Parmesan, Herb & Garlic Frittata Recipe

Frittatas are those things that don’t take much time to prepare and that everyone loves. I’ve never met a person who didn’t thoroughly enjoy a tasty frittata. In fact, the most troublesome part of making one of these things is deciding what to put into it. All that needs to be done is some softening of a few vegetables, mixing the eggs, herbs and cheese together and cooking it. If you have a game plan in your head in regards to ingredients, you can have a frittata breakfast, lunch or dinner on the table in under a half hour. That’s not bad.

The Recipe

As I make my way through America’s Test Kitchen‘s food bible called The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, I find myself getting anxious. I’m not sure if this is normal, but while I start off slowly flipping through the pages, I realize that I’m bookmarking more recipes than any human can prepare and eat in a month. I back up a bit and focus my energy on what I can realistically put together for the week. This week, I settled on five recipes total – three from this book and two from two others. It’s fun and discouraging at the same time. I enjoy cooking, eating and writing, but I get myself caught up in the whole, “there’s a world full of food that I haven’t discovered yet” thing, which is frustrating. I have been getting better at slowing down though.

The recipe I’d like to share with you today will guide you through the steps necessary to prepare a very simple frittata. There aren’t too many ingredients and everything is very affordable. If you live alone, the resulting quantity should last at least three days. If there are just two of you, cut that in half. If you have a family of six, each person will get one piece as a side with something else. It’s really a great bit of food.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

12 Large Eggs
3 Tablespoons Half and Half
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 Teaspoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Sweet Onion, Chopped
1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Shredded
1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil, Chopped

Step-by-Step Instructions

If you want to get creative, the areas of the cheese and herbs are most likely where you want to do it. Everything else is sort of a base. So, if you’d prefer to taste Asiago cheese instead of Parmesan, go for it. If you’d like some mint or tarragon instead of parsley and basil, do it. Just be sure to use comparable measurements when going this route. And if you decide to use dried herbs, remember that a small quantity of dry equals a large quantity of fresh. Search online for the proper ratios.

Prep the Ingredients

This is a fast moving recipe, so you’ll want to prep all your ingredients before you really get cooking. With that in mind, here are a few photos of what I used.

First is the chopped parsley and basil. I ran out of room in the first bowl, so I used a second for the overflow. It makes no difference if these are mixed together.

Next is the onion. This is simple and straightforward enough.

After the onion, I shredded all the necessary Parmesan cheese.

Finally, I cracked the entire dozen of eggs into a bowl for later use.

Warm the Oven

Move one rack so it sits approximately 6 inches away from the broiler. Then, turn the broiler on low.

Cook the Onion

Add the olive oil to a 12 inch oven-safe skillet and warm it over medium heat. When the pan is to temperature, add in the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, while stirring, until the onion begins to brown.

After approximately 5 minutes, add in the garlic and let cook for another 30 seconds. Stir well.

Mix Together the Eggs, Herbs & Cheese

In the same bowl the eggs are in (while the onions are cooking), add the salt, pepper and half and half. Mix well with a whisk.

Then, add in the cheese and herbs and mix everything together.

Cook the Frittata

When the onions and garlic are finished cooking, go ahead and add the egg mixture to the skillet.

Place the skillet on your stove top over medium heat. With a rubber spatula, push the edges of the eggs towards the center of the skillet. The goal here is to semi-cook the eggs into large curds before they go in the oven.

After just a few minutes and after you see that some of the eggs are cooked, give the skillet a good shake to smooth everything out. Then, add it to the oven. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until you see the top begin to brown. The frittata should have risen by this point and the eggs should have firmed up. Once this occurs, remove the pan from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.

Cut into 6 pieces and serve.

The Final Dish

I just finished eating this and boy was it good. You can’t beat the richness of the eggs and the taste of the cheese and herbs. I love this recipe.