A Messy First Attempt at Frittata – Broccoli Cheddar Frittata

As the post title indicates, my first attempt at frittata was a bit of a mess.  Thankfully, it ended up tasted great, but not only was the process a mess, the final output was also a bit…messy.  

The challenge I had is that the saute pan I used was not oven safe to the temperature I needed, so I decided midway to use the Serious Eats flipping method.  But instead of actually using that full flipping method – which I was ultimately too scared to do – I decided to weakly semi-flip the frittata onto a plate to then slide the undercooked side back into the pan.  

In short, I kept changing my mind on what to do, and did each resulting step with such a heavy amount of hesitancy that the appearance of my frittata was largely doomed.  But soldier on I did, and the resulting frittata was one that I will make again (though with more certainty, gusto, and perhaps a different pan to just finish in the oven!). 

I settled on a broccoli cheddar frittata largely because I had the ingredients on hand and I thought this would be a good way to use frozen broccoli.  I also wanted to make a frittata that was more vegetable than egg-heavy, and given that broccoli is my favorite vegetable, it felt like the perfect way to anchor a vegetable-heavy frittata.

The hot frittata achieved my flavor combination perfectly.  When cooled though, the frittata was a bit more eggy than I generally prefer – but still, it's an egg-based dish, so what else would I expect?  

Recipe and instructions follow the picture below.

Broccoli Cheddar Frittata

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 – 3 tbsp. milk (my milk went bad, so I couldn't use it, but I will in the future)
• 10 oz. bag frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. water
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

• Defrost frozen broccoli according to bag instructions, and drain any excess water.
• Heat olive oil in a medium-t0-large saucepan on medium high heat.  When hot, add drained broccoli, red chili flake, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Saute for approx. 5 – 7 min or until hot and fully cooked.

• In a bowl, lightly beat eggs with milk, salt, pepper, and then add cheddar, stirring to combine.

• Add to the hot pan with the broccoli and shift the pan around for the egg to evenly coat the pan.  Let sit for approx. 6 minutes, and then flip into a prepared plate.  Slide the undercooked side back into the pan, and then cook for another 2 – 3 minutes.

• You can then flip another 1 – 2 times if you would like (I did this with messy results), and then serve when the eggs are cooked to your liking.  Season generously with salt and pepper, and serve!