Easy Vegetable Frittata

I love this simple frittata recipe! It is perfectly cooked, soft inside and has a texture similar to custard. You can pack just about anything into it, in this vegetable version, we add lots of colorful and tasty veggies, cheese, and herbs. Jump to the Easy Vegetable Frittata Recipe or read on to see our tips for making it.

Easy Vegetable Frittata Recipe

When I say frittatas are one of our favorite dishes, I’m not kidding. They are easy to make, inexpensive, and delicious hot or cold. Make this one night and have leftovers for breakfast, lunch or dinner the next evening.

This recipe is perfect for cleaning out the fridge. Have half a zucchini in the veggie drawer? Use it! Leftover roasted squash or roasted vegetables in the refrigerator? Perfect, add them to your frittata.

They also store well, so you can pack them up for on-the-run breakfasts, add them to an English muffin for breakfast sandwiches or serve them cold with a salad for lunch. They even reheat well in the microwave!

I’m sure we’ve all had sub-par frittatas before, so let’s dive into how to make them best! Once you know how to make the perfect frittata, you’ll be hooked!

How to Make the Best Frittata

Frittatas are easy to master, promise. The perfect frittata should be creamy and soft in the middle, not sponge-like or dry.

How to Make the Best Vegetable Frittata

When making frittatas, use an oven-safe, non-stick skillet or a well-seasoned cast iron pan. Everything is cooked in the skillet, so the non-stick qualities help when removing slices for serving.

If you don’t have a skillet that’s appropriate for the oven, you can bake it in a 2-quart baking dish instead. Scroll down for our tips for making a frittata in a casserole dish.

Since you can add just about anything to this, here’s our easy frittata recipe (we use a 10-inch skillet):

  • Ten large eggs
  • Five tablespoons full-fat dairy like cream (see below for more suggestions)
  • Two to three cups cooked add-ins like vegetables and meats
  • Four to five ounces of cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • A handful of fresh herbs

The ten eggs to 10-inch skillet ratio get you a not-too-thick, but not-too-thin frittata, but if you only have a 12-inch skillet, don’t worry! It will be a bit thinner, and it might cook a little bit quicker, but it will still be excellent. For a 12-inch skillet, you can also add two more eggs to the mix and increase the dairy to 6 tablespoons. It’s up to you.

Our Go-To Frittata Recipe

For the Best Frittata, Use Full-Fat Dairy

We aren’t the only one preaching this one. Look around the internet, and you’ll see that most recipes call for full-fat dairy.

If you’ve seen our method for creamy scrambled eggs, you know that we advise that you don’t add anything to the eggs. No cream, no milk, just the eggs, salt, and pepper.

Well, frittatas are a little different. Remember how we are looking for that custard-like center? It’s the full-fat dairy that gets us there. Lower fat dairy won’t get you the creamy, custardy texture we’re looking for. Instead, it will be drier and sponge-like. Here are some suggestions for what dairy to whisk into your eggs:

  • Heavy cream or half-and-half
  • Whole milk
  • Whole milk ricotta cheese
  • Sour cream or crème fraîche
  • Mascarpone cheese

What Cheese Should I Use?

It’s the cheese that makes frittatas extra delicious. Use a flavorful, melty, and oozy cheese in the egg mixture. Try shredded cheddar, Gruyere (my favorite) or fontina.

For more cheese action, dollop a creamy cheese like ricotta, cream cheese or goat cheese right into the skillet. The creamy cheese won’t mix into the frittata, but after its baked, you’ll have pockets of gooey cheese throughout. Yum!

How to Cook Them

When it comes to cooking a frittata, we use the traditional method by starting on the stovetop and then finishing in the oven:

  • Start cooking it on the stovetop — for about 1 minute. When the outside edges of the frittata turn a lighter color, and they start to set, slide the skillet into a preheated oven to finish cooking.
  • Finish cooking in the oven. We use a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven and bake somewhere between twenty and thirty minutes. Keep an eye on the frittata as it cooks, play it safe and check it a few minutes before it’s supposed to be done. You are not looking for a brown top, just one that looks cooked and barely set.

As I mentioned above, you can bake frittatas in a baking dish:

  • Cook your vegetables and mix-ins (like sausage or bacon) in advance.
  • Add the mix-ins and the egg mixture to a lightly greased two-quart baking dish and bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until the top looks barely set and when you wiggle the baking dish, the frittata jiggles ever-so-slightly. (A 9-inch square casserole dish works well).
Frittata Ingredients

You can add just about anything to your frittata, but let’s focus on this vegetable version for a minute, okay? You can substitute most vegetables in this recipe. Just keep the following tips in mind:

  • Use fresh or leftover vegetables.
  • For fresh vegetables, cook them before mixing with the eggs. Heartier veggies like onion, potatoes and winter squash will take longer to pre-cook than tender greens like kale, spinach or Swiss chard.
  • For leftover vegetables, reheat them in the skillet before adding the egg mixture.
  • Add fresh herbs like basil, chives or parsley. You can do this two ways: whisk them into the egg mixture or scatter them on top of the cooked frittata.
Easy Vegetable Frittata Recipe

You can serve frittatas straight from the oven or cold — both are delicious. You can even reheat leftovers for a minute in the microwave. Cooked frittatas store well, wrapped in the refrigerator for two to three days. We don’t recommend freezing them since the freezer changes the texture of the dish.

Easy Vegetable Frittata

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

The best frittata has a texture similar to custard. Whisking in a bit of full-fat dairy like cream, half-and-half or even whole milk is essential for the best texture. Also, play it safe when baking the frittata and check it a few minutes before it’s supposed to be done. Perfectly cooked frittatas look barely set on top and tremble — like jello — after giving the pan a gentle shake.

Makes 6 servings

You Will Need

10 large eggs

5 tablespoons heavy cream, half-and-half or whole milk

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese, like Gruyere, cheddar or fontina

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium zucchini, sliced into thin coins

1/2 medium onion, sliced

1 medium bell pepper, sliced

1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach

Chopped or torn fresh herbs like parsley, chives or dill

Directions

  • Prepare Eggs
  • 1Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

    2In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with cream, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, pepper, and the cheese.

  • Prepare Vegetables
  • 1Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe 10-inch skillet (non-stick or a well-seasoned cast iron pan are best).

    2Add the zucchini, onions, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring every once and a while until the onions are soft and the zucchini and bell peppers have a little color; about 5 minutes.

    3Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt then add the spinach. Toss the spinach around the pan until it’s ever so slightly wilted and bright green.

  • To Finish
  • 1Turn the heat to low. Give the egg mixture another whisk then pour into the skillet. Shimmy the pan back and forth a bit to distribute the egg around the vegetables.

    2When the edges of the frittata begin to set and turn lighter in color, slide the skillet into the preheated oven; about 1 minute.

    3Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the eggs are barely set and the frittata trembles — like jello — when you give the pan a gentle shake. Keep an eye on it as it bakes and check the frittata a few minutes before it’s supposed to be done. You are not looking for a brown top, just one that looks cooked and barely set.

    4Serve the frittata hot or cold with fresh herbs on top.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • We call for cream, half-and-half or whole milk, but, sour cream, crème fraîche, and ricotta cheese also work.
  • For a frittata with pockets of gooey cheese, add a few dollops of soft creamy cheese like ricotta, cream cheese or goat cheese.
  • You don’t need to follow our exact recipe when it comes to the vegetables you use in your frittata. For a 10 egg frittata, stick to 4 to 5 cups of fresh vegetables.
  • Use leftover veggies in the frittata: Re-warm leftover vegetables in the skillet before mixing with the egg mixture. Use 3 cups of previously cooked vegetables.
  • How to make an oven-baked frittata in a baking dish: Cook your vegetables and mix-ins (like sausage or bacon) in advance. Add the mix-ins and the egg mixture to a lightly greased two-quart baking dish and bake the frittata in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until the top looks barely set and when you wiggle the baking dish, the frittata jiggles ever-so-slightly.
  • Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. We used cream in our calculations.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 slice (6 slices total) / Calories 279 / Total Fat 21.4g / Saturated Fat 9.6g / Cholesterol 346.2mg / Sodium 559.8mg / Carbohydrate 4g / Dietary Fiber 0.8g / Total Sugars 2.6g / Protein 17.4g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
Inspired Taste Newsletter Signup
3 comments… Leave a Review
  • Brandi Kosh January 26, 2021, 10:24 am

    This turned out great! I used a 12inch pan, so I added 3 eggs and a little more milk. For my fillings, I used peppers, onions, mushrooms, and 3 kinds of cheese. I also added chopped green onion to the egg mixture. I wish I could add a picture because this is beautiful!

    Reply
    • Barbara June 12, 2022, 1:30 pm

      Made the recipe as listed and it turned out great. The advice to check if it was done a few minutes before was good advice because it was ready a couple minutes early. Delicious way to eat more vegetables.

      Reply
  • Martha Gioiello January 28, 2020, 8:53 am

    I just found your site and everything looks so good. I will go grocery shopping and plan on making a few recipes this coming week. Can’t wait. Marty

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Martha Gioiello Cancel reply

Leave a Review

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe!

 

All comments are moderated before appearing on the site. Thank you so much for waiting. First time commenting? Please review our comment guidelines. You must be at least 16 years old to post a comment. All comments are governed by our Privacy Policy & Terms.

Previous Post: Next Post: