Back to the Kitchen: Kale Frittata

Editor’s Note: In 2012 one of our main goals is to help our readers get back in the kitchen cooking seasonally inspired meals for themselves and their families. Welcome to Back to the Kitchen, our seasonal, home cooking series where you will find tried and true recipes and techniques using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients.

By Jennifer Spaide

Frittatas are a quick and easy way to serve up a tasty meal that makes use of leftovers.  You can use any veggies on hand, but seasonal leafy greens, like kale, add a nice heartiness, as does the addition of leftover whole wheat spaghetti (although any type of pasta or grain would do).  Be sure to use an oven-proof sauté pan as moving effortlessly from stovetop to oven is key to your frittata’s success.

Make a frittata to turn leftovers into a quick meal.

Kale & Spaghetti Frittata

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1. 8 large eggs
2. ¼ cup milk or water
3. ½ red onion, chopped
4. 2 cups cooked kale, coarsely chopped
5. 2 cups whole wheat spaghetti, coarsely chopped
6. 1 cup gruyere* cheese, grated

Leftover cooked kale and spaghetti plus some freshly chopped red onion add flavor, texture, color and nutrition to this dish.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚.
2. Whisk the eggs and milk together, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Set aside.
3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Drizzle in two tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.
4. Add the greens and pasta, and mix well.
5. Pour in the whisked eggs and stir gently to distribute evenly.  Sprinkle the cheese on top.  Cook the frittata on the stovetop for 3-5 minutes, until the eggs have started to set on the bottom and around the edges.
6. 

   Add the egg and stir, top with cheese,cook until it's set on the bottom, then put it in the oven to finish cooking.

   Transfer your sauté pan to the preheated oven and bake until golden on top and set all the way through, about 10 more minutes.

7. 

   The frittata is done when it's set up (no runny egg) and golden on top.

   Remove pan from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before gently sliding your frittata out onto a serving platter.  Slice and serve.

*Feel free to substitute the gruyere for cheddar, goat, feta, or any other cheese you prefer.

Kale frittata is a quick, healthy, and delicious one-skillet meal.

Jennifer Spaide is a natural foods chef, writer, and mother. Spaide received her Masters in Human Nutrition at Columbia University and attended culinary school at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Jennifer grew up with an innate appreciation for fresh-from-the-garden foods and wants to share that passion with others. Her online magazine, Simplicious, gives readers fresh recipes that are healthy and easy to prepare, bites of tasty information that help bring health into the home, and breaks down complex topics into easily digestible table-talk that even the kids will understand. In addition to her magazine, Spaide maintains a bi-monthly column in the New Canaan Advertiser, and continues to work as a freelance writer and recipe developer. www.simpliciousmag.com.