Our third installment brings us to a time when I don’t know what to eat for dinner or breakfast or brunch and I have a random assortment of vegetables, perhaps a little meat, and all the eggs. Oh and cheese, but I ALWAYS have cheese. You can change up the fillings depending on what you have on hand, or perhaps your particular occasion. Hearty dinner – sausage, mushrooms, sauteed kale. Light brunch – smoked salmon, goat cheese, spinach. Kid friendly – diced ham, cheddar cheese, broccoli. Sometimes we have it with a salad, sometimes we have it with french fries…or tater tots. Tater tots would also be excellent in a frittata…or skip the frittata entirely and just bring on the tots! But no, make the frittata. It’s really good.
the obligatory before and after
Roasted Veggie and Sausage Frittata
Servings: 4 Time: 50 MINUTES
The only necessities here are the eggs and olive oil. Everything else is optional or changeable. You can even saute the veggies if that’s easier for you – especially in the summer when nobody wants to turn on the oven. Do keep in mind the quantities here, because if you make a version of this with far fewer fillings then it will be substantially smaller in volume and will take less time to cook – not a bad thing, just want you to be aware. If you are using a non-stick skillet, make sure it’s oven safe. Most non-stick skillets that don’t have a plastic handle are good up to 375°F – after that it gets dicey. Cast iron is always a safe bet. Also, this is great cold the next day – easiest egg sandwich you’ll ever have.
1 medium onion roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper roughly chopped
1/2 cup broccoli florets roughly chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, cut into large dice
1 medium sweet potato cut into large dice
4 Tbsp olive oil (you could also substitute canola, vegetable, coconut oil etc.)
Salt and Pepper
2 links (about 1/3 pound) of hot or sweet italian sausage, casings removed
6 eggs
2 Tbsp milk, half and half or cream
¼ cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
½ cup shredded cheese (I used a blend of mozzarella and cheddar)
Preheat oven to 400° F
Place onion, pepper, mushrooms and broccoli on a sheet pan with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss until everything is evenly coated. Spread the vegetables into one layer and put in the oven on a middle rack to roast for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. They won’t be as brown as if you were roasting vegetables to serve as a side dish for instance. But they will get some color.
Roast sweet potatoes using the same method as above, but with only 1 tbsp of olive oil.
While vegetables roast, crumble sausage into a 10 to 12 inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet and brown over medium heat. Remove from skillet, drain on a paper towel lined plate, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Back in the skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add all of the reserved sausage and the roasted vegetables to the pan and spread into one, even layer. Add the egg mixture, swirling the pan to make sure it’s evenly distributed. Sprinkle the top evenly with both cheeses, pushing some of it down into the egg with a spatula.
Cook over medium heat until the edges begin to set – about 5 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 375° F and bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes or until it is puffed and golden brown on the top and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
