It’s the end of the week, well actually it’s the beginning of the week, but let’s just say it’s like Thursday or Friday, you come home from work and open your fridge to find a bunch of random leftovers, vegetables that are hanging onto their last breath begging to be used, and a carton of eggs untouched. THIS is the recipe you need in that moment. End of the Week Frittata is a recipe you can assemble in under 10 minutes and takes no more than 30 minutes to cook in the oven- perfect amount of time to settle in from a long work day or clean up from the prep. Another added bonus, it’s one of the most flexible and forgiving “recipes” there is.
Frugal frittata
Frittata is also known as an egg bake. It’s basically a combination of sauteed vegetables, spices, cheeses, heavy cream, and eggs baked together to form a delicious and fluffy protein rich meal. Instead of using traditional ingredients like cheese and heavy cream, I opt for nutritional yeast for the cheesy flavor supplemented with Kite Hill cheese which is my new favorite vegan cheese and newest obsession in the world of dairy-free food. Even if you don’t have this on hand, you can use the Classic Cashew Cheese for a cheesey component to this dish.
I hesitate to even call this a recipe, even though it is with specific ratios of eggs to vegetables, but frittatas are one of those recipes where you can use what you have on hand and forget about what’s not! You can add any vegetable, spice, and seasoning you like and cook it until it tastes and looks good. If this is your first time making a frittata, you’re in good hands because I chose vegetables that (I hope) most of us would have on hand at the end of the week. A soft zucchini, root vegetables like carrots, beets, and potatoes, a super ripe red bell pepper, and mushrooms that are begging to be cooked. Couple that with kitchen and pantry staples like dried herbs and spices and you’re all set. An added bonus to this frittata, is that no ingredient and veggie in your fridge goes to waste, you’re utilizing all that you have which is a great way to save money on healthy food and be smart about frugality.
You don’t have to limit yourself to using just fresh vegetables, if you only have frozen vegetables on hand, use those! You can also add some of these non-traditional but still delicious ingredients:
- Vegan cheese, I’m obsessed with Kite Hill cheese and used their ricotta dolloped on top while serving and actually cooked about 4 tablespoons evenly dolloped into the fritta before baking. You can also use my Classic Cashew Cheese.
- Diced apples. I know adding fruit to a frittata seems odd, but apples are a sweet and savory fruit that work well here
- Nutritional yeast. I have this in the recipe for a cheesy flavor, but it’s completely optional.
- Chickpeas or another type of starchy bean. The downside of adding these, is they sink to the bottom sometimes!
- Proteins of your choice. If using animal proteins be sure you check back to my food philosophy
I enjoy this recipe most, well, at the end of the week when I’m needing to use up the rest of the vegetables and produce I have in the fridge or on a batch cooking day which is normally Sunday in our home. It does well as a leftover for several days, up to 4 in my experience, and can easily be reheating on the skillet, toaster oven, or microwave (I just don’t own one!). When serving, add a side of fresh sliced avocado, fresh greens, and cooked grains like millet or quinoa all drizzled with a little olive oil and you’re set. Another way to enjoy this frittata is like the ultimate egg sandwich by slicing a piece in half and putting it in between your favorite gluten free bread or even on top of my toasted Nourishing Nut & Seed Bread.
- 8 whole eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup diced beets
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a medium-hot skillet, add olive oil, garlic, onions, sea salt, and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add all remaining diced vegetables and adjust seasonings to what you have on hand or using recommended spices in the recipe. Do not add, nutritional yeast, mustard, eggs, or chives yet. Cook for 10 minutes or until the diced beets are just fork tender, they will continue to cook while in the oven.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the 10 eggs. Add dijon mustard, nutritional yeast and chives and whisk together. Pour this mixture into the cast iron skillet with soft cooked vegetables.
- Place the cast-iron skillet in the oven to bake for 25-35 minutes or until fluffy.
- Store in a glass container for leftovers.
I’d love to see your creations of the #endoftheweekfrittata, show me yours or comment below on what ingredients you’re going to use, I’d love to hear some of your ideas!
in other news…
If you’re reading this, which I hope you are, I’m officially in San Francisco! That means I’m taking a little time off from the digital world to fully immerse myself in the creative work of shooting my first cookbook! Comments, emails, and social media comments are going to be a little sparse so thanks for your patience and I’m so excited to share with you a little behind the scenes when I can on instagram!
xx McKel
