So you’re hosting brunch and need a quick, impressive entrée. Skip the made-to-order omelets (always skip the made-to-order omelets) and go with this simple frittata recipe. Far less fussy than some other egg dishes, frittatas taste just as good cold, room temperature, or warm; and can be packed with just about anything: Chickpeas? Sure. Pesto pasta? That works. Truly, load your frittata with any leftovers or other bits and bobs hanging out in your fridge—it’s highly versatile.
They’re also incredibly easy to make. Once you get the basic formula down, you’ll be flipping up frittatas in no time. (Actually, there’s no flipping involved in this recipe—more on that below.)
But what, exactly, is a frittata?
A freeform Italian egg dish, frittatas are made by cooking beaten eggs (plus assorted mix-ins) over low heat. Consider it a low-maintenance hybrid between a French omelet (cooked over moderate heat and rolled into a log) and a quiche (savory egg custard baked inside a pastry crust). Unlike French omelets, which should not take on any color when cooked, frittatas develop a signature golden-brown crust—“frittata” loosely translates to “fried” in Italian, and it should look the part.
Though ingredient lists for this egg dish tend to remain relatively short (eggs + dairy + mix-ins), frittata recipes differ in their method. Some cook the egg dish entirely on the stovetop, while others finish it in the oven. Here’s the thing: The stovetop-only approach requires you to flip the giant, still-runny egg pancake in the skillet. If that sounds risky (spoiler alert: it is!), consider transferring the par-cooked frittata to the oven (no plastic-handled skillets!), as we do in this streamlined recipe.
How to make a frittata:
The key to a fluffy, not rubbery, frittata is in the technique. Instead of the tricky folding-and-flipping method, our best frittata recipe takes a stir-and-bake approach. Stirring the eggs while they cook builds volume, then transferring the skillet to the oven lets the egg dish cook through and develop a crispy bottom. The resulting frittata has a silky, set texture, falling somewhere between quiche and omelet. The total time for making one clocks in at about 30 minutes, and it makes a fantastic brunch centerpiece. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
The skillet: For a classic look, we recommend baking your egg frittata in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, but you can use any oven-safe skillet or 2-quart baking dish. A nonstick skillet makes for easy serving, but ensure yours is oven-safe before proceeding. A larger skillet will yield thinner frittatas and may reduce the cooking time.
The eggs: Our favorite frittata recipe calls for 8 whole eggs. While you might be inclined to whip them to oblivion, beat the eggs just enough to blend the whites and yolks. Overbeating will cause the frittata to poof in the oven, then fall into a denser layer when cooling, like a collapsed soufflé or Dutch baby. We recommend large eggs, but if you keep extra-large or jumbo on hand, they’ll work just fine. Medium eggs? Crack in 2 extra.
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