BLT Frittata
Frittatas were one of the first recipes I truly mastered when I started to fall in love with cooking. And it's no surprise why: they're super simple, inexpensive, great for a crowd, breakfast, lunch or dinner, and they're a blank canvas for creativity with ingredients. I just described the perfect Hungry Ali recipe!
And because I had mastered the frittata and was whipping them up once a week on average, my college roommates and I got sick of them, as you can imagine. So even though the frittata was a favorite, we had to retire it for some time.
Until recently, I decided on a whim to bring back the frittata like it was 2010! And friends, it was a great decision.
For those of you who think I'm speaking gibberish, a frittata is just a fancy term for a crust-less quiche, or just a giant omelet. If you have time to scramble eggs, toss in some ingredients and cook them, you have time to make a frittata. Boom!
Not only are they super fun and easy to make, but they really are a great multi-purpose recipe. For starving college students, all you need is a dozen eggs, some milk and a star ingredient or two and you have yourself meals for a week. Serve it with a light side salad for brunch, lunch, or even dinner! And the filling combinations are endless.
Here are just a few I've tried and approved:
Smoked salmon, cream cheese and green onions
Sausage, red peppers, mushrooms and Swiss
Ham, cheddar and green peppers
Mushrooms, spinach and Swiss
And because I was bringing the frittata back, I had to bring it back in full force with a brand, spanking new combo: the BLT frittata.
Because are BLTs not one of the most deliciously underrated sandwiches of all time? Turn any of your favorite foods into a "BLT" and they're instantly going to be amazing. Am I right or am I right?
So naturally this started off with some perfect, thick-cut pepper bacon (there's no other bacon you should be buying in my book) that helps boost the flavor of the frittata right off the bat. Then cherry tomatoes soften and become sweeter and juicier from a quick saute in your skillet before the rest of the magic happens. Dollops of pesto in the egg mixture just make it all the more decadent. And of course, the "L" comes into play with lightly dressed arugula over the top.
It's probably my favorite frittata combo to date: salty, bright, fresh and light (that was not intentional. I'm a poet and didn't even know it!), it's sure to be a hit at your next brunch or become a new weeknight dinner favorite!
BLT Frittata
Ingredients
10 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons pesto
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
10 strips thick-cut pepper bacon
1 teaspoon plus a pinch of Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large handful arugula
1/2 lemon
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook strips of bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Drain most of fat off skillet and set bacon aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Add pesto and crumbled bacon and stir to combine, leaving some chunks of pesto in mixture.
Heat same skillet over medium high heat. Saute tomatoes in leftover bacon grease for about 5 minutes, until tomatoes begin to soften. Add egg mixture and use spatula to spread fillings evenly throughout pan. Let set for about 1 minute then put in the oven to cook for about 20 minutes, or until eggs are fluffy and cooked.
Remove frittata from the oven to cool. Squeeze lemon over arugula in a small bowl and sprinkle with pinch of Kosher (or finishing salt would be best) toss to combine using fingers and lay on top of frittata. Slice into six equal slices and serve!
