Broccoli Frittata a quick weekday meal
Many of Ricky’s recipes are healthy without trying. And that is the story of this broccoli frittata. The primary ingredients are eggs, broccoli and before it goes in the oven shredded cheese is sprinkled over the top. There’s a lot of nutritional value represented in that short list of ingredients. But that’s not the only reason to make this recipe. It is a triple crown meal. It is quick, it’s easy to make and it’s absolutely delicious. If you like broccoli, give this a try.
A broccoli frittata with cheddar cheese is only one of countless combinations you can use in a frittata. This is definitely a one pan meal that you can make your way. You can build your frittata with your favorite veggies, meat and/or cheese.
Do you want to try one more with the help of a recipe? Check out our BASIC FRITTATA with sautéed thinly sliced potatoes and onion with grated parmesan cheese. Delicious!
Frittatas are easy versatile and economical
I make frittatas fairly often for several reasons. At the top of that list, I can make it on the fly. Often I haven‘t planned what I am having for dinner so I am hunting to find something that can make into a meal at the last minute. I always have eggs in the refrigerator. My son John has chickens, and plenty of them. That means he has plenty of eggs for me 😊. There’s always something else in my kitchen that I can hunt down to make a frittata. Even leftovers can be part of my concoction.
Frittatas are really easy to make. Just sauté one or two ingredients, pour your eggs into the skillet, cover everything with grated cheese and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes. That’s it! Dinner is done in 30 minutes.
A frittata is a great way to stretch your food dollar too. Even if you don’t get your eggs free, like I do, a main course dinner for 4-6 people for less than the cost of a dozen eggs is a bargain.
And maybe best of all, most everyone likes a frittata. Especially if you have filled it with ingredients your family enjoys.
Classic pairing of broccoli and cheddar
There was a time when the only way I would eat broccoli was if it was smothered in a cheddar cheese sauce. And boy it is great like that! But I knew I was trading off any nutritional value in the broccoli when it was swimming in cheese sauce. This recipe has the classic pairing of broccoli and cheddar cheese without being overloaded with saturated fat. And it actually tastes better.
It was Ricky’s dinner recipes like this one that brought me around to adding broccoli as an ingredient in recipes. His BROCCOLI AND RIGATONI recipe is another meatless recipe featuring broccoli. Broccoli is always on the “good for you” food listings, so it’s worth getting more of it into my diet. Maybe you have been trying to incorporate more broccoli in your meals too.
Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:
| 1 small head of broccoli 1/2 to 3/4 pounds |
| 9 eggs |
| 1/2 teaspoon each of salt & pepper |
| 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese |
| 2 cloves of garlic |
| olive oil |
Grating your own cheese?
I have not always been on board with grating my own cheese for a recipe. It was a step I didn’t have time for. But through the years I learned that the cheese you buy already grated has to be treated with additives so it doesn’t stick together in the container and they add preservatives too. Ounce by ounce pre-grated cheese is a lot more expensive. When you buy a block or wedge of cheese you get more for your grocery dollar, and real cheese from the block or wedge tastes a lot better than pre-grated alternatives.
So I have converted. I have found that grating the cheese myself is cheaper and the taste makes it well worth the couple of minutes it takes to grate it.
This is a box grater. It has grates of different sizes on each of the 4 sides. They are very inexpensive to buy and can be used for many purposes. The side I am showing is the largest size grate. This size is great for this recipe.
The larger the grate size, the quicker you get the amount you need for a recipe, so unless a recipe specifically calls for a finely grated cheese the large size is what I use.
More about graters
Have you seen our Shopping List? We have a section with suggestions about what basic everyday tools you should consider buying to make cooking easier. A variety of graters are on the list with pictures and explanations.
This is WHAT TO DO:
Preheat
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare the ingredients
Chop the broccoli into small pieces
Mince the garlic
Grate the cheese
Break eggs into a small bowl or measuring cup and beat until whites and yokes are combined. Add the salt and pepper to the eggs.
Sauté the garlic and broccoli
If you have one, a 10 inch, heavy bottomed skillet is best to use for this recipe. If you have to choose between a larger skillet or smaller, go with the smaller. The size of the pan will determine how thick the frittata will be.
Warm the skillet on medium high heat for a couple of minutes. When warmed, cover the bottom with olive oil. Add the minced garlic and stir it around in the oil for about a minute to soften it up. Add the broccoli and sauté over medium high heat until it is tender.
Remove from heat and add eggs and cheese
When the broccoli is tender, remove the skillet from the heat, pour in the eggs and top with grated cheese. Let the skillet sit, off the heat for 5 minutes. This resting period is important. It warms the eggs and cheese before it goes in the oven .
Let the skillet sit off the heat for 5 minutes
Cook in the oven for 20 minutes
After you have rested the frittata on the stove, put the skillet in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. The top of the frittata will be speckled with golden brown when you take it out.
Let the frittata rest again after baking
When you remove the frittata from the oven it is going to be all puffed up. Don’t think you have messed up! It is going to settle down soon when it cools down. Let he frittata rest again for at least 5 minutes. The puffiness will go away and the frittata will start to shrink away from the sides of the skillet.
Serve
BROCCOLI FRITTATA
Ingredients
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Chop the broccoli into small pieces
- Mince the garlic cloves
- Grate the cheese
- Gently beat the eggs until the whites and yolks are combined. Add the salt and pepper to the beaten eggs.
Cooking Instructions
- Warm a 10 inch skillet on medium high heat. When warm add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.
- Sauté the minced garlic in the oil for 1 minute to soften
- Add broccoli to skillet and sauté until tender
- Remove skillet from heat and pour the eggs over the broccoli and garlic
- Add grated cheese over the top of the eggs
- Let sit for 5 minutes before putting it in the oven
- Put in oven and cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. The eggs will be all puffed up when you remove it from the oven. It will lose that puffiness as it sits and the frittata will shrink away from the sides of the skillet