It’s just another Meatless Mondayyyy…Ooohhhhhh Oh Ohhh….
I know, I just can’t help it. My brain automatically converts the phrase “Meatless Monday” into a song by the Bangles. (It also happens every single time I partake in a “Sangria Sunday.” I am a total dork. Feel sorry for my husband…)
Anyway… We have already established that I am not big on the whole “meatless” dinner concept. I like my supper to feature a hearty protein that sticks to your ribs and keeps you feeling full all the way until bedtime. This stems from the fact that I don’t enjoy snacking after dinner, so I feel as though I have failed in my dinner preparations if I am reaching for munchies at 8PM. Lately, I have been trying to push myself to expand my meatless-averse mentality and find a few recipes that are both satisfying and tasty. This frittata fits nicely into that category. Full of eggs, fresh veggies, and cheese (yes, lots of cheese…), this frittata can easily perform double duty as either breakfast or dinner. Now, Rob is not a huge fan of feta, but I LOVE it, so I added it to my half of the dish before baking and really enjoyed the salty tang it provided. I also served the finished frittata with a side of spicy arugula salad tossed with tangy vinaigrette and it was the perfect foil to the richness of the eggs and cheese. Plus no late night munchies! Hooray!
Vegetable Frittata with Asparagus
Ingredients 
- 7 large eggs
- ¼ cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary*
- 12 asparagus stalks, trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 small (or ½ a large) red bell pepper, sliced and cut into 1 inch pieces
- ¾ cup thinly sliced crimini mushrooms (about 3 medium-size caps)
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
- 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar
- ½ cup finely shredded parmesan
- Optional – feta cheese to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Note: Recipe should be made using a 9-10” diameter, oven proof skillet. If you are using a cast iron skillet, place it in the oven while it is preheating.
Whisk the eggs, whipping cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and set aside.
If your skillet has been preheating in the oven, carefully remove it with oven mitts and place on your stovetop. Heat the oil and butter in the skillet over medium heat until all of the butter has melted. Stir to incorporate the oil and butter.
Add the chopped rosemary to the skillet and swirl everything around to infuse the butter with the rosemary flavor and give the dish a nice earthy dimension. (*Variation: If you are sensitive to strong rosemary flavors, you can temporarily drop a whole sprig of rosemary into the melted butter to infuse everything with a slight flavor instead of putting in chopped bits. Stir the rosemary sprig around the pan for about 1 minute and remove it before adding your other ingredients. Make sure to adjust the temperature of the burner if the butter begins to brown.)
Add the asparagus and bell pepper and sauté about 2 minutes. Add the shallot, garlic, mushrooms, and the pinch of salt and stir everything to make sure it’s all coated with the butter. Sauté for another 3 minutes.
Raise the heat to medium-high and pour ½ the egg mixture into the skillet, on top of the veggies. Don’t stir. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on top of the eggs in the skillet. Now pour the remaining eggs into the pan. (It’s OK if the eggs don’t cover all of the cheese – it will all incorporate during baking.) Sprinkle the shredded parmesan on top of everything. Place your tomato halves cut side up on top of the eggs and add the feta cheese, if using.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the eggs are almost set but the top is still runny. Place the skillet in the oven and cook until the top is puffed and golden brown. Mine took about 10 minutes, but this could vary based on how well set your eggs were to begin with, as well as your individual oven temperature.
Removed the browned frittata from the oven and let it stand for 2-5 minutes. Loosen the sides of the frittata with a knife or flexible spatula. You can either slide the whole thing onto a plate for serving or cut pieces directly out of the skillet.
