You know when you’re reading magazines and there’s an article about how you can wear a scarf 39 ways or some other accessory? I usually think of some meal or food item I can make 39 ways. And today I wanted to post about the wonderful world of frittatas! This simple little egg dish can be as versatile as you want as a breakfast, brunch, or lunch suitable for 2 or 20 people.

I like to think of a frittata as essentially a crust-less quiche. I love a quiche as much as the next guy, but I can whip up a frittata in a little less time. A frittata is also started in a frying pan and finished in the oven. A quiche is normally baked in a quiche pan (more on quiches some other time). Because you do put the pan in the oven, you need a handle that won’t melt. Supposedly you can wrap a plastic handle in foil and it won’t melt in the oven, but I’d rather not learn this the hard way and ruin my skillet. Buy a $3 one at Walmart and experiment. Or use a pan with a metal handle.

Eggs & Milk

Every frittata starts with these 2 ingredients. If you are making a frittata for 2 people, then maybe limit your eggs to 6 and a 1/2 cup of milk. If you are serving 20, you will need a lot more eggs and milk! I usually substitute almond milk as well, and I’m guessing other milks would also work (i.e., coconut, soy). Again, experiment!

Accoutrements aka Fillings 🙂

This is the fun part – using what you have on hand or what you plan for your special event. For the pictures, I used a combo of grape tomatoes, parsley, chives, and garlic. But I usually use whatever I have on hand that can be heated/sauteed – i.e., zucchini, red pepper, spinach, basil, tomatoes. You could also add bacon, ham or sausage. How about asparagus, onion, with gruyère cheese? Or tomato and basil with fresh mozzarella? Ooh, now we’re talking.

Cheese

I’m already giving hints into the cheese portion! Because it just adds a nice finishing touch to our versatile frittata, I think it’s a great addition. I usually have shredded mozzarella on hand so that always does the trick. But how about something more interesting like red pepper, onion, and spinach with a pepper jack cheese?!  Ooh la la!

And now the fun part, cooking it up!

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 TB olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
2 TB chives, chopped
1 TB parsley, chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk the eggs and milk together and let stand. Sauté the vegetables according to density over med-high heat; i.e., zucchini before spinach, etc. If using garlic, I warm a little olive oil in the pan, sauté the garlic and then add sliced grape tomatoes. Don’t completely cook the veg. Pour in the milk mixture and cook until the edges just begin to set. Put the pan in the pre-heated oven and cook 10 minutes until set. Sprinkle cheese and cook another 5-7 minutes until melted.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle herbs (chives, parsley) over the top.  Run a knife around the edges, and cut for serving.  Slide onto plates and add any garnish.  Bon Appetit!