Easy Baked Frittata
This easy baked Frittata recipe is a classic, and absolutely packed with flavor. The combination of goat cheese, spinach and tomatoes creates a fluffy, healthy and hearty breakfast or brunch dish.
Easy Baked Frittata recipe
Brunch is one of the best meals of the day. The worst part is it only comes around once or twice a week!
At our house, brunch usually entails some kind of muffins (probably blueberry muffins to be honest), some fresh-cooked bacon and some kind of egg dish.
I often turn to a sausage breakfast casserole, but recently I wanted to make a frittata like I used to enjoy during my study abroad trip to Italy.
I have long made frittata egg muffins to take me back to that nostalgic time, but this frittata in a skillet is the real deal.
This baked frittata is jam-packed with flavor. It combines, onions, goat cheese, spinach, grape tomatoes and almond milk to creates a healthy and hearty breakfast or brunch dish.
What’s more, it’s SO easy to put together in your cast-iron skillet, then it finishes off in the oven.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
You are going to adore this easy recipe for breakfast or brunch:
- Everyone will love a classic frittata — it easily feeds a crowd.
- It’s so very easy to put together, and you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Filled with protein and veggies, it’s a hearty and healthy main dish.
Beyond weekend brunch, frittata is a lovely dish that feels just right for special occasions. Make it for Easter brunch, Mother’s Day breakfast in bed or even for Christmas morning.
Breakfast Casserole Vs. Frittata
Frittatas and breakfast casseroles are both basically egg pies filled with goodies like meats and veggies, but there are some differences.
An Italian dish, frittatas are kind of like giant round omelets, according to Thrillist. They are usually made in a cast-iron pan or skillet.
Like a crustless quiche made the Italian way, the eggs in a frittata are well-beaten well with milk and cream to create a more custard-like finish, then mixed with fillings and baked. They are light and fluffy and taste best fresh.
Breakfast casseroles, on the other hand, are much heartier — even a vegetarian breakfast casserole. Usually served in a casserole dish, the egg mixture is usually combined poured over layers of meat and veggie fillings, then poured over a base of starches like potatoes or bread. Unlike frittatas, they can be made ahead of time.
There's also a type of egg casserole known as a strata, which is an egg casserole poured over cubed bread to create a savory type of bread pudding. (The recipe below is definitely not a strata, as there's no bread — just potatoes!)
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need from the grocery store to make this easy frittata recipe:
Fresh eggs: Always use the best eggs you can afford!
Goat cheese: Folded into the eggs, the goat cheese adds a tangy, creamy element to the frittata. Feta cheese is a good substitute, but you can also use any kind of cheese here, such as cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese or whatever your favorite is.
Spinach: Fresh baby spinach leaves add nutrition and flavor. The spinach will begin to wilt slightly as the eggs set. Feel free to substitute kale if you’d prefer.
Bacon: The bacon fries in the skillet that you’ll use in the frittata, leaving the whole thing with a subtle bacon flavor. In this sense, the bacon grease is your cooking spray!
Onion: Sautéed in the bacon grease, onions bring a ton of flavor to this dish. If you don’t love onions, I encourage you to leave them in because you won’t notice them, but you can absolutely leave them out if needed.
Milk: Whisking in milk with eggs helps to make them light and fluffy. Whole milk or heavy cream works best, but you can use your favorite milk, even almond milk.
Grape tomatoes: The halved grape tomatoes soften and burst, releasing their juices and seeds into the frittata. Cherry tomatoes work too.
Other Frittata Fillings
A great frittata is always made with simple ingredients or whatever you have on hand. It's a perfect way to use up leftovers like meat and delicious veggies.
Feel free to throw in some of these ingredients to your baked frittata:
- bell pepper
- green onions / spring onions
- leftover pasta
- sour cream
- asparagus
- ricotta cheese
- sausage
- sweet potato
- ham
- basil leaves
How to Make a Frittata
Ready to make an absolutely perfect frittata?! Let’s dive in.
First, preheat the oven to 400ºF. While it warms up, we’ll get started preparing the frittata on the stove, then we’ll transfer it to the oven to finish cooking at the end.
Heat an 8-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Once warm, place the bacon on cast iron and cook until crispy.
Once cooked, remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in pan.
Then, cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces with kitchen shears or crumble by hand. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and black pepper plus half of the goat cheese crumbles. Set aside too.
Sauté the onions in the remaining bacon grease until translucent (about 5 minutes). Then add halved grape tomatoes and spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
Pour the egg mixture into the hot pan. Cook on the stovetop for 1-2 minutes until the eggs around the edges begin to set. Add bacon and remaining goat cheese to top of the pan.
Transfer the frittata to the preheated oven and cook for 8-10 minutes until the eggs are set around the edges, but slightly jiggly in the center.
It will continue cooking to the perfect consistency once removed from the oven! Frittata should be enjoyed fresh, so let it cool slightly (but not all the way to room temperature) then slice and serve.
If you do have some left over to enjoy the next day, just warm it up gently in the microwave.
What to Eat with Frittata
This baked frittata is a delicious, balanced meal in itself.
For brunch, enjoy it with your favorite recipes for breakfast side dishes such as breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage. These 2-ingredient Keto waffles would also be perfect.
Something sweet is a great choice, too. Try some coffee cake muffins or some cranberry orange scones. Oreo overnight oats would be tasty too.
You can even serve a slice with a simple berry orange salad for a satisfying brunch or light dinner. If you need a drink to serve at brunch, this strawberry champagne cocktail is perfect.
More Savory Breakfast Dishes
Did you make this recipe?
If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Easy Frittata
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of bacon cooked and chopped into 1 inch pieces (makes about ½ cup)
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup goat cheese divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup diced onions
- ½ cup sliced grape tomatoes
- 1 cup spinach
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Heat an 8-inch cast iron skillet on the stovetop. Once warm, place bacon on cast iron and cook until crispy. Once cooked, remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Chop into 1-inch pieces or crumble by hand. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in pan.
- Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and half of goat cheese in a bowl, set aside.
- Sauté onions in remaining bacon grease until translucent (about 5 minutes). Then add grape tomatoes and spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.
- Pour egg mixture into skillet. Cook on stovetop for 1-2 minutes until the eggs around the edges begin to set. Add bacon and remaining goat cheese to top of frittata.
- Transfer to oven and cook for 8-10 minutes until eggs are set around the edges, but slightly jiggly in the center. It will continue cooking to the perfect consistency once removed from the oven.
- Slice and serve.
Surprised my husband with your frittata and we both love it. Light, savory and so delicious. I split it into 2 smaller skillets. My go-to breakfast from today on. Thank you!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Giangi! We're going to have it again this week - it's so nice to prep ahead!
Very easy to make! These baked fritattas are my go to meal when I need something healthy, quick and the whole family will eat.
Agreed! My boys love the bacon flavor in this 🙂