Although not usually found in restaurants, here in Italy frittata is a very common dish to make at home. For us, it’s a classical party starter or a great picnic dish, but you can definitely eat it at any time of the day you prefer, from breakfast to dinner.
The most traditional frittata versions are the ones made with zucchini or onions. However, you can actually use any vegetable that you like and adapt this recipe to your personal taste. In fact, most Italian home cooks make this dish with leftovers greens or with whatever they have on hand. My grandmother used to say that you can actually make a frittata with anything, but the only ingredient you can’t skip is cheese.
Frittata is a very simple egg-based dish, super easy to prepare and fast to pull together. Even more, it’s tasty both hot and at room temperature. Just to give you an idea, I recall that when I was in primary school, sometimes my mother used to pack me a frittata sandwich for lunch break, and I loved it! In fact, I think this could be a great recipe for those mums that would like to get their kids to eat more vegetables without a battle.
As I was saying, there are endless frittata variations, but this particular one is definitely in the top 5 of my favorites. It calls for a lot of fresh spinach that is good for your health, and the ricotta cheese makes it softer and even more enjoyable. If you want to make this a complete meal, you could pair this spinach and ricotta frittata with a nice seasonal salad.
Prep notes:
The final step to make every Italian frittata is to do the classical flip over, usually with the help of the lid or with a large serving plate. However, if you don’t feel confident enough or the pan is too heavy, you can always finish the cooking under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. In this case, just make sure to use a frying pan that is oven safe.
Enjoy!
Spinach and Ricotta Frittata (Southern Italy)
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound spinach, large stems removed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- freshly ground nutmeg, to taste (just a dash)
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle the bottom with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Add onion and sautée for 8 to 10 minutes until the slices turn soft and translucent.
- Then, add spinach directly from the package. Stir for a few more minutes until the leaves are fully wilted. When the onions and spinach are ready, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground nutmeg.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in Ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese.
- Add the greens to the egg and cheese mixture and stir everything together.
- Drizzle some more extra virgin olive oil (around 1 Tablespoon) to the same skillet you have used to cook the vegetables. This step is essential to avoid sticking.
- Turn the heat on low and pour everything back in. Make sure the bottom of the pan is completely covered and that the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Cover with a lid and cook for around 10 minutes, until the egg on top is starting to set and the bottom is nice and firm.
- Finally, flip the frittata with the help of the lid and cook it for 5 more minutes so that the other side also gets browned.
- Serve hot or room temperature.
Nutrition
About the Author: Giorgia Fontana
Can this recipe be prepared ahead the night before?
Yes it can!
Very good recipe! It’s simple to prepare and easy to adapt. I made it for dinner. I used chard instead of spinach, added mushrooms and artichoke hearts along with the onions, and used low-fat mozzarella instead of parmesan. It turned out great!
Easy and wonderful for breakfast!
My family and I loved this recipe. I used what I had on hand ie cream cheese softened instead of ricotta added more vegetables like mushrooms and a pepper but everything else I followed exactly. Putting it in my meal rotation
What is the calories per serving please?
277 calories per serving.