A frittata is a bit of a free-for-all. You don’t need much to make a good frittata. Do you have at least 4 eggs, or better yet, 6? Do you have any onions, veggies, or leftovers? Maybe a few sausages, some peppers and onions? Gather it together and grab a skillet.
crimini mushrooms, diced
This frittata is a reflection of what was on the way out but still in my refrigerator this week. I added some mushrooms on their last leg, a bunch of beautiful rainbow chard (purchased soley for the colorful stems) and leeks because I’m trying to change up my onion sources.
rainbow chard
chopped rainbow chard
leeks: wash the outside, slice vertically, rinse the inside, then dice
For frittatas I don’t follow a recipe too often, just a ratio. My ratio for a frittata goes something like this:
- about 3 cups of chopped goodies/leftovers
- 4-6 eggs (depending on how many other ingredients I’ve added and how fluffy I want the frittata to be; more eggs = more fluffiness)
- 1/4 cup or so of Parmesan or other cheese, shredded or grated; for dairy-free, replace cheese with an extra egg and an additional 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of salt, plus other herbs and seasonings (depending on what else is in the mix)
It does help to combine things that complement each other, so there is some experimentation involved. Or just follow someone’s recipe and adjust to your liking and what you have hanging around.
Leek, Mushroom, Chard Frittata
To make this dairy-free, replace the cheese with an extra egg and an additional 1/8 teaspoon of salt. You can also substitute spinach for the chard. If you prefer, you can cook the frittata on the stove top for a few minutes before finishing it off in the oven, which will reduce the bake time in the oven. Another option is to bake this as a quiche by combining cooked mushrooms, leeks, and chard with the egg mixture and baking it for 20 minutes at the same temperature. Skillet tip: be a bit generous with the cooking oil at the beginning.Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of ghee, coconut or cooking oil
- 1 1/2 cups/≈120 grams diced mushrooms (crimini or white)
- 2 medium leeks, cleaned and diced
- 2 cups of roughly chopped, steamed chard (about 5 large leaves; stems are optional but cook until soft if you’re adding them; can sub with spinach)
- 6 eggs
- 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese (or other grated hard cheese)
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- a dash of hot sauce (optional)
- additional salt, pepper to taste
Method
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Add cooking oil to a skillet and preheat it on a medium heat.
- Add the leeks and mushrooms to the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the leeks and mushrooms are beginning to caramelize (referred to as a Maillard reaction).
- Steam or boil the chard for 8 minutes or until the stems are softened.
- Blend the eggs, cheese, salt and other seasonings in a bowl.
- Add the drained chard to the egg mixture and blend again.
- Spread the mushroom leek layer across the bottom of the skillet to cover it (prevents sticking later on).
- Pour the egg mixture over the skillet mixture and place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the center is firm.
Serves 4
What a great way to use rainbow chard. I love how you can see bits of the pink stem in the frittata.
We’re growing rainbow chard for the first time right now but I think we planted them too close together because they’re crowded and not very big. I guess the solution is to pull up every second one and eat them quickly to give the remaining ones room to grow.
good idea to pull every other out. I love young plants – very tender 🙂
Yum! This looks delicious! I haven’t had frittata in so long!
Yum! This looks delicious! I haven’t eaten frittata in so long. The chard is beautiful!
This looks fantastic. I’ve not made a fritatta in a while and will try yours! I really enjoy your recipes and photos.
Chef Rachel, The Healthy Cooking Coach
Thanks so much for the kind words!
This looks delicious, and sounds easy because I always have this kind of food in my fridge. Thanx for the recipe!
It is amazingly easy!
I go a little overboard buying veggies since I live in such a great place for produce (Northern CA near Santa Cruz). I feel HORRIBLE when things go bad because I haven’t used them! Thank you for reminding me about the wonderful frittata and giving me a ratio so that it’s foolproof! I’m thinking Friday nights might start being frittata night so that I can load up again at the farmer’s market on Saturday. 😀 Oh, btw, I found your blog through the Paleo Parents. 😉
Welcome! Yes, I hate veggies to go before I use them.
Frittatas are my go-to meal, they are great for cleaning out the fridge too.
So true!
Beautiful chard! It’s always exciting to cook with so many colours 🙂
Erica, I do happen to consume quite a bit of eggs during the week for breakfast in one way or another but I think these frittatas look simple and very delicious. Best of all its gluten free and my wife will be happy with this 🙂 Thanks for sharing this Erica!