I don’t mean to undersell this, but this is just a frittata. It’s not going to help decimate your weekend’s apple haul, it’s not to going to solve the whole homemade-pizza-on-your-schedule crisis, it’s not a cake you’ve been missing out on since 1983, which was 30 years ago, ow. No, it doesn’t have higher powers or reinvent grilled cheese, it’s not even the life-changing soup stock I’ve been meaning to tell you about for two years now (next week?) and I was about to say that it didn’t make the unconquerable in the kitchen conquerable, except that might not be true. This, in fact, did exactly that last Monday night, when someone told me about the recipe that morning and we had it on the table by dinnertime, no small feat some Mondays.
I realize that there’s a woeful dearth of frittata recipes on this site and while I’d like to tell you that I have an solid reason for neglecting the dinner omelet on this site such as not being very into eggs or vegetarian dinners or things that sound like breakfast-for-dinner, you’d know it was all lies. The truth is far less glamorous: prior to recently, the kid had almost zero interest in eggs, and while I may claim on paper to be the kind of parent who believes that it’s parents’ jobs to put out a healthy, nutritious meals three times a day, and then sign off, leaving it the matter of whether or not it gets eaten up to the offspring, I still do my fair share of, say, tilting the scales in dinner’s favor. That generally means that we eat a whole lot more kid-approved sweet potatoes, broccoli and rice than we might were we child-free, and also means we attempt to not build entire meals around things that the child outright loathes, such as eggs. But recently, there have been glimmerings of change in the air — eggs have been ingested willingly, whoa — and I got so excited that I set out to fill the site’s (but mostly our belly’s) frittata void.
… Well, cough, there was more for us. It’s quite a shame, because this was a really great dinner frittata, heavy on the vegetables but with enough golden potatoes and cheese that it doesn’t feel overly abstemious. The cheese isn’t just baked inside, but broiled on top, giving the lid of the frittata a frico-like effect, a thin crunch of broiled cheese before you bite into all of the greens and potatoes below, and it’s the kind of thing that doesn’t require a whole lot of advance planning to make for dinner. I mean, thank goodness.
One year ago: Butternut Squash Salad with Farro and Pepitas and Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk Scones
Two years ago: Baked Pumpkin and Sour Cream Puddings
Three years ago: Spiced Applesauce Cake
Four years ago: Cauliflower with Almonds, Raisins and Capers and Silky, Decadent Old-School Chocolate Mousse
Five years ago: Meatballs and Spaghetti, Molly’s Apple Tarte Tatin and Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad and Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Six years ago: GF Chocolate Financiers and Pumpkin Butter, Pepita Granola
Seven years ago: Spinach Quiche and Pumpkin Muffins
Potato and Broccolini Frittata
Adapted, barely, from Easy Vegetarian One-Pot Meals via Leite’s Culinaria
Even if I know the thinner ones are more traditional, I like a frittata, especially a dinner version, to have a little bulk and this perfectly fit the bill, and leftover slices make a pretty great sandwich filling the next day, something I saw frequently in Rome. The recipe calls for broccolini, a variety of broccoli with thinner, longer stalks and smaller florets that keeps a dark rich green color after it is cooked. (aka Baby Broccoli, Broccolette; read more here.) However, I think any number of green vegetables would work here, either standard broccoli florets or sauteed kale, etc. What I wouldn’t skimp on is the parmesan. I know there’s a lot, in fact, if you must, skip the half the goes inside the frittata, but don’t skip the broiled part. That’s the salty/crunchy/frico finish and Monday night dinners would be so much more dull without it.
8 to 10 small waxy potatoes (about 1 ounce each), scrubbed and quartered
1 cup vegetable or another broth; just use salted water if you don’t have it around
1/4 cup olive oil
8 ounces (usually 1 bundle) broccolini, trimmed and halved lengthwise or chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 small red or white onion, thinly sliced
8 large eggs
1 cup (about 3 to 3 1/2 ouncesgrated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place the potatoes and broth in a large, ovenproof frying pan, ideally one that is 12 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, turning the potatoes often, until almost all of the stock has been absorbed and the potatoes are tender.
Add olive oil, broccolini and onion to the potatoes in the frying pan and cook over medium heat for 1 minute, turning frequently, just to get everything coated with oil, Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan, cooking for 3 to 4 more minutes, or until the broccolini has become mostly tender.
Heat your broiler.
Beat eggs with half the parmesan, salt and pepper, and pour it over the vegetables in the frying pan. Cover and cook over medium (or medium-low, if yours seems to be browning too quickly) until the eggs are mostly, set. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over frittata and run the whole pan under the broiler, until the top is bronzed and the eggs are just set throughout, approximately 5 minutes, but this could vary due to how robust your broiler is (mine is terrible; it took longer).
Let cool slightly before slicing into wedges or squares.
love
This looks divine!
Mmm! Change out the broccolini for spinach and you’ve got Spanish tortilla. Look at you, so worldly. Looks great and easy!
When we were in Spain they did sandwich frittatas which I just couldn’t get over. It just seemed like too much for me, even though a runny egg sandwich is one of the more divine breakfast foods out there. (Nothing beats chilaquiles, though.) We have both broccoli and potatoes in this week’s CSA and am pleased to report the 9-month old is happy to have scrambled eggs for dinner. This will be on the menu at some point this week. Thanks!
love the use of broccolini here, such a under rated as a veggie. You could also turn it asian/japanese by using Gai lan and sweet potato.
I am thinking about this for dinner tomorrow night! Thanks for the recipe
I love frittata recipes so you can keep them coming, I don’t mind!
Mmmm. I almost never make frittatas, but I have no idea why. They are so delicious. I am also obsessed with the broccolini.
I love a frittata! My favorite is with sauteed green beans, little cubed roasted potatoes (I like that they keep their crispness a bit within the frittata), and goat cheese. For the potatoes, I peel and cube a few small potatoes and roast them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic powder. I sautee the green beans with olive oil and garlic at the same time. Then, I start the frittata in the pan and can move it to the oven which is still warm from the potatoes. This looks like a great option, too!
This is awesome! We love one pot egg & potatoe dishes and quick ones too!
We do frittatas occasionally for dinner and feeding a family of 6 I have to make mine bulky! This is perfect for us and I can’t wait to try it!!
this sounds fabulous and looks amazing. I love one-pot meals and this fits the bill perfectly!
Your frittata in your cookbook is one of our favorite meals (for breakfast or dinner!), so I’d love to give this one a try as well!
Just a frittata. Just amazingly appealing. Wonderful post, thank you for sharing.
I don’t know why I don’t have your cookbook yet?! This looks awesome and it makes me want to run out to the store and buy the ingredients. I love your site.
If Jacob likes pasta, the easiest weeknight kid approved meal is browned butter, pasta, broccoli, and salty cheese (mizithra or ricotta salata). Garlic in the butter and some crushed reds are delicious, but decidedly optional additions.
I’m on my own next week so eggs for dinner can be a delicious treat, not the form of torture other people in my house seem to think it is.
I have all the ingredients for this one and have know clue what to make so thanks for not under selling it to much :)
I had a great brunch frittata this weekend and was just thinking that one would be the perfect easy dinner this week. How did you know?! :)
I love making frittatas. Such a great way for me to clean out my random produce odds and ends. Everything is suddenly better when covered with eggs and cheese -and even those in the family who may not always love their kale and asparagus, will totally go for it when buried in the frittata. Yours is so pretty – pinned!
There is nothin’ wrong with that! Looks delicious. I make frittatas on occasion and when I do, I always ask myself why I don’t make it more often. I love eggs. Have a great week!
I love frittatas! I often add red chilli and garlic just after the main veg has softened (so they don’t burn), cook it of a little to loose their raw taste, and then add the eggs. Will have to post that soon.
This looks fabulous. I can’t wait to try it later this week. One question – how much did your Parmesan weight before you grated it. Sometimes I have pre-grated Parmesan, sometimes I have a chunk which I grate in the food processor, sometimes I use my micro-plane and they each give different volume measurements. This always puzzles me in recipes.
Sara N — I usually get about 3 to 3 1/2 ounces for 1 cup of parmesan. I’ll add that now.
This looks not only tasty, but good for you too! We call it tenderstem brocolli over here in the UK… but brocollini sounds much cuter!
I make at least one Frittata a week and I’ve neverknowingly repeated myself yet!
This one is now on the list. It looks scrumptious. I agree with Julia on the naming over here in the Uk and like your name better.
I got really excited seeing this recipe – potatoes plus broccoli plus cheese! – but alas I am really not an onion fan. And I know onions give flavor and all that jazzmatazz but I just can’t… a sad life, I know.
I find it interesting that thinner frittatas are considered more traditional. As an Italian, I can safely guarantee that frittata is one of those recipes with an ‘eff it’ attitude, that everybody can customize to their own taste. Frittatas bulked with veggies are awesome!
And, sure enough, frittata sandwiches are a national favorite (I even wrote about them myself). It was my mom’s favorite lunch when she was a kid, when in the poor Italian countryside eggs and bread were pretty much the only things they had.
I am so happy that such a simple food from our tradition became a worldwide favorite!
(and, I know it’s not the lightest frittata, but…now that it’s almost November, have you ever tried and onion + sausage + truffle paste frittata? It makes quite a statement. Veggie options can substitute sausage with shrooms!)
Okay, I have to ask: *how* do you keep your cast iron pan usable/clean/seasoned? I have one, and I have invested so much energy into seasoning it so many times, and yet whatever I cook in it always ends up adhering itself to the pan right through the supposedly non-stick seasoning, which I then have to scrub off and start again. It’s gotten so aggravating! I have to say the cast iron is the pan I’m least likely to use, as it has proven itself to be the highest maintenance cooking utensil I own. If you have any secrets, I would love to hear them.
Hmmm…have some beautiful North Fork broccoli and potatoes, and even some very fresh farm eggs..dinner tonight. Missed having you here this summer, but you can’t beat Maine and Rome!!
Love throwing potatoes into fritattas :) And I’m particularly wowed by how the parmesan gets crispy and gratin-ish atop!
Hey there! Do you know how well this (or any) frittata would keep?
Whitney — I’d say 2 to 3 extra days in the fridge, maybe more.
Marcia — Hi! (That’s all. I saw the NF thing and got excited. We missed it too, especially those Sang Lee tomatoes…)
Anna — You picked quite a week to ask because this stuck terribly in the skillet you see above, my favorite, the one I use for everything. Then we soaked it and proceeded to forget about it for a day (ugh) and this weekend, my husband was googling, “How to remove rust from cast-iron skillets.” So, that was fun. It’s better now and reseasoned. I’ve been promising to do a tips post forever on how to (better) care for cast-iron; this week, it’s going to happen.
Another one to try in the skillet!
My partner doesn’t like eggs for dinner, but he’s out of town, AND I have all of these ingredients! Definitely going to try this!
I make fritattas at least once a week, mid-week for dinner. This is definitely on the menu for this week. Thank you!
I really need that life changing soup stock – so was next week a promise? Pretty please!
This looks so delicious and versatile. Love all the ingredients!
What would you serve with this? I’m planning to serve it this week but I don’t know what else to fill out the meal.
Shannon — Hm, salad (this is a fall favorite), soup (this one, or loads of others) or if you have people that get poutt without meat at the table, some grilled sausages.
I have had frittata on my mind since last week – how great that you posted this! Took myself out for a French lunch on my birthday and they have an omelette du jour – it was roasted beet and bleu cheese that day. I was thinking that would make a delicious frittata, so now I have some experimenting to do! Butternut and feta is another combo I want to try (thanks to your farro dish for that combo!)
Oh yes, Deb, please do a post on cast iron care tips! I have a sad, sad cast iron skillet that is rusty, and I don’t know how to clean it and reseason it. Will be waiting patiently to hear what you did to yours!
I use it for everything and will never use anything else because I love it so much. I still use olive oil, coconut oil or butter when I saute, fry or bake in it, so I’m not sure if it’s non stick in that sense but maybe that’s why mine is seasoned so well. Seasoning is not necessarily a ‘procedure’ as much as simply a result of frequent use. Keep trying! Also, you can buy well-used, seasoned pans at Goodwill and they’re inexpensive. Good luck!
Cook’s Illustrated January 2011 magazine on page 30 suggests this way to season a cast iron pan. Note: you must use flax seed oil, they explain why. Obviously this method takes some time, but Cook’s usually is correct about this sort of thing. I have a cast iron pan I need to try this out on.
1. Warm an unseasoned pan for 15 minutes in a 200 degree oven to open its pores.
2. Remove pan from oven and place 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil in the pan and using tongs, rub the oil into the surface with paper towels. With fresh paper towels, thoroughly wipe out the pan to remove excess oil.
3. Place the oiled pan upside down in a cold oven, then set the oven to its maximum baking temperature. Once the oven reaches its maximum temperature, heat the pan for one hour. Turn off the oven; cool the pan in the oven for at least two hours.
4. Repeat the process five more times. or until the pan develops a dark, semi matte surface.
Really? Not happening. I can’t imagine a pan that takes that much work to season would be equivalent in its benefits. Deb, what say you?
Once again you wow me! If my eyes could eat they would weigh 100lbs!
Thanks for the timely recipe. My husband just finished digging our potatoes so this will be on our menu. I would suggest using your seasoned cast iron only for frying foods. When you add the broth or water to cook the potatoes, you remove the seasoning. Also, I do not put tomato sauce into my cast iron pan. One could stir-fry (sauté) the potatoes, broccolini, and onions in butter or oil, then add the eggs.
Yum! Absolutely making this tomorrow. Just got potatoes and broccoli from our local farm stand. Perfect timing!
So I made the frico grilled cheese last week and I guess my husband had never had anything like it before. Anyway everyday since then when I ask what he wants me to make for dinner that is his request. You have created a monster Deb, but I’ll let it slide since it is a meal that takes 15 minutes tops!
I love how few ingredients are in this dish. I hate to say this, but I don’t own a cast iron pan. Could this be baked in a regular baking dish?
Yum!! I love the broccolini in there!
Hi! 1st thing, congrats on the story in Cooking Light Magazine (Thanksgiving issue). I actually took out a pen and underlined what I thought to be the important parts (lots of underlining!!!) 2nd thing – the fritatta looks fabulous! I love anything cooked in cast iron pans! that’s my new thing – I look for nasty ones at garage sales/rummage sales and my husband and I turn them into good-as-new used ones and then I give them as gifts to my friends. He grinds away most of the yuckiness from the underside. I scour the inside. Then I re-season them and recreate them! It’s so fun! (I know, how weird!) It’s a great gift to give to special friends who like to cook. :) anyway, this frittata looks amazing. If you have any leftover roasted veggies from a previous meal they are great to add to a frittata!
Ill take a nonn-life changing post over no post any day! Seems like kids and eggs often don’t mesh. I hear it’s a texture thing. I, on the other hand, love eggs, sans cheese–though I like a quiche so go figure. Blasphemous?
Deb- I love your cookbook and recipes! I can’t eat aged cheeses like Parmesan .. Any suggestions of what to use to substitute that cheese and still get that crunch on top?
Looks delicious! Can’t go wrong with a meal that is so simple & tasty!
Sorry to be anal, but I have to ask. Is there some missing text before the “… Well, cough” paragraph? Hmm. Maybe not. Just me then…
Handful — No, I was just not very effective in getting across the idea that, no, alas, the kid didn’t eat a bite of it. I didn’t want to get too much into it (kids are picky, or at least I was, best not to fuss too much over it) but perhaps got too little into it. ;)
Where would we be without fritatta for dinner. If you put enough green stuff in them you can almost get away without making a salad and still call it dinner.
The one pan cooking is a must for lazy morning cooking/clean up. While you might spend more time cutting up the veggies than you do actually cooking them ( frozen pre mixes are to die for in the occasion) frittata is one of the best ways to get in a healthy, filling breakfast to power you throughout the day. Throwing in the cheese as you beat the eggs is a great trick I’m sure to use next time!
Saw the recipe late this afternoon and made it for dinner – even with two scream-y bad-day babies – with some leftover green beans instead of the broccolini. Delicious! I always love the recipes you curate here on the blog. Thanks, Deb!
If you had to make this with a cheese besides Parmesan, what cheese would you make it with? Looks delicious delicious delicious except for someone ate all the Parmesan and it wasn’t even the dog. :)
Other cheese — Any kind that you like. I think a pecorino or a gruyere/comte/swiss could be good too, although they may not get as crispy on top.
I’m eating the bacon-feta frittata from your cookbook as I read this : ) SO GOOD!!
I’m not a broccoli fan but I AM a frittata fan, so there will be a substitute found, and this frittata will be made :) Preferably this weekend!
Also: Just noticing now that your list of previous posts is at seven years! Crazy. :)
A simple and delicious frittata can never be undersold. Beautiful!
Thank you I was thinking of making something like this. It is gluten free too. :)
So lovely for a cooler day! I am still working through heirloom tomatoes!
Hi back Deb.Sang Lee still has tomatoes , all on sale at 50% off! I made 6 more pints of tomato jam . It is still sort of summer, right?
Marcia — Is it beautiful in the fall? I’m thinking we need to drive out for the weekend, maybe stay overnight somewhere. Sadly, we’re all booked this weekend but maybe next…
This looks delicious and I’m really excited about making it and all but–PLEASE don’t let it be another two years before you share the soup stock recipe!
Never undersell a frittata. It looks delicious. And healthy. This is my favourite frittata – I literally dream about it at night:
http://skye-loves.com/2013/10/11/spinach-and-melted-cheese-syrian-frittata/
But I’m going to try and make it with broccolini now…
Lately I’ve been completely into frittatas and crustless vegetarian quiches a lot, too and this recipe comes with perfect timing! I’ll be trying it out for sure :)
xo, Elisa
Looks great! I love the idea of red onions, it must really add taste!
Just to reiterate a couple others’ comments, you better make good on this soup stock! Don’t tease me! I am obsessed with DIY broth. I need your recipe because I know it will be the best.
We have a frittata for dinner at least once every 10 days around here. It is such a great way to use whatever veggies are in the fridge, plus random nubs/small portions of cheeses that need to be used up. I’ve not cooked my potatoes this way; usually I dice and fry or use par-broiled. This will require less chopping and hands-on time, so I can’t wait to try this method. Thanks for sharing! Happy weeknight dinner-ing!
A wedge of cold frittata, with a sprinkle of flaky salt is an excellent running-out-the-door breakfast.
jake
Looks like a great, quick weeknight dinner. I would maybe substitute in Rapini – my new obsession!
ummm..love it, simple and so will try it..but why we don’t have Twitter/Facebook button to share
heads up that your pumpkin swirl brownies link doesn’t work :) *goes to google it*
I’d love to make this. However, my husband has a thing about eating too many egg yellows–something about wanting a healthy cardiovascular system and a long life. Usually when I make omlettes I only use one or two yellows for six plus eggs. Needless to say the omlettes don’t hold together as well as omlettes made with more yellows. Any suggestions for this dish using fewer yellows?
Thanks!
Jetagain — Hmm… egg whites are the binding part (they’re what makes the omelets stick together), the yolks provide more richness so removing them shouldn’t make this too loose. It might make it a little softer, less solid thus not as good at holding all the vegetables in. Did you use additional whites for the missing yolks so that there was an equivalent volume?
Ashley — Thanks; now fixed.
Megan — Hm, do you mean a dessert or a salad or something else? I have fennel in a couple salads, but not enough! Here’s one with pomegranate and proscuitto and another one with green beans that’s one of my top 10 favorite salads, ever. I suspect you could julienne some apple into any of those salads (tossed with lemon juice to avoid browning) and it would work well. Finally, and completely unrelated, are you really from Wyoming? I’m kind of obsessed with visiting and my husband thinks I’m weird. But I have the right idea because it’s amazing, right?
Love it, looks soooooooooooo delicious. Potato and broccoli is perfect.
This looks ridiculously delicious, I would love to make it! I am now sad that A. I don’t have a stovetop-to-oven frying pan, and B. I don’t have a broiler (I have one of those dumb drawers on the bottom of my oven). Any way I could adapt this to those woeful conditions? Because I’m seriously drooling over here!
Hi-about cast iron-my mother had a plethera of skillets-pristine with no carbon or whatever that burned on stuff is. She would boil them in a vat of lye, being very careful with it, since it will burn you to the bone. Hers are still beautiful. Mine, not so much. I am going to try this tho, with my old ugly skillets (cast iron) and give them to my granddaughters. You need acid resistant gloves and a big enameled pot that you can “soak” the skillets in the lye. This is not for the faint of heart-my mom was a pioneer woman.!
The fritatta looks amazing. Barefoot Contessa does one that she called a country French omelet. It has bacon and potatoes. My kids love it and it taught them to eat frittatas.
This is a lovely main course on a weekend. Healthy (somewhat ;-)) with every element I love. Cheese, eggs, brocolli.
A friend/former colleague of mine used to bring asparagus frittatas in to work, along with great, crusty Italian bread (Sarcone’s; the best loaf in Philadelphia). Such a simple meal and soooo good. She would saute garlic in a little olive oil, add the chopped, par-boiled asparagus and then the eggs with lots of Parmesan mixed in with the eggs. She didn’t always put Parmesan on top, but I sometimes do. It’s a go-to for a quick, healthy and delicious dinner. Drooling now just thinking about it.
I love making this dish, but I’ve always called it a Spanish Tortilla. And I flip the tortilla half way through the cooking process, which is no easy task. But maybe that would stop the egg from sticking to the skillet.
Also, I love using chard or spinach as the “green” in the dish. And sometimes I even add bacon, especially if I’m making it for breakfast.
Yum, I think I’ll go make a Fritatta now and put it in a sandwich (great idea)!
Lovely and yummy looking crispy eggs and cheese- but Deb, you temptress—we NEED the soup stock recipe(s)! How about a vegetable stock too- the canned and boxed and allegedly low sodium “stuff” of all kinds ( chicken, beef and veggie) is LOADED with sodium ( and other junk) not what any of us needs. There are sodium free powdered versions of the chicken and beef( no veggie:( ) available, but that gets crazily expensive if you need a significant quantity. So HURRY please—soup season is coming on fast here in New England…
Ohh this has all the right stuff. I love red onion in frittatas!
This frittata looks fantastic. I know what’s for breakfast this weekend!
yum! this was a hit with the whole family, even my 11-month-old loved it! .. I subbed a leek for the white or red onion, nice and subtle, and so tasty.. Thanks for another great week night meal!
um, yeah, this is SO getting made.
and ashley, love the leek sub, above. very stealth, for my non-onion lovers. will be giving that a go.
Anna (#26)– one of our family heirlooms is a large cast iron Dutch oven that is close to 100 years old. My mother’s #1 rule concerning this pan was that it was washed immediately, NEVER washed with any thing except hot water, then towel dried, then placed on very low heat ( our gas oven when I was a child), for a few minutes to finish drying. To my knowledge, with this care, it has rarely ever needed to be re seasoned and food seldom sticks to it. This is the rule I follow with all my cast iron pots. And this Dutch oven has seen plenty of tomato based foods cooked it it! Hope this helps.
I made this last night and it turned out pretty well. (You can see my result on my blog at Oddball Observations) But I think a little more spice in the recipe would have made it a bit tastier. Still, thanks for the recipe, Deb.
Gorgeous pictures as always….looks amazing :)
Made it last night. So simple, so delicious! Thanks Deb!
I try to cook with what I have on hand from our local CSA and what luck–I had beautiful local potatoes, farm eggs, a red onion and Swiss Chard. I’m also the blessed owner of a perfectly seasoned, old cast iron skillet that was my grandmother’s. Result–a perfectly beautiful golden frittata– my first, but definitely not my last. Thank you! Can’t wait to try other variations — squash, mushrooms, other cheeses…..endless possibities!
I’m making this (well a variation with what I have on hand lol) but definitely doing the parm. I can’t wait to see how it turns out! :)
This looks amazing! Is this the kind of thing I should use my cast iron, le creuset skillet for? You know, the one I got for my wedding and have never used? :) I’m pathetic, but I’m trying. Thanks!!
KJ — It would be great for this.
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! The only change I made was to throw some minced garlic in while the potatoes were cooking, just because I love garlic so much. Thanks Deb, this was pretty fast and didn’t require too much attention, letting me tend to the occasional trick-or-treater.
KJ, this a perfect recipe for le creuset, which is what I used. I did have some sticking to the enamel, but it wasn’t a big deal. Oiling the bottom a little bit would have probably helped.
You can never have too many frittata recipes!
I want to chime in on the “please post your tips for cast iron skillets” vein. I have one and want to love it but so far it has been nothing but trouble. Thanks Deb!
My suggestion for an alternate cheese would be something with bold flavor or spicy, such as a Pepper Jack….I am from Texas after all !
May I chime in to memasu#99? On cast iron, the method described in post#90 from Jeannette is great for initial seasoning and re-seasoning. Once seasoned, post #40(JP) is also what I follow for my very old cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens; when rewarming them on low heat after washing I also rub in a bit more oil each time. Rarely have I had sticking issues and the Frittata was no exception. Try it — well worth the effort!
memasu#99 AArrgh! Sorry — I had the referenced posts reversed — JP#40 was the great advice on initial seasoning / re-seasoning of cast iron. Jeannette#90 is best advice for continued maintenance.
I made this last night and it was delicious! The only problem was that I didn’t have an oven safe pan. I figured that transferring it to a cake tin was too risky (and it wouldn’t have fit), so I ended up having the door open so the handle of the pan could stick out. This meant that I had to have the pan on the top rack and that really only about a 2 inch strip (directly under the frontmost heating element) was getting broiled. I had to broil it in phases working front to back, pulling the pan further out of the oven as I went. Took a long time but definitely worth it. And definitely time to invest in a cast iron skillet or the like!
I love how you loaded it with chunky pieces of veggies! Frittata is one of the fundamental recipes that I am teaching my two teenage boys…
thanks Deb!
RE the broccoli, I find that the cheaper, easier to find, standard variety normally works well on the texture, as well as the flavour front, if the stalk part is detached from the florets and cut lengthwise just right. For pieces that have a more woody outside part, I just take a veg peeler to them.
It’s one of a number of small things that can be done by anyone who loves flavour and nutritious food but hates waste and has better things to do with the little bit of money saved. My parents went through WWII, and something of their parsimonious approach to ‘home economics’ must have rubbed off!
Looks both good and healthy! Your blog is very nice! :)
Made this today for breakfast, and it was a hit. I didn’t have enough parm on hand so I mixed swiss with the eggs and used parm on the top. I added some chopped ham, too.
I totally have all these ingredients in my fridge already!
Made this for breakfast – used kale instead of the broccolini and the kale was a tad too bulky in this application for me (tended to overwhelm the custardiness of the potatoes and overly drove home the concept that this might be good for me). Definitely want to try again with a less bulky green (really thinking rainbow chard would be incredible in this). I also added a couple of tablespoons of butter to melt into the veggies just before I added the eggs and I would totally do that again. Love butter and Parmesan together.
Sounds delicious! Could you do this in a crust for a quiche?
Lauren — Hm, good question. Yes and no. Yes, it would work. However, I would add some cream or milk to give it more of a quiche-like custard, which is softer and more luxurious. And you could probably fill two quiche shells (easily) with this volume of filling.
Just finished our first fritata. Delicious! As already read above we think a good stock important, especially for the taste of the potatoes. Had to look to look up the meaning of a broiler (we’re Dutch) and instead of somekind of chicken we sucesfully used our top grill in the oven.
I’m sorry, but as a food columnist, perhaps you should be ignoring your child’s insipidly random dislikes and focusing on what might be best for your audience. Just a thought. Otherwise, you might as well just give us recipes for chicken nuggets and applesauce. Come on– take your job a little bit more seriously. Just because your kid dislikes something as basic as eggs doesn’t mean that you should be avoiding them in the recipes you share on this web site.
I guess kids really do ruin everything!
Zaynne — This post was about how my kid isn’t terribly into eggs, but we made this anyway because we liked it, so it hardly fits the bill of being better for his tastes than the audience, right? Nor do I think this site has suffered for egg recipes due to his egg aversion — there are 24 in the archives and 5 are from the last year alone, including another one since this post last week. Nor do I think anything on this site is especially kid-food oriented (in fact, there’s not a single recipe for nuggets and the applesauce recipe lives on the short-lived kid site) mostly because I’m not interested in teaching him to have a kid-food palate or being a short-order cook for a 4 year-old. I understand the concern that this site might go down an applesauce-and-chicken-nuggets hole, but it’s just not something that’s happening, or that I’d want to let happen.
Those small concerns aside, I actually want to talk more about the idea that what I cook is for audience tastes alone. As much I keep them in mind, and always try to provide variations that will make a recipe work for more people and their differing tastes and access to ingredients, my inspiration often runs in the other direction (I made something we liked and thought you might like it too) or in both directions (we had a conversation about it that led to another recipe I want to tell you about). As tempting as it may be, if I only made things that were popular with the widest audience, this site would be exclusively chocolate, peanut butter and bacon. It would be popular on Pinterest but I don’t think it would provide as many solid vegetable-oriented balanced weeknight meals that at least we desperately need. I don’t mean to overly quibble, but I think it’s a good discussion point.
Deb–
I actually truly want to apologize. I was having a very rough night, had a glass of wine too many, and had just had a major argument (regarding my own partner’s children and the various restrictions they place upon our relationship, hence the child-directed bitterness here), and I was absolutely inappropriate. I can’t delete my own comment, or I would, but I do want you to know that I absolutely love your blog, your recipes, and your passion and enthusiasm for what you do.
That’ll teach me to drink and comment… Yikes. I’m really sorry.
Zaynne — Do not sweat it at all; we have all been there.
Thanks for the inspiration. I was facing a rainy weekend and found 1/2 a baked potato, 1/2 an onion, and some roasted zucchini in the fridge. Ta-da! Frittata! It was lovely. Next trip to the grocery, I’ll scare up some broccolini and try it your way.
I have been eyeing this recipe for the past couple of days and we finally got the required ingredients a couple days ago and I finally made it today! Although, I used normal broccoli instead of broccolini and I did modify it to be a little spicy and have some Indian flavor. I have included my modifications on my blog post for today! I also made an all original cream of broccoli and baby carrot soup (I know too much broccoli for one night!). If you get a chance, please let me know what you think, it would be much appreciated.
I have been following your blog for about a month now and I absolutely love the feel the site has and I can tell you are very enthusiastic about what you do just from reading a couple of posts!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe, I will let you know how my husband likes it, he is the food connoisseur in the house ;-)
I had my vegetarian friends over for dinner, and they loved it! And I’ve been shamelessly eating the leftovers for lunch and dinner. A wonderful, budget friendly meal.
In Spain well call this “tortilla de patata”. So yummy.
Just want to tell you that my son wasn’t really an egg man when he was little. He’s 13 now and Its amazing to see his palette develop. We make quiche or some type of egg dish for dinner fairly often and I was used to begging/bribing/ whatever to get him to eat a few bites. So I was completely shocked when maybe 2 years ago I make quiche for dinner (Julias bacon and leek…so good) and he proceeds to eat half of it himself and turns to me and says, “Mom, how did I not like this before”? And these days advises me that I should really make 2 at a time.
So it really is true that if you keep cooking good food that you like, they’ll come around. I can barely afford to feed him now and forget it if he has friends over…wish I could eat like that!
Love your site, btw!
My husband made this last night (with my supervision–he’s new to cooking). It was great because it’s simple enough for a novice cook but complex enough to be interesting and delicious. I was surprised at how flavorful and comforting it is, too. I though surely it might need a little garlic or fresh herbs or something to jazz it up, but it is hearty, savory, and very yummy as is. A great dish for a chilly autumn evening!
Let´s put things in their right place: 150 years before the word frittata was even invented, there used to be Frittate under the name of “tortillas”. The cheese was superior Spanish manchego cheese, and potatoes weren’t even legally allowed out of Spain, as tomatoes weren’t. Tomato sauces were largely used in Spain even before they were even dreamt of in Italy, such as, by the way, prosciutto is an imitation (and by far not as successful) of Spanish/portuguese presunto/jamón. People in Madrid used to eat/drink Spanish chocolate that should still be famous (a question of justice) worldwide. Please, make justice and if you have to use a foreign word for a meal, use the right (foreign) word: Tortilla. That´s how southern italians received it as yet another gift from Spain.
Hi Deb, if I don’t have an oven-proof pan, can I do this in such a way that the eggs cook in a baking dish in the oven? What temp would you use and for how long? And would you cook in the oven and then change the oven setting to broil at the end, or just use one oven temp the whole time?
This was the first recipe that I tried from your site (I have tried some recipes from your cookbook- backwards I know but I always just drooled over your recipes online and then asked for and got the book for xmas last year). And holy, moly, I cannot describe how good this was. I have only made a fritatta once before and it did not come out well so I am not sure what made me try this (except for the fact that I had about a dozen eggs wallowing in my fridge). I am not sure if it was the boiling of the potatoes, the Parmesan, or the finishing crust in the broiler, but this recipe is a keeper for sure! My roommate turned up his nose at this as I was taking it out of the over (too healthy looking I guess). But then he tried a sliver and right away went back for a huge slice.
The only change I made was to add about half a bag of spinach to bulk it up because I did not have enough broccolini.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Just made this last night. Quick, simple, and delish.
Dude. Deb. I just got this cookbook “Eggs” from Michel Roux, and it is all eggs all the time, egg-based starters and mains and desserts and my life will never be the same again, it has improved my life that much in 2 weeks. I’m an egg god now. I may have to get some pet chickens just to fill the demand.
Just sayin’.
I’m a new mom who has never been much of a cook. I made this tonight and it turned out so great! It was easy, fast, and delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
I had never bought Broccolini before, but it’s now on my shopping list every week so I can make this perfect one-pan dinner. “Easy, fast and delicious” indeed! It compelled me to become a Follower and an owner of Deb’s book, which I am now cooking my way through with great success.
Thanks Deb. I love how your cookbook is so different from all the others.
Delicious recipe. Thank you for sharing. Sometimes we throw in other veggies on hand (last time we did broccolini, potatoes, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts). Very versatile and filing. Another awesome vegetarian recipe!!!
This was delicious. I made this and the chocolate macaroons tonight…I thank you :)
Looks amazing! How many people do you think it could serve for dinner, perhaps with a salad alongside?
Natalie — 6 to 10 portions, depending on how big you want the pieces.
My 3 year old, who has always refused eggs, took several bites of this and liked it! I think she enjoys saying “frittata!”
Delicious! Everyone ate it and it didn’t take too long to make after a busy day at work. Thank you for the recipe!
Wow, this was just amazing. So beautiful to make, relatively easy, and so incredibly delicious that me and my sister-in-law ate the entire thing to ourselves, wondering the whole time, “how is this SO GOOD!?” I used regular broccoli instead of broccolini, and only had pre-shaved packaged parmesan (I would have preferred something fresher), but it was fantastic nonetheless.
Its in the oven now!
This is such a winner. Cooking the potatoes in the broth really imparts a lot of flavor with minimal effort – I love that. I’ve had success with essentially halving the recipe (using 5 eggs) and cooking it in an 8-inch cast iron skillet. I just have to be mindful of the heat – I always seem to burn eggs when using the cast iron.
I added tomatoes and spinach and used tomato juice instead of vegetable broth and it turned out amazing! This recipe is so easy and so delicious.
I made this at 8pm tonight when I realized I didn’t have any ideas for dinner. I subbed feta for the parm. It was easy, tasty and perfect!
So good! Made this for a sick husband two afternoons ago…halfway expecting him to just eat it and possibly ask why there were such big pieces of wierd broccoli in it…but, he loved it! I thankfully portioned it out for our breakfasts the next couple of days and I’m really patting myself on the back for that decision. I’m useless in the morning when being awoken by two little super early risers and this just takes a couple minutes to heat up for breakfast. Already planning on making it again tomorrow!
This was great! Used a mandolin for the potatoes, which worked really nicely. Had roasted broccoli in the fridge which I threw in with the eggs. A trick for unsticking frittatas… loosen the side a bit with a spatula, then give the pan a couple of good whacks on a cutting board. Works like a charm!
Just made this with romanesco (from our CSA) and leeks instead of broccolini and onions. Best frittata EVER! This will be our go-to frittata recipe from now on.
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit! I’m actually not usually a fan of frittatas, but I think it’s because the ones I have had in restaurants have been dried out. This was definitely moist and fluffy!
I decided to make it because I had a bunch of leftover eggs after dyeing Easter eggs last weekend, and I also had about 5 leftover roasted red potatoes that I needed to do something with. I also used baby red spring onions, asparagus, and added some diced ham.
Since the potatoes were already cooked, I steamed the asparagus (cut into pieces about an inch long) with the spring onions in some chicken broth in the skillet. After the broth cooked off, I added the potatoes and ham and turned up the heat a little bit. I was hoping to get some color on the potatoes and ham, which worked, and took about 10 minutes to do. Then I lowered the heat, waited about 5, and added in the egg mixture because I didn’t want the eggs to get too brown to fast. This worked beautifully.
Here’s a (slightly blurry, oops!) picture of the final product: http://i.imgur.com/p4PGHkT.jpg
Oh, to reference your comment about a post on caring for cast iron, I would love to hear your thoughts on it! Every time I think I’ve gotten to a solid seasoning place, something glues to the pan and I have to start over. When I season in the oven, it comes out uneven and speckled. When I do it on the stove, I look away for a second and the oil smokes too long and burns off the seasoning. I love my pan and we’re getting somewhere, but our relationship has its ups and downs ;)
Just wanted to chime in that, hey, yes, I made this! (I am so pumped about this feature in the new re-design, Deb!). It looks like a total bad-ass stunner coming out of the oven– and while I was initially concerned that it would never release from the pan (my potatoes made a bit of a fond during the sautee/boil phase)… it totally did that magical “proteins release from the pan when they’re ready to release” thing while under the broiler.
I used salt water instead of broth, threw in a couple of cloves of smashed garlic and a couple sprigs of thyme (that I removed before adding the broccoli and onion). Tons of pepper and a mix of manchego and parm for the cheese. Delish! Easy! Fast! Cheap!
#winner
Hi Deb. We have made this tons of times since you originally posted it, and it’s hands down one of our favorite go-to weeknight dinners! But I need you to know something. We had leftover spaghetti al limone (another favorite of ours from your site… we add some garlic and a bunch of red pepper flakes to ours but otherwise we’re pretty faithful) so we skipped the potato/broth step, omitted the onion, and picked up with the broccolini before following the rest of the recipe to the letter.
Just… oh my gosh. Crunchy cheese lid. Crunchy noodle base. It’s like the lemon pasta had a baby but it doesn’t know if this frittata or your spaghetti pecorino pie is the daddy.
This is one of my weeknight go-to’s. I love it as is, but my teenage son hates vegetables, and says the broccolini poisons the dish, so i’ve started making it with bacon and cheddar instead of broccolini and parmesan. Not as nutritious, but delicious! (I serve broccoli or salad on the side and force him to eat it.)
If I wanted to cut the serving size in half (use 4 eggs instead of 8), should I go with a smaller skillet and make a thinner version, or go the Pinterest route and make an muffin cups?
Forgot to mention – I do have the large/giant muffin tins (where there’s only 6 per pan) so they wouldn’t be teeny tiny.
Made this for brunch this morning. Yum!
Just made this morning. Lovely and perfect for a cold Montana morning. Made as written and served with a kilbasa sausage.
I just made this for my family last night and it was delicious!!! (and great for lunch the next day.) I made a couple of modifications because I was low on parmesan, and my husband will not eat cooked onions (I know weird huh?!) So I used good quality onion powder, and 1/2 cup of a nice melty Mexican cheese mix with the eggs and parm on top. YUM!
Thanks for this recipe. I made this with frozen broccoli because it’s all I had. It was delicious. About to add this recipe to one of my meal apps then make it with fresh broccolini for lunch.
Made this for Christmas brunch for my Mom who has celiac. It was perfect! Turns out my broiler is bad too so it took about 15 mins but came out crispy and beautiful. Delicious too! Thanks Deb! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I made this last night for dinner and I am so excited to have the leftovers going into the work week. I added a little bit of cooked crumbled sausage that I had leftover from pizza making over the weekend and it was awesome!
I have to say though – the one pan-ness of this recipe didn’t work for me. If I make this again, I’ll probably roast the potatoes and the broccolini and then sauté the onions to my liking prior to adding them to the frittata. I found that they took a lot longer to cook than the recipe spelled out – I added more water and more time for the potatoes … as well as more time on the stovetop (and in the oven-before adding the eggs) for the broccolini and the onions. It turned out well in the end, but I would have liked the control of roasting/sauteing the veggies in my desired doneness. I also found that the potatoes left a starchy layer in my cast iron pan after being cooked … which I scrubbed away before adding the rest of the veggies and eggs for fear of everything getting horribly stuck.
Love Smitten Kitchen recipes and I love the idea of this one, but it did cause a few problems for me. Maybe there’s something I should have done differently? Final result is tasty though :)
Well I just made this for the family trying to break out of dinner rut we were in. It was spectacularly successful. Along side an arugula salad lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper and some crusty bread and a glass of wine. Thank you darling. I am toasting your father tonight. ❤️
Hi Deb! If I were to use asparagus instead, would you recommend shaving it or chopping it up? Just can’t make the decision myself!!! :)
Either, or you could cross it with this asparagus ribbon frittata. (Ribbons allow you to skip parcooking, always a win, plus they’re pretty.)
I made this for a brunch today and it was a hit! I made it as written except: 1) I used about half as much broth with the potatoes, and 2) I used asparagus chopped into bite size pieces (I couldn’t find broccolini). Also, our guests were running a little late, so I made it all the way until the broiling step, and then took it off the heat and put it under the broiler with the cheese about 15 minutes later (once they arrived). It was delicious!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was perfect for the three of us with a couple pieces left over. Slice some huge navel oranges for a side dish, but spinach apple salad or banana bread would have been perfect also.
As DH says, “This can make another appearance.”
This was fabulous! Made it almost exactly as written – although I had to add more vegetable broth because it cooked away faster than expected and I added another egg or two because I was concerned I was feeding more of a crowd. Everyone loved it and this was a perfect hearty frittata without the gluten and heaviness of quiche. Would absolutely make again!
Could this be doubled and broiled in a rectangular cake pan after all of the boiling and frying in one or two fry pans? I’d like to cut it in cubes for a party for the vegetarian and GF attendees.
Delicious! I added lemon zest (because lemon is my secret weapon) and thyme because I had it around.
This is my go-frittata! I just made it cooking the potatoes in leftover broth from the pot of chickpeas I made. The broth added plenty of salt so I didn’t have to add any. So good!!
Hi Deb – how long is the initial cooktime on the stovetop?
It’s more of an eyeball thing but it won’t be long — maybe 5 minutes, 8 tops.
Made this gorgeous frittata last night for the umpteenth time, and I just have to sing the praises of this recipe. The basic technique is absolute perfection, and so is the flavor, color, and texture combination. Thanks, Deb!
For ease of release, any reason not to make this in an oven-proof non-stick pan?
Nope, no reason. It might get less crisp, is my only concern, but not a huge one.
Thanks so much. This will be my next frittata project.
I can’t eat onion due to a low-acid diet. Everything else is fine. Will this still be good without it? Also, anything else I could throw in there to “replace” the onion?
This dish was very good (I did swap green beans for broccolini), but it was FANTASTIC when reheated for breakfast! It has become my preferred breakfast for guests!
Deb – we love this recipe more than we should be allowed to love it.
BIG question: HOW can I double this for a crowd?
Happy Thanksgiving and you cannot immagine how many of your recipes will be on our table tomorrow!
I just love that you cook with crappy appliances and equipment at times. It makes it so much more authentic to me to me. Thanks! (From a 66 year old woman who enjoys cooking so much and still has a coiled electric range that works just fine (22 years old!).
I should add I’ve made this recipe 3 times and it’s a keeper! Love it. Use homemade chicken broth and pecorino.
This was so good! This is my new favorite frittata recipe. I didn’t have any broccolini, but had a bunch of chard. I also added tomatoes and cut half the cheese. I roasted the potatoes with onions. I cooked it at 400 degrees for 25 minutes and it came out perfect.