Summer garden frittata recipe
While I was away last week, my husband thought it would be a great idea to refinish the cabinets in the kitchen. No wait, we might as well do all the cabinets in the entire house, he thought to himself. Why do those four words generally end up as a bad idea? Why do people think that a small project might as well be a big project? We had a simple plan. Mr. Picky and I would go back East to bring Daughter #1 to camp while my husband brought Daughter #2 to camp and we would come back a week later and my house would look like nothing had ever happened except that my kitchen cabinets would look pretty and fresh instead of beaten up because I’ve taught a hundred cooking classes in my kitchen.
Guess what? This is what my kitchen still looks like! And so does the rest of my house until who knows when. So yours truly is in a bit of a funk because she didn’t get to make and photograph the sure-to-be-adorable and tasty raspberry-blueberry-yogurt popsicles she wanted to post today for Fourth of July. Pouty face. And yours truly has been eating take-out since she returned home from Long Island on Friday night. Verrry pouty face. I’ll get to the frittata in a minute. What I’d like to discuss is takeout. I definitely struggle with finding places to eat when I do need to eat out. Fresh, organic, seasonal prepared food is not as common as you would think, even in Manhattan Beach, California. So I’ve been to Le Pain Quotidien for breakfast two days in a row and Veggie Grill for lunch two days in a row and Whole Foods for one meal. And here’s what I’ve got to say — holy $$$$$! friends. How do people eat out all the time? It’s downright unaffordable. Not only that, it’s beyond difficult for everyone to agree on what to eat. Dinner should not be a democratic decision! Seriously, the last few days have totally reinforced what I have said about cooking at home being easier, cheaper and always more healthful.
Now let’s get to the frittata, which I photographed at my house two weeks ago and again at my parents’ house last week (two different frittatas, naturally.) I was going to post this recipe next week, but like I said, my husband thought it would be nice to surprise me. Pouty face. In any event, a frittata recipe fits in perfectly with my anti-takeout sentiment. Eggs, and therefore frittatas, are an incredibly versatile and high-quality source of inexpensive protein. They are also very easy to make on the fly with whatever you’ve got in your kitchen/garden.
I prepare frittatas all year long varying the ingredients based on what’s in season. Click here for a delicious swiss chard frittata recipe. A few weeks ago, when I saw zucchini blossoms at our farmers’ market with beautiful, tender zucchini, I knew I had to make what I call “Summer Garden Frittata.” It’s the frittata I make most often in the summer and it’s really about celebrating whatever my garden or market has to offer. My family inhaled these last week. You certainly don’t need to use zucchini blossoms, especially if you can’t find them, but I think they’re so pretty and they have a nice, subtle flavor. The blossoms without a zucchini attached are the male flowers which basically just sit around the plant doing absolutely nothing while the female blossoms actually produce zucchini. Why not put those males to good use? I’m here to tell you that if you don’t find something for them to do, you never know what kind of trouble they’ll create for you.
- 2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil + additional
- 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 3 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), ends trimmed and sliced thinly by hand or by the slicing disk of the food processor
- Fine grain sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 large eggs
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup ricotta cheese or goat cheese or feta (optional, but I used feta in the photographs)
- 5-6 zucchini blossoms (optional, I used 4 large ones)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes or 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 10-inch skillet, warm the olive oil. Sauté the scallions until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the zucchini slices and a generous pinch of salt and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir the cooked zucchini mixture into the eggs and combine well.
- Place the skillet back over medium heat and add a little extra oil if the pan seems dry. Pour the egg and zucchini mixture into the pan. Arrange the zucchini blossoms on the surface of the frittata or chop and scatter on top. Dollop tablespoonfuls of the ricotta and the cherry tomatoes around the frittata. Transfer skillet to the oven and bake until firm, about 40 minutes.
Or, cook gently over medium-low heat, covered until slightly set on the bottom, 15-20 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil until the top is slightly puffed and golden, about 3-5 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.
24 Comments
Pamela, this looks awesome! I’m having a few people over and I want to double the recipe… Can I bake in a quarter sheet pan instead of starting on stove?
Hi Pamela,
I love your cookbook and recipes. I’ve tried several of your recipes (e.g. slow cooker chicken tacos, the chocolate zucchini cake, a more healthful chocolate chip cookie, to name a few), and they’ve always been a great hit. Thank you!
I have a frittata question: I’m having folks over for breakfast and would like to simplify the prep for the morning of. Does it work as well to make a frittata the night before, and if so, what’s the best way to reheat it? I suppose I could also cut all the vegetables beforehand and just do the sautéing and baking the morning of. I’d appreciate any advice to simplify the prep. Thank you!
Whoa, somehow I missed this comment, sorry! You can make a frittata the day before and warm it in the oven or serve it at room temp. But what I prefer to do is saute all the veggies the day before and store them in one container in the fridge, then beat all the eggs and store them in a separate container in the fridge and then the morning of, combine the two plus any additional seasonings or fresh herbs and pour into a baking dish and bake. You can pull it together in the time it takes the oven to pre-heat!
Thanks so much for the tip, Pamela! I took your advice and prepped the veggies and eggs the night before and made the frittata the morning of. It worked great!
I made your corn and zucchini frittata for a group, and not surprisingly, given the success I’ve had with every one of your recipes, it was a hit! Thank you!
Great! So happy to make this a little easier for you.
I, too, thank you Pamela as I got on your site with the very question, “can I make a frittata the night before?” You always provide!
🙂
We had this dish as well this week and also super yummy. Trying different options before school starts so that I can have a handful of good recipes to do quickly when I get super busy with work and with all the kids’ activities.
I make frittatas about 3x month — sometimes for breakfast, Saturday or Sunday lunch, or for an easy weeknight dinner. Leftovers are great, too. Mr. Picky still hasn’t tried a frittata, but I’m thinking this might be his year!
This looks so good and easy. I would like to make this on a slice of bread and pack it for a plane trip for a brunch for 4 of us. can I make this the night before,as we leave early. Best regards,
Ilse
That would be a great idea and it would hold up nicely! I have taken frittata on the plane before and I think making it the night before would make your travel day less stressful.
Thank you.
Hi Pamela,
Just served my family this delicious, healthy meal. It was perfect and both my boys are fans.(Of course, I cooked my frittata without the cheese, to keep all my picky eaters happy.) Anyway, thank you for another great idea. We are all feeling satiated,(not stuffed), and well prepared to head out for a July 4th BBQ later today. Happy 4th!
Thanks for the feedback, Kim! Always a good feeling to nourish yourself and your family :).
I do a quinoa version of this in which I steam season veggies in a little veggie broth and use 1/2 cup cooked quinoa with 2 eggs. Before all of the water has evaporated I drop on a few baby tomatoes and the q + e mixture and cover with a light layer of freshly grated Parma cheese. This is my staple after yoga, is done in minutes right on the stove, and tastes delicious and healthy.
I looooooove this idea! Thank you, Diane~
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I use your recipes all the time. They are the best. I love and appreciate your blog so much.
Awww, thanks Goldie! I appreciate you stopping by~
LOL…this is the best post ever 😀 subtext is awesome. and the dish looks delish too!
“The blossoms without a zucchini attached are the male flowers which basically just sit around the plant doing absolutely nothing while the female blossoms actually produce zucchini. Why not put those males to good use? I’m here to tell you that if you don’t find something for them to do, you never know what kind of trouble they’ll create for you”
😉
That is so beautiful. I don’t have egg eaters in my house, but I think that arrangement and combination of vegetables and cheese would be beautiful and delicious baked on a layer of polenta. Thank you.
Most definitely, Julie! Love your blog, BTW. Just pinned your wild rice and cherry salad!
Thank you! I have friends who have enjoyed your classes. I hope to join them sometime. We share a similar philosophy and I look forward to meeting you.
Thank you, Julie. That’s nice to hear. Hope to meet sometime soon!