This one goes out to all my 4-6 person families. Because weekends can be brutal. During the week you have a good measure of control on food, don’t you? Perhaps the kids get lunch from the cafeteria (try though I might I can’t seem to beat the price they charge for school lunch so since my girls lunches have gotten way healthier I allow them to get lunch from school now). Worse-case scenario, you send them to school with a lunch that is very portioned so as not to wear out your food resources.
But then comes the weekend. Everyone is home! And everyone is hungry.
I have a good Saturday morning option for you AND as a bonus it’s something you and they can eat together! Yay!
Frittatas. I love them. But I admit I was intimidated by the process of making them. However my friend Pepper over at
Pepper Scraps inspired me to try. When I was in Portland I watched her do it and thought “Pfft! I got this!”
Wait…let’s back up. In case you haven’t heard of a frittata, it’s sort of like a huge omelette that’s started on the stovetop and finishes in the oven. Or maybe a better way to think about it (since the good stuff goes in the frittata instead of being folded like an omelet) a frittata is like a big, round, flat quiche. Without a crust. And most of the fat. If all those descriptions fail, look at the picture!!!
So here’s my three step easy guide to frittatas (just in case you need a place to start).
To make any frittata you’ll need:
Eggs (obviously). For a family-style one like the one above, use six of them. I used the whole eggs. If you are into Egg Beaters use the equivalent amount of that. If you are into egg whites, I would suggest four whites to two whole eggs but it’s entirely up to you!
“Stuff” – meat (and this is where it can get fun. For Mexican you can use chorizo, for Cajun you can use Andouille or you can just go with bacon, diced sausage, soy sausage crumbles etc.), veggies (nearly any veggie works well but if you’re dealing with cruciferous veggies like broccoli or cauliflower, or tough ones like kale or chard, you may need to increase your cook time). You’ll need about 2 – 2.5 cups of “stuff” for a family sized frittata. (NOTE: For mine I simply used onions, green peppers and tomatoes.)
Cheese – because what is life without cheese? Just be sure if you are making a themed frittata (Mexican, Greek, Italian, etc.) you use the appropriate cheese! You’ll use about 1 – 1.5 cups for the entire recipe (depending on how cheesy you are). Set aside ½ c. just for the top. (NOTE: I used shredded sharp cheddar and a little extra Mexican blend I had on hand.)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
Your favorite herbs/spices (I used garlic, salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence, which my daughter says makes the frittata taste like lavender – which she did not like – so I will omit in the future!)
An oven-safe skillet.
Here’s how to make a frittata:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Spray down an
oven-safe skillet (read: one with a metal handle) with non-stick cooking spray (be generous with the spray!), set it over a medium-flame and allow the pan to get hot.
Add your “stuff.” If you are using veggies, add them first, sauteeing until soft before adding your meat. If your meat is uncooked, cook it fully.
In a bowl, whisk your eggs until they are frothy. Add in the baking soda and whisk to mix and finally add the larger portion of cheese.
With a spatula, make sure your “stuff” is distributed evenly around the pan (this is both to make sure everyone gets a bit of everything in their slice AND because it just plain looks prettier!).
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and make sure it gets all the way around the pan, in those nooks and crannies! (Tilt the pan to distribute the egg). It should take on a circular shape.
Drop your heat a bit lower and let it do its thing. When the edges of the eggs start to set (become solid), sprinkle remaining cheese on top, remove the pan from the stove and stick it in the oven.
Cook for about 7-10 minutes or until the whole thing puffs up (it won’t be terribly tall or puffy but still) and is done through (no liquidy parts).
Remove from oven, allow it to cool about 5 minutes then slice!
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| Here's mine all fixed up Mexican-style with unflavored Greek yogurt, diced avocado and salsa! |
A few notes about frittatas:
They are highly customizable if you K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, sweetie!). The one above is vegetarian because my youngest has again decided she does not eat meat. But I set out a nice little “fixins” bar that included some diced onions, Greek yogurt, salsa, more shredded cheese, avocado, etc. Go crazy with the fixins if you want. Kids love customizing their food!
For those watching their food budget, this cost me approximately $6 to make ($1.25 for the portion of eggs I used, $2 for the portion of cheese about $2.75 for the portion of “stuff” I used.) For a family of four that amounts to $1.50 per person. Each of us had a slice and I made homemade biscuits for the rest of the clan (no, I’m not giving you the recipe for my homemade biscuits lest Mama Foodie haunt me for life!) I will say, however, that biscuits (for the fam, not for you!) are about the cheapest and easiest accompaniment to a meal. They really aren’t hard to make and only require 5 ingredients: flour, butter, salt, milk and baking powder. Look it up if you don’t believe me!
Some folks have asked me what's the baking soda for? It actually makes your frittata fluffy without the use of milk or cream and it also keeps it fluffy on the reheat! This tip came by way of a co-worker's wife who suggested it for a quiche I made. It worked so well I started using the tip in frittatas as well!
At any rate, I am waiting on the arrival of a
smaller oven-safe skillet so I can make mini-frittatas just for me. When I do, I’ll post recipes but for now, enjoy breakfast with the family!
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