Recipe: Zucchini-Onion-Pepper Fritatta

I was at the Farmer's Market two weeks ago on a Thursday, thinking, "what can I cook for dinner tonight that won't cost an arm and a leg?" We all know that while Farmer's Markets are amazing, and there can be some great deals, meat is not exactly cheap when you purchase it there (a whole chicken is $4 a pound!). I realized I had eggs at home and could try my hand at making a fritatta!

A fritatta is an Italian egg-based dish, similar to an omelette but cooked in the oven, and similar to a quiche but with less cream and no crust. It's an incredibly flexible dish and you can add any combination of veggies you have on hand! Here's the recipe I used (it's a combo of a few recipes I found online).

Zucchini-Onion-Pepper Fritatta
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs oil
• 1 Tbs buttler
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 zucchini, sliced or julienned
• 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 teas salt
• 1/2 teas dried basil
• 1/4 teas dried thyme
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 5-6 leaves of fresh basil, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In an oven proof skillet, heat the oil and butter. Add in the sliced onions, sprinkle with 1/2 the salt, and cook until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add in the zucchini and pepper, and continue to cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat with the remaining salt, the basil and thyme.
4. While the veggies cook, in a bowl, crack the eggs, add in the cream, and beat everything together.
5. Once the veggies are cooked, take it off the heat and add 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, stirring to coat. Flatten out the veggies into an even layer.
6. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies (don't stir), and put into the oven for 13-15 minutes, until the eggs are set. You can jiggle the pan to check (use an oven mitt).
7. Turn on the broiler and cook for 1-2 minutes until the top begins to puff and turn brown (note, it doesn't ALWAYS puff). Keep a close eye on it!
8. After it's browned a bit, take it out and pour the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan along with the fresh basil.

Serving Suggestion: Serve a wedge of the fritatta along with a salad that has a vinaigrette dressing. The dressing will help cut the richness of the fritatta.

Variations:

• Spinach and Mushroom
• Tomato and Onion
• Swap out the cheese for Gouda or Goat Cheese

If you like this recipe, check out some other's on my blog:

• Sunday Gravy
• Healthy Homemade "Ice Cream" (it's really bananas)
• "Leftover" Pasta, Carbonara Style
• Oyster Cracker Bar Snacks
• Roasted Bell Peppers