Broccoli, Ham, and Cheddar Frittata

Frittata is a fancy word for omelet or crustless quiche. Except it’s really easy and there’s no flipping and flopping and slopping. Adding broccoli, ham, and cheddar cheese to it makes it delicious!

What’s so great about this frittata, omelet, quiche thingy anyway?

• It’s very versatile. For instance, include meat if you like or not, if you don’t. Similarly, use fresh or frozen vegetables. Or a variety of leftovers. In other words, you can vary it based on what’s in season, what’ you have on hand, what you like and have a seemingly endless variety.
• It’s pretty quick to make. So, on days when you want a delicious, nutritious meal and don’t have a long time to put it together, it fits the bill. Add a garnish to the plate and a dusting of flour to your face and pretend it’s a fancy, difficult to make meal. Shh, I won’t tell.
• Great for an easy weeknight dinner or likewise, a weekend breakfast.
• It’s filling. With a side of fruit or salad or roasted potatoes, this thing will easily fill six bellies. Or four with leftovers for tomorrow.
• Speaking of leftovers, it rewarms in the oven nicely.
• It’s inexpensive. Filling those six bellies with nutritious pastured eggs and yummy veg is way cheaper than the drive-thru.

Let’s make a frittata with broccoli, ham and cheddar cheese

Ingredients

12oz ham diced into small, bite-sized pieces

1 onion chopped

10 ounces Steamed or thawed from frozen broccoli

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp herbs such as tarragon, thyme or rosemary

8 large eggs

1 ½ cups milk

4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1+ tbsp butter or tallow

Directions

1. Scramble eggs in a bowl with milk. Wisk in a large pinch of salt
2. If ham is uncooked, brown in cast iron skillet, adding butter or tallow, if the meat is pretty lean.
3. When meat is almost brown, turn the burner down to low (cast iron will keep the heat for a bit while vegetables begin to cook).
4. Add more butter to skillet as needed and add in vegetables, garlic, herbs and a pinch or 2 of salt and several grinds of pepper.
5. When vegetables begin to soften, pour egg and milk mixture over vegetables.
6. Meanwhile, don’t stir, just allow eggs to slowly cook. When there is a thin layer, maybe a quarter-inch, of raw egg still on the top, transfer skillet to a low broiler for just a few minutes.
7. Once the egg has cooked, top with grated cheese and put back under the broiler for just a couple more minutes while the cheese melts.
8. Cut into wedges to serve. Most importantly, don’t forget those touches that make it look like it was a lot of work.

Some other versions we like:

• Sausage, sweet bell peppers and onions
• Steak, mushrooms, and Swiss chard
• Bacon, mushroom, and chevre

Tips:

• Having all your ingredients at room temperature when you cook them helps them cook through evenly. The eggs will be cooked in the middle of your frittata before the bottom has a chance to burn!
• Cast iron is great for moving directly from the stovetop to the oven
• Buying cheese in blocks and grating it yourself is easy and not only less expensive, it’s also less mysterious. Pre-shredded cheese usually has cellulose, an ingredient to keep the shreds from clumping. There is debate about the source of the cellulose, wood pulp or not. If not wood pulp, what then? As a person with allergies and who cares about ingredients, I read labels and avoid cellulose.

Shop the Supplies

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Box Grater

Spirit’s Freedom Farm is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that provides a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Watch our Video about Broccoli, Ham, and Cheddar Frittata

Heather

Broccoli, Ham, and Cheddar Frittata

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 12 oz ham diced into small bite-sized pieces
• 1 onion chopped
• 10 ounces Steamed or thawed from frozen broccoli
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tsp herbs such as tarragon thyme or rosemary
• 8 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 + tbsp butter or tallow

Method

 

1. Scramble eggs in bowl with milk. Wisk in a large pinch of salt
2. If ham is uncooked, brown in cast iron skillet, adding butter or tallow, if meat is pretty lean.
3. When meat is almost brown, turn burner down to low (cast iron will keep the heat for a bit while vegetables begin to cook).
4. Add more butter to skillet as needed and add in vegetables, garlic, herbs and a pinch or 2 of salt and a several grinds of pepper.
5. When vegetables begin to soften, pour egg and milk mixture over vegetables.
6. Meanwhile, don’t stir, just allow eggs to slowly cook. When there is a thin layer, maybe a quarter inch, of raw egg still on the top, transfer skillet to a low broiler for just a few minutes.
7. Once the egg has cooked, top with grated cheese and put back under the broiler for just a couple more minutes while cheese melts.
8. Cut into wedges to serve. Most importantly, don’t forget those touches that make it look like it was a lot of work.