Bam's Breakfast Frittata

When you are in need of a make ahead easy and yummy breakfast dish, a breakfast frittata is the perfect solution. A breakfast frittata is a delicious substantial breakfast that will keep your teenagers and the rest of the family full and happy until the next meal.

A breakfast frittata is a dynamic dish that you can put anything in it that you like. Most generally the main ingredients of a breakfast frittata are eggs, milk, cheese, and you may add any vegetables, herbs, breads, potatoes, left over pastas, breakfast meats or anything you desire. You can even make 1/2 dish one way with some ingredients and the other 1/2 dish with other ingredients, so you are sure to make everyone in the family is happy- even those picky eaters. However as a mom, my most favorite reason to choose a breakfast frittata is that you can make the preparations in advance and just cook the day of, so you can enjoy your morning out of the kitchen.

The word “frittata,” which derives from the Italian verb “friggere,” which means to fry. A frittata is like an open faced omelette. Traditionally in Italy a frittata was a way to use up those left overs in the fridge and use the base of the egg to hold it all together.  Frittatas are usually eaten for breakfast but can also be eaten for brunches and lunches and even at room temperature with a nice salad on the side. A breakfast frittatas is a delicious comfort food that our family enjoys over lazy weekend mornings.  Delizioso!!

Bam's Breakfast Frittata: (serves 2 hungry teenager boys or 4 adults)

• 8 eggs beaten (or egg beaters)
• 1 cup milk (can use skim, whole, soy, cream or whatever you have)
• 1 cup cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, goat, feta, ricotta, cream cheese- or whatever your family likes)
• 1 cup cooked breakfast meats- optional (bacon, sausage, ham, etc)
• 1 cup assorted vegetables-optional (if you can get your kids to eat vegetables)- peppers, onions, spinach, mushrooms, grated potatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes- optional
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil- optional
• 2 teaspoons chopped chives- optional
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 

There are many flavor combinations for frittatas. If you have a large pan, you can make one side of dish a kid friendly combination and one side of the dish for the adults. Here are some of our families favorites. 

1) Cheddar cheese and spicy sausage

2) Feta and spinach 

3) Ham, mozzarella cheese, chives and peppers

4) Tomato, basil, cream cheese

5) Bacon and potato- (for this one you cook bacon first and remove from pan and add shredded potatoes and pan fry until a nice golden crust on potatoes then add egg ingredients and bacon bacon into the pan and finish in oven)

There are 2 ways to make a breakfast frittata.

Prep in advance: One way is to make and prep all the ingredients the night before and then place into a greased oven proof dish and put in fridge overnight, covered in saran wrap. In morning, take out dish from refrigerator about 45 minutes in advance to allow to come to room temperature while preheating oven to and bake at 350 degrees F ( 176 C) for about 45-1 hour until knife comes out clean. (Allowing the dish to come to room temperature prevents the dish from breaking due to the temperature difference between cold dish and hot oven)

Prep and cook the day of: Prep all of your items and put in an iron skillet and cook on top of stove until just starts to set then transfer to 350 degrees F ( 176 C) over for about 45- 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

I will demonstrating the prep and cook the day of option as the iron skillet has a nice rustic presentation and makes a nice crispy crust and soft and fluffy egg inside.

Step 1: If you wish to use any breakfast meets such as bacon, sausage, ham etc,- chop up and add to skillet and cook on medium heat until golden brown. Then remove breakfast meats and place on plate lines with paper towels and set aside. Drain pan of excess fat/oil, but leave one teaspoon oil in pan to cook the frittata.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C)

Step 3: Beat eggs and add salt and pepper, milk, dry mustard, dried pepper flakes and any fresh spices or herbs you wish.

Step 4: Chop vegetables and prepare them to add to the frittata

Step 5: If you choose not to use breakfast meats, then now add 1 teaspoon of olive to coat pan to prevent the frittata from sticking to pan. Place skillet on medium heat on top of stove.

Step 6: Add egg mixture to pan- Do Not Stir- leave set.

Step 7: Add cheese, vegetables, breakfast meats and other items as you wish and let cook undisturbed on top of stove for about 2-3 minutes so that a nice crust forms on the bottom of pan.

Step 8: Transfer breakfast frittata to oven and cook for about 45-50 minutes until the knife comes out clean and the frittata is lightly browned and puffed. 

Step 9: Take a sharp knife and run it around the edges of the pan. Cut into pie wedges and enjoy with fruit and toast for breakfast or a nice salad if serving for brunch or lunch. Enjoy!