This easy, colourful and delicious recipe for vegetable frittata is made on the stove top and finished under a grill. No need to turn the oven on at all. It’s made with potatoes, courgettes (zucchini), red pepper, herbs and feta cheese. Not forgetting those all important eggs. Serves as both a light lunch or a more substantial evening meal.
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When I’m busy and we have eggs in the house, I often make a frittata for supper. It makes for a quick meal and it’s both healthy and appetising. How I make it very much depends on what time of year it is and what type of vegetables we have in the house. But the recipe I’ve given here is the one I make most often in the late summer and early autumn months.
What’s The Difference Between Frittata, Spanish Tortilla And Omelette?
It can get quite confusing trying to figure out the difference between omelettes, frittatas and Spanish omelettes. But they are different. And then there’s quiche.
Spanish Omelette
A Spanish omelette is usually made with just eggs, onions and potatoes. It’s often referred to as a Spanish tortilla and is usually served as a tapas dish. It’s much thicker than a frittata, is cooked in an open pan and served in slices at room temperature.
Italian Frittata
An Italian frittata, on the other hand, may contain vegetables, meat, cheese or a mix of these. It tends to be thinner than a Spanish omelette, but thicker than a straightforward omelette.
Like Spanish omelettes, you can cook frittatas solely in an open pan by turning it part way through the cooking process. However, you can also finish them in the oven or under the grill.
A traditional Italian frittata is made with eggs only. You don’t need additional milk, as you do with quiche, for example.
Omelette
As for omelettes, they are thin and quick fried in a pan, whereas both frittatas and tortillas are cooked relatively slowly. You generally don’t add many ingredients to an omelette either. Though the French often include fresh herbs.
It’s quite normal to fill a cooked omelette however. Place your chosen filling on one half of the omelette and fold the other half over the top. Mushrooms are one of my favourites.
Quiche
Quiche is the easy one. It’s made with a pastry base. It also contains milk or cream which you whisk into the eggs. In fact, the consistency is more like a custard than an omelette. Furthermore, you bake it in an oven.
Having said that, crustless quiche is now a thing.
Vegetable Frittata
Because frittatas are not only delicious, but also quick to prepare, they make for a perfect midweek meal. My summer vegetable frittata is particularly good as it’s so colourful. After all, health messages tell us to “eat the rainbow” and I sometimes like to do what I’m told.
Potatoes are a common ingredient in Italian frittatas. It makes a lot of sense as you then get a complete meal in one pan. If you make my veggie frittata, you get healthy carbs, loads of vitamins, minerals and fibre and protein too.
I used the first of this year’s garden potatoes in the images you can see here. Oh my goodness, they were good and made the frittata even more delicious than usual.
Other than potatoes, you just need onions, peppers, courgettes (zucchini), garlic, parsley, eggs and feta cheese. It’s really quite a simple recipe.
One word of warning, you do need to boil the potatoes before you can add them to the frittata. This does require a bit more in the way of prep and washing up, but not much.
Cast Iron Skillet
Cast iron skillets* are particularly good for cooking frittatas. As long as they’re well seasoned, they’re non stick and they will go from hob to grill to oven and back again. I have three of varying sizes and use them all the time.
Vegetable Frittata: Step-by-Step
You’ll need a non-stick 25cm (10 inch) frying pan for this recipe. If you want to double the recipe, go for a 30cm (12 inch) one instead. If you have one that is, otherwise, just cook the veg and then eggs a bit longer, both on the hob and under the grill.
Step 1. Prepare Potatoes
Scrub your potatoes. There’s no need to peel unless the skin is particularly blemished. New potatoes are especially good. If you don’t have new potatoes, try to go for waxy or all purpose ones. Floury potatoes are more likely to go mushy.
Cut them into small chunks of roughly two centimetres (three quarters of an inch). Place them in a lidded saucepan, cover with water and add salt.
Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for eight to ten minutes or until the potato chunks are just about tender. If a knife slips in easily, they’re done. Don’t over cook as you want them to keep their shape and not go mushy.
Drain through a colander and leave to steam dry for a couple of minutes.
Top Tip
Add a sprig of mint when boiling the potatoes. It really boosts the flavour.
Step 2. Fry Onions
Whilst the potatoes are cooking, get on with frying the veg. Slice the onion as thinly as you can. Place your frying pan over a low to medium heat and pour in the olive oil.
Add the onion slices and fry until they turn translucent. Stir from time to time whilst you prepare the pepper and courgette.
Step 3. Fry Remaining Veg
Core and deseed the pepper, then chop it into small bitesized pieces.
Depending on how chunky the courgette (zucchini) is either slice it directly or halve it lengthwise and then slice. Don’t forget to take the ends off first.
Bump the heat up a little, then add the pepper and courgette pieces to the pan along with a little salt and fry for four to five minutes. Give them an occasional stir.
Chop the garlic as finely as you can, then add to the pan. Stir and continue to cook for another couple of minutes or until the courgette and pepper are just about cooked through.
Add the cooked potato chunks to the pan and stir. Cook for a further couple of minutes, stirring once or twice.
Roughly chop the parsley and stir it into the vegetable mix.
Step 4. Whisk Eggs
Whilst the veg is cooking, prepare the eggs. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the eggs, a further pinch of salt and a good grinding of pepper until well combined and frothy. You can use a whisk for this, but I find a fork works perfectly well. The longer you whisk the lighter the frittata will be.
Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in the pan. Tilt the pan, if necessary, to make sure it’s evenly distributed. Leave it to cook for about five minutes or until the top is more or less set.
Meanwhile, heat the grill to high and chop the feta cheese. Scatter the cheese over the top of the frittata. Alternatively, crumble it on directly with your fingers.
Take the pan off the hob and place it under the grill. Leave it to cook for two to three minutes or until the frittata is puffed up, completely set and crisp and golden around the edges.
Leave to rest for at least five minutes before slicing and serving.
Top Tip
If you don’t have a grill, slide the frittata onto a plate, invert it onto another plate, then slide it back into the pan. Cook the underside for a couple of minutes.
How To Serve Vegetable Frittata
Vegetable Frittata is at its best served slightly warm or at room temperature. The flavours are more pronounced and it holds together better. But if you prefer yours hot, let it stand for five minutes before slicing.
Serve with a green salad of some kind. A tomato salad or pico de gallo pairs very nicely with it too. Alternatively, serve your potato frittata with steamed broccoli or green beans.
My recipe for potato frittata makes enough for four as a light lunch or brunch and two as a quick midweek meal or simple supper. Simply double the recipe if you want to feed more people.
How Long Does Frittata Keep?
Slice the cooled frittata and place in an airtight container. If stacking the slices, place a layer of parchment paper in between each slice. They’ll then keep in the fridge for three days.
Vegetable Frittata: Make It Your Own
- Basil – swap the parsley for basil.
- Cheese – instead of feta cheese, use a vegetarian version of Parmesan. Just grate it first. Alternatively, leave the cheese out altogether. You might want to add another pinch of salt if you do this, as cheese is usually quite salty.
- Chilli – finely chop a small red chilli if you like the heat. Or add a pinch of chilli flakes if not so keen.
- Italian Herbs – add a pinch of dried Italian herbs or herbs do Provence along with the veg.
- Spinach – add some spinach leaves and allow to wilt just before you add the egg mixture.
- Potatoes – use squash, pumpkin or sweet potato instead of potatoes. You might want to roast these first rather than boiling them.
- Seasonal Vegetables – swap the peppers and courgettes for other seasonal vegetables: artichoke hearts, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, peas and tomatoes are all good. Roasted root veg, such as carrots, parsnips, celeriac and beetroot also work.
Other Egg Dishes You Might Like
- Avocado egg dip (or sandwich filling)
- Courgette strata
- Egg & beans on toast – Mexican style
- Huevos rancheros
- Leftover mashed potato omelette
- Nutella French toast
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this vegetable frittata or a variation of it, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Vegetable Frittata. PIN IT.
Vegetable Frittata
Equipment
- cast iron skillet (25 cm, 10")*
Ingredients
- 350 g potatoes new ones are good, but any will do
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 pinch sea salt separated
- 1 medium courgette (zucchini) chopped or sliced into bitesized pieces
- 1 red pepper roughly chopped – swap for another colour if you like
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- small bunch of parsley roughly chopped
- 3 eggs
- freshly ground black pepper
- 50 g feta cheese
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes well, then chop into small chunks – roughly 2 cm (¾ inch).350 g potatoes
- Place in a lidded pan, add a pinch of salt then cover with water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 minutes or until just tender. You want the potatoes to keep their shape and not go mushy.3 pinch sea salt
- Turn into a colander and leave to drain.
- Meanwhile, fry the onion gently in the olive oil until translucent. Use a 25 cm (10 inch) non-stick pan that can go under the grill.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion
- Turn up the heat a little and add the second pinch of salt followed by the chopped courgettes and pepper. Fry, stirring occasionally for five minutes, then add the garlic and stir.3 pinch sea salt, 1 medium courgette (zucchini), 1 red pepper
- Add the garlic and stir. Continue to fry until the veg are just cooked through. Then add the cooked potatoes and stir. Fry for a couple more minutes, stirring occasionally.1 clove garlic
- Add the parsley and stir into the vegetable mix.small bunch of parsley
- Whilst the potatoes are frying, break the eggs into a bowl. Add the third pinch of salt and a good grinding of black pepper, then whisk well with a fork until well combined and frothy.3 eggs, freshly ground black pepper, 3 pinch sea salt
- Pour the whisked eggs over the veg and allow to cook for five minutes or until the top is more or less set.
- Roughly chop the feta and scatter it over the frittata. You can do this before the eggs have set. Alternatively crumble it over the top directly with your fingers.50 g feta cheese
- Transfer the pan to a hot grill and leave for 2-3 minutes or until the frittata is puffed up, completely set and crisp and golden around the edges.
- Allow to stand for at least five minutes. Transfer do a plate if wished, or slice directly in the pan.
- Serve in slices with green leaves and a tomato salad or with steamed broccoli or green beans.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for a simple vegetable frittata with Peachicks Bakery for #CookBlogShare.
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
what a beautiful meal for two! so colourful and full of goodness too 🙂
Choclette says
Thanks Midge, it’s one of my favour summertime dishes.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
What a superb-looking Frittata! Loving the huge piles of veg. Can I dive straight in? xx
Choclette says
Please do Kate. As you can see I like a well stuffed frittata.
sherry M says
yes it’s a lovely quick and easy dinner and all you need is eggs and veg. I often make one for dinner. so good.
Choclette says
Love simple recipes like frittatas. I particularly appreciate them when I get home from work or have had a busy day.
Carrie says
I much prefer a frittata over an omelette, we often make them for lunch at the weekends as a way to use up whatever veggies are lurking in the fridge. I love the combination of veg you’ve got in this recipe, especially with the feta.
Choclette says
Agree, it’s great for using up bit and pieces of veg. That’s usually what I do too.
angiesrecipes says
I like to make frittata too. It’s easy, quick to make and the result is always very satisfying. Yours looks so colourful and appetizing.
angiesrecipes
Choclette says
Absolutely Angie. I bet you make a lovely frittata. Eggs are a marvellous thing.