Making a Basic Meatless Frittata
Potato and onion frittata with cheddar cheese
Frittatas are a great unplanned meal
The only “must have” ingredient when making your own frittata is eggs. You can add what you have on hand from there. This basic frittata is meatless. We are adding potatoes and onions and topping it with white cheddar cheese, ingredients I always have on hand.
I don’t mind cooking dinner. I enjoy the mental serenity of focusing on a simple task like cutting up vegetables. But I hate having to figure out what I am going to make if I haven’t planned anything in advance. All too often my lack of planning leaves me steeped in self recrimination.
Redemption for the unprepared
If you can relate to me standing in the kitchen, as the dinner bell is about to ring, staring into the refrigerator without a clue about what I’m going to cook for dinner, this recipe is for US my disorganized comrades. This is what I call a “bail me out” dinner recipe. As long as I have 9 eggs, I have dinner.
So to my fellow “fly by the seat of your pants” dinner makers, I suggest that you stock up on eggs. We can outsmart our demons 😈 and get dinner on the table despite our laggard behavior.
Knowing how to make Frittatas will come in handy
Frittatas are an easy and economical one pan meal. They’re easy to make and very versatile. Making a frittata is a great way to use up leftovers too. You can add meat, potatoes, vegetables, or a combination of any of them. After making our frittata, we hope you start experimenting with other ingredients that you like. Why not, what’s to lose?
Anytime you are hesitant to try something new, “what’s lost in trying” is a good question to ask yourself. Living by the old saying of “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” has often brought success. But one shouldn’t venture into the unknown without giving sufficient thought to consequences. I know a thing or two about venturing without a lot of thought😉 . But when it comes to cooking, as long as you are experimenting with ingredients, herbs and spices you like, your creation is likely to taste good to you. Sure, not all ingredients will work as well together as others. But some combinations will work so well together it makes up for all your less than perfect attempts.
Want a couple of ideas? How about ham with swiss cheese? I make that quite often. Or try our BROCCOLI FRITTATA another meatless one pan meal.
For those not ready to go solo yet, we will add more frittata recipes for you and walk you through making them.
Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:
| 2 medium sized potatoes |
| 1 medium sized yellow onion |
| 9 eggs |
| 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese (or another cheese of your choice) |
| ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper |
| Olive oil |
Once you get the gist of how to make a frittata, the variety of ingredients and flavors you can add is limitless!
This is WHAT TO DO:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare your ingredients
Wash your potatoes well before slicing. We have a post in our cooking tips section about why you should always wash your fruits and vegetables Wash Before You Eat. The post is meant to be lighthearted but it presents some common sense facts about why it is really important to wash your produce.
Don’t bother to peel your potatoes before you slice them. Leaving the skin on reduces your preparation time and you get the extra nutrients that are in the skin.
Cut the potato in half lengthwise, and then slice each half into slices. Keep the slices thin so they don’t take forever to cook.
Slice the onion into thin slices. I find the easiest way to do that is cut off the top and bottom of the onion, cut in half lengthwise, take off the thin paper like skin and the outside layer of the onion. Put the cut side down on a cutting board and then slice.
Break 9 eggs into a bowl or large measuring cup and beat them a little with a fork so all the yolks are broken and incorporated with the egg whites. You don’t need to add anything to the eggs.
Grate the cheese if you are doing it yourself. I am grating my own for this recipe. I have a block of cheddar and it takes less than a minute to grate it on a box grater.
Everything is cracked, stirred, chopped, measured or grated and ready to go. It might sound like a lot to do, but it only takes minutes.
Now you are ready to cook
Start cooking on the stovetop
Warm a 10 inch, heavy bottomed skillet with an oven safe handle, on medium high heat. The size of the skillet is important. If you are using a skillet larger than 10 inches across, the frittata will come out thinner and it will take less cooking time in the oven. A really large skillet will make your frittata look more like an omelet. If you use a skillet smaller than10 inches, it will take a little more time to cook. Take a look at the photo of our frittata just out of the oven so you know what you are looking for to determine if it is done.
When the skillet is warm, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Still on medium high heat, sauté the sliced potato and onion, moving the vegetables around regularly to cook evenly and prevent sticking. If the potato starts sticking to the bottom of the skillet or browning (and it is likely it will if you are not using a non-stick skillet) turn the heat down. A little browning is fine, but that is not what we are going for here. We want tender potatoes and caramelized onions.
Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to the vegetables as they sauté.
Sauté the sliced potatoes and onions in olive oil until they are tender. Turn the heat down if the vegetables are browning a lot and getting crisp.
The potatoes are tender and the onions are caramelized (lightly browned).
Take the skillet off the heat, add the eggs and cheese then let it sit
When the potatoes are tender, take the skillet off the heat. Pour the slightly beaten eggs over the vegetables in the skillet. Do not stir.
Top with the grated cheese. Let it rest for 5 minutes before putting the skillet in your preheated oven.
With the skillet removed from the hot burner, add the eggs to the skillet. Do not stir them in, just pour them over the vegetables.
Then add the cheese on top and let it set up for 5 minutes.
Time to bake the frittata
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. It’s done when the egg mixture has puffed up, the edges are browned and pulling away from the side of the skillet and the top is speckled with patches of golden brown.
Remove the skillet from the oven. Be very careful! We are so used to grabbing a skillet by the handle that you may not think twice. You need to think twice. The handle is screaming hot. It will burn you immediately. Use a thick kitchen towel, oven mitts or pot holders. The skillet is awkward and heavy coming out of the oven. You need to have a firm grip.
Take it out of the oven and let it sit again
When first out of the oven, the frittata is all puffed up. It will settle down quickly.
Let the frittata stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This gives the eggs a little time to cool off and firm up so you can cut it into slices.
Here’s our onion and potato frittata fresh out of the oven.
See how the edges have have browned and pulled away from the sides of the skillet? The top is speckled with golden brown spots here and there. Look for those things to know when it is done.
Serve
potatoes and onions served with grape tomatoes
A Basic Frittata
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes medium sized
- 1 yellow onion medium sized
- 9 eggs large brown or white
- ⅓ cup grated cheddar cheese or cheese of your choice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Thinly slice the potatoes and the onion
- Break 9 eggs into a bowl or large measuring cup and lightly beat them
- Grate the cheese (if you are grating it yourself)
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Warm a heavy bottomed, oven safe skillet on medium high heat.
- When warmed, cover the bottom of the skillet with olive oil. Add the potato and onion to the skillet and sauté until the potato and onions are tender. While sautéing, add the salt and pepper.
- Stir continuously. Don't let the potatoes or onions get crispy brown or stick to the bottom. If that is happening turn the heat down.
- Once the potato slices are tender, remove the skillet from the heat. Pour the eggs over the potato and onion, but do not mix the eggs in. Top with the grated cheese.
- Let the skillet sit for 5 minutes before putting it in the oven.
- Put the skillet into your preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the edges of the frittata are browned and there are some golden brown speckles on the top.
- Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.