Leftovers Frittata: Staying Sane and Eating Well

I just hung up Christmas stockings. I went Christmas shopping at the Bazaar Bizarre in San Francisco, an amazing Etsy-licious craft fair. I bought some of my favorite gifts last year and I got some more fabulous handmade goodies this year. I can feel that holiday stress creeping up, but I honestly enjoy this time of year and revel in thinking about gifts to give and food stuffs to make. There is nothing that I enjoy more than giving people things that I hope will make them smile- and this time of year that is totally socially acceptable! Lovely! And all my goofy cooking experiments go up a notch with cookies and cinnamon rolls and the like. It's a messy fun time. 

leftovers heating up the night

But, the evenings can get weary. My students know the holiday energy is in the air and they get a little cooky. I come home exhausted frequently and I pour a good chunk of my energy into everything other than my daily meals, so this meal is a perfect thing to have on my weekly meal plan. In fact, it's on the plan almost every single week. Every Thursday, I take a bunch of the leftovers and make an easy, delicious frittata (or I make a soup, depending on if our meals were veggie heavy or pasta heavy).

The thing I love about this frittata is that it is so easily adaptable to what you have on hand and what you are craving.

It has just a few basic steps:

spinach, broccoli, potatoes, sausage and some seasonings/herbs added in for fun

Heat up some of your leftovers in a skillet that can handle the heat of the oven. I've often used leftover pasta dishes here- ones with a sauce are especially delicious. I also use any vegetables from the week (broccoli here, I chopped it up pretty small) and I just love adding spinach to the mix. I find it so satisfying to throw in a huge bunch of spinach and watch it shrink down. Add any seasonings you like as well as salt and pepper- I use trader joes '21 seasoning salute' that has a combination of the best stuff like onions, thyme, etc.

Next, mix 6-7 eggs with a bit of milk and pour it over the leftover mixture.

Cook it on medium, letting the edges get solid and then doing this thing here- drag the cooked parts to the center and let the ooey gooey parts fill in the empty void. I go around the edges and do this once, then it's time for the cheese. Maybe you know a better way to do this, but this works fabulously every time so this is how I like to roll, frittata style.

Grate some cheese of your choice, I used jack and cheddar here (I love mozzarella when I use pasta with a marinara sauce and sometimes I splurge and use goat cheese) and sprinkle it around the top of the frittata. Place the skillet in the oven, preheated to 350 degrees, for about 10-15 minutes or until the eggs have set (resist the temptation to get it 'golden' or 'crispy' unless you like overcooked eggs!)

Let it cool for a few minutes before you slice it up and serve it. Pair it with a little salad, a slice of homemade bread, whatever you please!

Leftovers Frittata 
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ingredients

leftover pasta, meats, potatoes, vegetables- whatever you have in the fridge
any fresh vegetables you want to add
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper (to taste)
6-7 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheese (of your choice)


Preheat your oven to 350. Heat up the olive oil and your leftovers in a skillet that can handle the heat of the oven. I've often used leftover pasta dishes here- ones with a sauce are especially delicious. I also use any vegetables from the week and I just love adding spinach to the mix. I find it so satisfying to throw in a huge bunch of spinach and watch it shrink down.


Next, mix 6-7 eggs with a bit of milk and pour it over the leftover mixture.


Cook it on medium, letting the edges get solid and then doing this- drag the cooked parts to the center and let the ooey gooey parts fill in the empty void. I go around the edges and do this once, then it's time for the cheese.


Grate some cheese of your choice, I used jack and cheddar here (I love mozzarella when I use pasta with a marinara sauce and sometimes I splurge and use goat cheese) and sprinkle it around the top of the frittata. Place the skillet in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the eggs have set (resist the temptation to get it 'golden' or 'crispy' unless you like overcooked eggs!).

Let it cool for a few minutes before you slice it up and serve it. Pair it with a little salad, a slice of homemade bread, whatever you please!

Enjoy!
-m