I sometimes feel like frittatas don’t get much love in the culinary world. They’re kind of like a hash, you just throw in whatever you have in your fridge and combine it all for a meal. It’s  a poor-man’s quiche (cause crust is just so expensive).

But that’s exactly why they’re so amazing. They’re versatile! You can put anything in them and they’re going to turn out tasty. I hadn’t done the weekly shopping trip yet and I needed a Meatless Monday recipe for you guys so I decided to use my resources.

I used a bellpepper we had sitting in the fridge, an onion, half a tomato, cheese that was almost gone. I would’ve used some spinach that’s about to be on its way out but it didn’t catch me eye until after the fact and the realization of it had me yelling out curse words that are a sure sign I need anger management.

Some frittatas are made with leftover pasta in them. So if you’ve got leftover fettucini or spaghetti, by all means, dump it in! This is an “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” kinda dish. If you happen to have leftover ham or bacon or sausage, throw that in this, too. Just do it on a Tuesday or something 😉

Frittata

• 8 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. Pecorino Romano, shredded (or Parmesan)
• 1/3 cup chopped bellpepper
• 1/3-1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tomato, chopped and de-seeded
• 1-2 Tbsp. butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the cheese, salt and pepper.
2. In an oven-proof skillet (I used a cast iron), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and saute for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and stir.
4. Add the egg and cheese mixture and stir again to evenly distribute the veggies.
5. Let sit for about 5 minutes over the medium heat, or until the top is just about set and bubbling.

   

6. Stick the pan in the top third of the oven and broil until brown and cooked completely through, about 5 minutes.

Tips and Variations

• Use up whatever veggies you have in your fridge: mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, spinach, olives.
• Change up the cheese: try feta, Parmesan, cheddar, Gruyere, mozarella.
• If you’re using a cast iron like I did, make sure it’s a well-seasoned one. The more you use a cast iron, the more non-stick it becomes. Even if you use plenty of butter in the pan, the egg will still stick to a cast-iron and it can be a b***h to get off. Consider yourself warned.
• Mix in your leftover macaroni and cheese with this. I know it sounds strange, but it’s actually quite delicioso.
• Make it meaty with cooked bacon (dump it in when you add the tomatoes) or ham (saute it up with the onions and bellpeppers). You could even add some crumbled turkey sausage for a heartier meal.
• Don’t worry about measurements in this recipe. Eyeball all veggies. I ended up adding two more additional eggs than I had originally planned for. This is a dish made on purely instinct, so go with yours.