking eggs like an omelet on the stove, or even scrambling them.
How to Make It
- Prep the baking pan. Line a 9-inch cake pan, 9-inch springform pan, or 8-inch square baking pan with parchment and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the egg mixture. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and black pepper.
- Saute the veggies. Saute the veggies in butter for 4 to 6 minutes if using raw vegetables, or just 1 minute if using pre-cooked. Add the greens and cook until the greens are wilted.
- Add the eggs. Pour the eggs into the prepared pan. Add the vegetables and cheese, and gently stir to combine. Fold some of the vegetables and cheese into the center of the frittata and leave some on top so the mix-in ingredients are nicely integrated.
- Bake the frittata. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 24 to 26 minutes, or until the center is just set.
- Slice and serve! Let the frittata rest for 5 minutes at room temperature before slicing and serving.
Ingredients
- Eggs – The base of the frittata.
- Milk – Use any type of milk or cream in this recipe. Milk helps to create a custard-like consistency. The richer the milk, the richer the eggs will be.
- Kosher Salt, Black Pepper – To adjust taste.
- Unsalted Butter – Unsalted butter gives sauteed veggies a rich flavor that goes perfectly with the fluffy egg mixture. You can also use olive oil for a more neutral flavor.
- Chopped Vegetables, Fresh or Pre-Cooked – Any vegetable, or combination of vegetable will work in a frittata. There are a few suggestions below, but you can really get creative by using everything from crisp red bell peppers, to green onion, or even tender potatoes.
- Greens – Whatever greens you have lingering in your refrigerator, or growing in your garden, can be added to this vegetable frittata.
- Cheese – There is no wrong answer when it comes to what type of cheese to add to a frittata. Cheeses like goat cheese will give you a tangy flavor, while cheddar will create a sharper taste.
Recipe Tips
- Vegetables: Quick cooking veggies like onions, bell peppers, asparagus, or green beans can be added to the skillet raw. Heartier veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, broccoli, and cauliflower should be roasted until tender ahead of time.
- Use leftover frittata in breakfast sandwiches. Thinly slice the frittata and place between an English muffin for a delicious morning sandwich.
Variations
- Try different cheeses – Creamy ricotta, crumbled goat cheese, tangy feta, or shredded mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, or gruyere all work in this oven baked frittata.
- Use a variety of greens – Baby spinach, chopped kale, or chopped Swiss chard add tons of nutrients and flavor. You could even use microgreens, arugula, or bok choy.
- Add fresh herbs – Tarragon, basil, oregano, thyme, and chives lift the vegetable flavors in the frittata to new heights.
Make Ahead
Frittatas are one of the best make-ahead brunch dishes. Bake the frittata as usual, then let the dish come to room temperature. Store in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can also store the vegetable frittata in the baking pan with a tight layer of plastic wrap.
To serve the frittata, bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes. Because the eggs are already cooked, you only need to make sure the frittata is thoroughly warmed, rather than giving it additional cook time.
To Freeze
Cook as directed, let cool completely, and cover tightly. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Printable Freezer Label
Print and attach the label below so cooking instructions are ready when you are!
FAQs
The perfect frittata will have golden edges, and a center that is set, but not overcooked. The secret to knowing when the frittata is done is with “the jiggle” test. If you shake the pan and the frittata has a little jiggle to it, then the frittata is done. Depending on how powerful your oven is, you may want to start checking the frittata at the lower end of the bake time.
Frittatas are low carb, gluten-free, keto-friendly dishes filled with nutrient rich eggs and plenty of veggies. The abundance of whole food ingredients makes a vegetable frittata a healthy choice for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
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Vegetable Frittata Recipe
Equipment
- 10 inch Nonstick Skillet
- Baking Pan, Springform Pan, or Muffin Tin
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 10 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons milk, any kind
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (substitute olive oil)
- 3 cups chopped vegetables (I used onions, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus; see below for suggestions)
- 2 cups greens (I used Swiss chard; see below for suggestions)
- 4 ounces cheese (I used sharp white cheddar; see below for suggestions)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Press a piece of parchment paper down into a 9-inch cake pan, 9-inch springform pan, or 8-inch square baking pan, crumpling it to tuck it down in the corners. It doesn't need to be perfect but should completely line the pan. This will make the frittata easy to remove from the pan after cooking (frittatas get sticky!). Spray the parchment paper lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until evenly combined.
- Heat a 10-inch nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt.
- To the skillet, add the vegetables and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook until the vegetables are tender and heated through, 4 to 6 minutes if using raw vegetables or just 1 minute if using pre-cooked. Add the greens and cook until the greens are wilted.
- Pour the eggs into the prepared pan. Add the cooked vegetables and cheese and stir gently, folding some of the vegetables and cheese into the center of the frittata and leaving some on top.
- Bake the frittata in the oven until the center is just set (it should still jiggle a little when you shake the pan), 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let the frittata rest for 5 minutes at room temperature. Slice and serve!
Notes
- Add raw: onions, bell peppers, asparagus, green beans
- Pre-cook: carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower
- Greens: Like baby spinach, chopped kale, or chopped Swiss chard.
- Cheese: Like ricotta, crumbled goat cheese or feta, or shredded mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, or gruyere.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Jess, can this be made without the cheese? we are not dairy eaters, but will use butter and milk when cooking, nothing else.
Absolutely Christine – it will work just fine without any cheese at all. And non-dairy milk substitutes work too if you prefer to skip the milk as well! I’ll make sure to add notes regarding both of those variations in the post. Enjoy!