Frittatas are perfect for breakfast or a quick one-pan dinner. You can even create cute little individual frittatas in muffin tins for brunch or an appetizer for dinner!
Using egg as the main ingredient, you can modify this flexible frittata recipe to add whatever vegetable, cheese, or meat you have on hand. Once you learn how easy a frittata is to make, it will become a staple recipe in your kitchen too.
Why I Love This Frittata Recipe
When our egg-laying hens are in full production, we end up with an abundance of eggs. Over the years, I have learned many ways to preserve eggs, including pickling eggs, water glassing eggs, freeze-drying eggs, drying egg noodles, and even making eggnog for the holidays.
In addition to preservation, our family eats seasonally, so when eggs are in season, we also eat a lot of fresh eggs. Learning the trick to cooking scrambled eggs in cast iron was a must, and this flexible frittata recipe has also been a family favorite.
I love the diversity of this recipe because it is much like when I make garden stir fry or Michele’s skillet supper. I can use up whatever else is in season, so it doesn’t go to waste either.
What Is Frittata
Frittata is an egg dish originating from Italy, where the word frittata means “fried.” Frittatas are similar to omelets, but where omelets have a filling, frittatas mix all their ingredients into the dish. It is also sometimes referred to as an egg pizza or crustless quiche.
Frittatas are cooked slowly in a cast iron skillet or enameled cast iron on one side, flipped, and finished in an oven.
How to Serve Frittata
Frittata can be served as a one-dish meal or as a side to complement other recipes, such as a fresh garden salad, a slice of no-knead bread, or a sourdough parker house dinner roll with homemade butter.
When serving frittata for breakfast, a side of hash browns and flaky biscuits make a hearty homestead meal.
In the Homestead Kitchen
This recipe was featured in issue No. 6 of In the Homestead Kitchen Magazine. With your subscription, you will receive access to more recipes like this through a beautifully designed monthly digital magazine full of homesteading tips, recipes, DIY tutorials, and stories to guide and inspire you in your kitchen.
As a bonus, you will receive access to a multitude of Homesteading Family’s in-depth instructional videos to support you as you learn the art of homesteading skills.
Subscribe today, and together we will change our culture as we fill our pantries and feed our families.
Supplies Needed
- Cast Iron Skillet – A 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet works well and is an ideal oven-safe pan. It can double to saute’ the vegetables and work as a baking dish. Homesteading Hack: It’s important to learn how to choose the best cast iron as well as how to maintain your cast iron pan.
- Stove and Oven – Frittatas require using the stovetop and oven.
- Measuring Utensils – ¼ cup to 1 cup measurements are needed.
- Whisk – Used to add air and volume to your eggs for a fluffy frittata.
- Spatula – A stainless steel spatula is recommended for cast iron pans.
- Knife – Use a sharp knife to cut up your vegetables. A knife or pizza cutter can be used to slice the frittata for serving. (Learn how to properly sharpen knives here.)
Ingredients Needed
- Eggs – Make sure to use best practices to handle farm fresh eggs safely.
- Water – Adding water to whisked eggs will work to steam the eggs while they cook, making them light and fluffy.
- Whole Milk – If you do not have fresh raw milk, you can use store-bought milk or sour cream instead.
- Garlic Cloves, Minced – Mince your garlic cloves so the garlic mixes evenly throughout the dish.
- Salt – My go-to salt is Redmond Real Salt. Homesteading Hack: Using that link for Redmond Salt will automatically give you 15% off your order!
- Pepper – About ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Preferred Cooking Fat – We use our rendered lard, but you can use any cooking fat you prefer.
- Chopped Vegetables – Use your choice of vegetables such as broccoli, grape or cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, spinach, asparagus, spring peas, green onions or mushrooms.
- Fresh Herbs to Taste – Fresh or preserved herbs will add flavoring and dimension to your frittata recipe. We like homegrown chives, basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, etc.
- Grated or Crumbled Cheese – Use your choice of cheese for this recipe. Feta, goat cheese, mozzarella, and sharp cheddar are all delicious.
Frittata Recipe Step-by-Step
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Place your cast iron pan over medium heat as you prepare your ingredients.
- Sauté your chosen vegetables in your fat of choice in the preheated cast iron skillet. Cook stirring occasionally, just until they are tender.
- Combine your frittata base. Whisk the eggs, water, milk, garlic, salt, and pepper. It’s ready when it is a consistent light-yellow color throughout.
- Add any spices or herbs you are using.
- Spread the vegetables evenly over the surface of your cast iron, then pour the frittata base over your vegetables, shaking the pan gently to distribute the eggs evenly.
- Sprinkle your cheese on top of the frittata and transfer the pan to a 400°F oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the center is set and the top and edges are golden.
- Allow the frittata to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. Then snap a photo and tag us on social media @homesteadingfamily so we can see all the different frittata creations you come up with!
More Recipes You May Enjoy
- Easy Homemade Egg Noodles Recipe
- Baked Oatmeal Recipe
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe – From Scratch
- Aged Eggnog Recipe – A Holiday Classic
- Quick and Easy Cobbler Recipe
- Fermented Mayo Recipe
- Brownie Mix Recipe In A Jar
- How To Handle Farm Fresh Eggs
- Egg Roll in a Bowl Recipe
- Zucchini Blossoms Recipe
- Easy Meatloaf Recipe (Freezer Meal Prep)
Flexible Frittata Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 whole eggs
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon fat lard, butter or other fat of choice
- 2 cups vegetables chopped
- 1/3 cup cheese grated or crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Place your cast iron pan over medium heat as you prepare your ingredients.
- Combine your frittata base. Whisk the eggs, water, milk, garlic, salt, and pepper. It’s ready when it is a consistent light-yellow color throughout.
- Sauté your chosen vegetables in your fat of choice in the preheated cast iron skillet. Cook stirring occasionally, just until they are tender.
- Add any spices or herbs you are using.
- Spread the vegetables evenly over the surface of your cast iron, then pour the frittata base over your vegetables, shaking the pan gently to distribute the eggs evenly.
- Sprinkle your cheese on top of the frittata and transfer the pan to a 400°F oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the center is set and the top and edges are golden.
- Allow the frittata to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe can be halved or doubled as needed, or to fit the oven-safe pan that you have.
- Nutrition facts are for 1/4 of this recipe.
