Eggs

This time of year, with all the activities that accompany the start of school (and the fees that go with those activities), I like to have a few quick to pull together, budget friendly meals up my sleeve. Frittata is always a welcome one dish meal in my house, especially when studded with end-of-summer produce.

Frittatas are so simple to pull together, even the teens in my house can lend a hand at dinner time when it’s on the menu. Frittatas are similar to a crustless quiche, filled with a variety of pre-cooked meats, beans or your favorite veggies, however frittatas cook up so much quicker.  The secret to this one-pan egg dish is to pre-cook any veggies on the stove top in an oven-safe pan.  After the vegetables are cooked, add egg mixture to the hot pan.  This begins to set and cook the egg.  Then, simply pop the entire pan into a pre-heated oven to finish cooking.  Toss together a simple salad while the frittata has its final bake and dinner is on the table in half an hour. Perfect for busy weeknights!

Frittatas help me to stretch my food budget. I often use up bits of leftover cooked and seasoned chicken, sautéed vegetables or greens that need to be eaten by tossing them in a frittata.  Leftovers don’t taste like leftovers when presented in a new way!

Other Egg Dishes:

• Kale Pesto with Scrambled Eggs and Cherry Tomatoes
• Salmon and Asparagus Mini Crustless Quiches
• Springtime Frittata

Late Summer Frittata with Cherry Tomato Salad

Serves 6

Frittata:

• 6 large eggs
• 3/4 cup unsweetened, plain almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
• 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1 1/2 cups shredded potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sweet potatoes

Tomato Salad:

• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 1/2 cups yellow plum tomatoes, sliced in half
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk together eggs, almond milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, thyme, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until well incorporated. Set aside.
2. In an oven-safe 10 inch skillet, heat one tablespoon of the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the diced onion and red bell pepper until tender, about 5 minutes, then add spinach. Sauté until spinach is wilted, about 1 or 2 minutes more. Place onion mixture in a bowl and set aside.
3. In the same pan heat the last 2 tablespoons coconut oil over medium-high heat.  Add shredded potato and sweet potato to pan. Sauté potato until tender and beginning to brown  about 5 minutes. Pat out potatoes into an even layer on bottom of the pan. Top potatoes evenly with onion mixture. Whisk eggs again, then pour over vegetables in hot pan. Allow to cook for a few minutes until edges begin to set around the edge of pan.
4. Place frittata in preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until egg is firm and set in center of pan.
5. While frittata is baking, stir together red and yellow tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When frittata is baked, serve tomato salad on top of frittata or on the side with a handful of fresh spinach.

What is your favorite quick weeknight meal?