This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
Learn how to make a simple and delicious frittata with tons of variation ideas! Perfect for a savory breakfast, brunch, or even dinner!
Eggs are one of the best ingredients for a healthy breakfast. They are rich in protein and provide you with energy for the entire day. But classic eggs (whether they be over easy, over medium, or over hard) can be redundant.
A fun and delicious way to use up plenty of eggs is to whip them up in this frittata recipe.
What Is A Frittata?
Frittata is an Italian egg dish similar to an omelet. It is a mixture of eggs, cream or milk, cheese, vegetables, meat, and other ingredients of your choice.
What we love about this recipe is that it tastes fancy, but it’s so easy to make. It’s healthy and packed with protein, and really, it makes a fabulous keto breakfast (if you follow a low carb diet).
Similar to a crustless quiche, it’s perfect hot or cold, you can literally clean out the fridge with it.
Ingredients Needed
This recipe calls for very simple pantry staple ingredients and a few fresh ones, too. You can easily find them at any grocery store. Here is what you’ll need:
- Eggs. Use as many eggs as you need depending on the number of people you are cooking for.
- Bacon. There is nothing better than waking up to the aroma of fried bacon. Things get even better when you add these crunchy salty bits into the egg mixture that then turn into a fluffy egg pie.
- Spinach. Baby spinach is preferred, but English and frozen spinach both work.
- Heavy cream. The secret ingredient for a creamy and rich frittata.
- Cheese. I like using Swiss cheese, but any full bodied and flavored cheese works.
How To Make A Frittata
This recipe really is very simple to make and although it may look like a fair few steps, it actually comes together quickly and the oven takes care of all the hard work!
Step 1- Preheat the oven and prepare the pie dish
Before you prepare the ingredients, turn on the oven to 180C/350F degrees. Next, prep a pie dish you will be using. I recommend at least a 9-inch pan for this recipe. Grease it generously and leave it aside while you prepare the ingredients.
Step 2- Fry the bacon
Next, chop the bacon and fry it in a non-stick pan over medium heat. When the bacon gets crispy, transfer it onto a plate lined with paper towels.
Step 3- Saute the spinach
Now, proceed to sauteeing the spinach leaves. Put them into the pan that has the bacon fat in it and cook it until it is wilted.
Step 4- Prepare the egg mixture
Next, prepare the egg base by cracking the eggs into a large bowl. Add the heavy cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and whisk until fully combined.
Add the bacon, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and shredded cheese into the beaten eggs. Mix to disperse the add-ins in the egg mixture.
Step 5- Bake
Pour the frittata mixture into your pie dish. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the eggs are set.
Once removed from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Tips to make the best recipe
- Don’t skip the dairy. Adding dairy into the egg mixture results in a creamy and light frittata. If you don’t have heavy cream, use milk, half-and-half, or Greek yogurt.
- Cook the add-ins. We recommend you cook the add-is first before you combine them with the egg mixture. Doing this creates a better overall texture as well as prevents the add-ins from releasing moisture into eggs while you bake them in the oven.
- Don’t over-bake. Baking gives the frittata a golden crust that contrasts beautifully with its light and fluffy texture. However, too long and you risk the dish being chewy. Remember, this will continue to cook as it is cooling down.
Flavor variations
Frittata is a blank canvas. You can mix and match various ingredients to create flavor combinations that you like.
- Vegetables. The possibilities are endless: you can add onions, bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, asparagus, and other veggies of your choice.
- Greens. Leafy greens pair nicely with eggs. You can add arugula, kale, collard greens, and Swiss chard to your mix to make it more colorful and nutritious.
- Meat. If you are making a frittata for lunch or dinner, it is a great idea to add some type of meat to it. You can use chicken, beef, sausage, as well as deli meats of your choice.
- Herbs. Chives, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and mint will instantly make your frittata more aromatic.
Storing and freezing instructions
- To store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to five days.
- To freeze: Place the cooked and cooled frittata in a shallow container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: Either microwave portions for 30-40 seconds or reheat in the oven until warm.
More savory breakfast recipes to try
Frequently Asked Questions
The beauty of a frittata is that it can be enjoyed both hot or cold. If you use plenty of cheese, it’s better to enjoy it warm so it melts and lends a better flavor.
With just 3 grams of net carbs per serving, this recipe is keto friendly.
To lower the calories, you can swap out half the eggs with egg whites. Do not use all egg whites or else the frittata will be rubbery.
Omelettes are pan fried whereas frittatas are baked in the oven. Also, thanks to the addition of cream, frittatas are creamier and fluffier.
Frittata Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon finely chopped
- 3 cups baby spinach firmly packed
- 8 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Generously grease a 9-inch pie dish and set aside.
- In a non-stick pan, add the bacon and place it over medium heat. Let it crisp up for 2 minutes, before setting aside on some paper towel to soak up excess oil2
- Place the pan back on the heat with the bacon fat and when hot, add the baby spinach and saute until wilted. Transfer onto a plate with the bacon.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and heavy cream and whisk together until combined. Add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked bacon, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and shredded cheese. Mix to distribute the ingredients.
- Transfer into the pie dish and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until just set.
I used the basics of the recipe (eggs, cream, bacon, cheese, salt & pepper) but I changed some things up which is the beauty of this sort of recipe. I removed the spinach (my son doesn’t eat that ingredient) and added in some finely diced peppers (colour of the rainbow-green, yellow, orange, red), some red onion, leftover diced chicken breast and about a TBSP of my Dad’s French BAM recipe he concocted several years back. I did find I had to double the time for cooking this (about 30 min or so). Could be my oven though…chuckles.
The outcome was that my son ate half of the dish by himself. And the request is that this comes back to the table more often. Thank you for inspiring me to try your recipe out. It has been bookmarked for future use.
Good
This is absolutely delicious! Made it with 1 less egg and there is no way this is going to be done in 17 minutes. I had to bake mine for over an 20 minutes before it was set. My stove/oven is virtually new, has a timer and cooks everything really well so it’s not that “all ovens have temperature variations.” The dish needs to cook for at 20 minutes. Take note everyone, otherwise it’s a perfect dish & recipe as are all of Arman’s recipes. Love them!
I just tried this recipe this morning & am enjoying my first bites – delicious!! I had mushrooms, spinach, and onion to use up and added grated Swiss cheese to the eggs. I love that this recipe gives a base that I can adapt based on what I have and like. Thank you!