Summertime, with its abundant fresh vegetables, provides a great excuse to whip up a frittata -- an open-faced omelet -- for a festive touch at a family brunch. Our recipe includes grated zucchini, chopped basil, parsley, and tomato, as well as bits of bacon and cheese. And while your favorite kitchen helper will enjoy picking, grating, and chopping the veggies, few kitchen tasks deliver the instant thrill of breaking eggs.
What you'll need
- 2 to 3 small zucchini
- 6 eggs
- 8 to 10 large basil leaves, chopped or torn
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt and pepper
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 small, ripe tomato, seeded and diced
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
How to make it
- Coarsely grate enough of the zucchini to make 2 1/2 cups and place it in a medium-size mixing bowl. Lightly salt the zucchini and toss it gently to season it evenly. Let it set for 10 minutes, then use clean hands to squeeze the zucchini, pressing out the excess water.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until they are evenly blended. Whisk in the basil, parsley, about half of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Set the mixture aside.
- Heat a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet on the stovetop. Add the bacon and cook it over medium heat until it is crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel? lined plate. Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat out of the pan. Heat the broiler.
- Add the grated zucchini to the skillet and sauté it over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the zucchini is cooking, chop or crumble the bacon into small pieces and add it to the egg mixture.
- Add the diced tomato and scallions to the skillet and sauté the vegetables until they are soft but not mushy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter to the skillet in pieces and stir it into the vegetables. Use a fork to loosely arrange the vegetables in an even layer in the pan.
- Whisk the egg mixture again, then slowly pour it over the vegetables, covering the entire surface. Do not stir the mixture. Instead, gently shake the pan to help settle the egg. Cook the frittata over medium heat for 4 minutes without disturbing it.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top of the frittata. Place the pan under the broiler about 8 inches from the heat source and broil the frittata for about 2 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and poke a fork in the center of the frittata to see if it's done. We covered the hot handle with a heat-resistant silicone sleeve, but you can also use an oven mitt -- place it over the skillet handle while the pan is out of the broiler to remind you that it's hot. If you see liquid egg around the fork, place the pan back under the broiler for another 45 to 60 seconds. When the frittata is done, transfer the pan to a cooling rack.
- Let the frittata cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully slide a flexible spatula around the edge to loosen it. Once it's free, gently lift the frittata with the spatula, tilt the pan, and slide it onto a large serving plate. Let it cool at least 5 more minutes, then slice it into wedges and serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
