Cheesy Spinach Fritatta

 

This Spinach and Cheese frittata is perfect when served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Frittatas, omelettes and eggs, whether poached, scrambled or fried, are in general a popular choice for brekkie or brunch when we are dining out. Here we have a really delicious frittata that you can easily cook and eat in the comfort of your own home, for 4 people, and very economically. Think comfort food as well.

This is a recipe from Maggie Beer's kitchen, Maggie is an iconic Australian cook. The Maggie Beer Foundation in partnership with Speech Pathologists, the Australian Government, nurses, and cooks, has spearheaded a lot of valuable work and research into how to best provide essential nutritional food for the residents of Nursing Homes in Australia. She acknowledges there is still so much work to do in this area. Maggie recently wrote: "The Maggie Beer Foundation highlights that  the joy you take in eating delicious, well-prepared food can be just as important as the nutritional benefits." She is taking this philosophy into her very challenging work in the Aged Care area. Maggie's fairly recent television series addressing this complex issue was filmed in a Western Australian Aged Care Home and was an emotional rollercoaster for me to watch, but hopefully the program will be a catalyst for many changes in this challenging environment, which will affect a lot of us eventually. 

Let's cook some delicious and nutritious food:

SERVES 4, PREP. AND COOK, 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

7 free-range eggs

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 brown onion, peeled, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

30g unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, chopped finely (optional)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

200g spinach leaves, washed, chopped finely

1 tablespoon lemon thyme leaves, chopped, or any thyme leaves (you can also use dried thyme leaves or mixed herbs) 

120g sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

60g parmesan, finely grated

80g Greek yoghurt, to serve (optional)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200 deg. C (180 deg. C fan-forced)

Grease and line a 20 cm oven-safe frypan or similar size with parchment paper, extending up the sides. You need to be able to lift out the frittata easily from the pan when cooked to serve.

Select one of your large shallow saucepans, (I used my Scanpan). Place it on the stove, on medium heat, and add the olive oil, the sliced onions,  and the sea salt, and cook stirring regularly. The onions will be soft and caramelised, but without any colour. This should take about 10 minutes.

Now add the essential butter and the finely chopped garlic, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pan.

Grab your bowl of finely chopped spinach, turn the heat for the saucepan up to high, add to the saucepan, and toss to wilt and evaporate off any water. Now you can see why you needed a large shallow saucepan to accommodate all that beautiful fresh spinach.

The cooked  spinach mix can now be spread over the base of your prepared frypan.

Select a medium-sized bowl,  and whisk together the lemon thyme, eggs, cheddar and pepper.

 Pour this mixture into the frypan over the spinach.

Top with the grated parmesan.

Bake for about 18 minutes or until set. I placed mine under the grill for about 5-10 minutes at the end to bring it up to a golden brown.

Serve the frittata with a garden salad or some yoghurt, but this is optional. I wouldn't serve it with a salad for breakfast, but for a brunch, lunch or dinner, this would be perfect.

Here's a copy below of the recipe for printing without the photos:(please note this isn't a link, you will need to copy and then print.)

SERVES 4, PREP AND COOK, 40 minutes

Cheesy Spinach Frittata

INGREDIENTS:

7 free-range eggs

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 brown onion, peeled, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

30g unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, chopped finely (optional)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

200g spinach leaves, washed, chopped finely

1 tablespoon lemon thyme leaves, chopped, or any thyme leaves

120g sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

60g parmesan, finely grated

80g Greek yoghurt, to serve (optional)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200 deg. C (180 deg. C fan-forced)

Grease and line a 20 cm oven-safe frypan or similar size with parchment paper, extending up the sides. You need to be able to lift out the frittata easily from the pan when cooked to serve.

Select one of your large shallow saucepans, (I used my Scanpan) . Place it on the stove, on medium heat, and add the olive oil, the sliced onions,  and the sea salt, and cook stirring regularly. They will be soft and caramelised, but without any colour. This should take about 10 minutes.

Now add the essential butter an the finely chopped garlic, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pan.

Grab your bowl of finely chopped spinach, turn the heat up to high, and toss to wilt and evaporate off any water. Now you can see why you needed a large shallow saucepan to accommodate all that beautiful fresh spinach.

The cooked  spinach mix can now be spread over the base of your prepared frypan.

Select a medium-sized bowl,  and whisk together the lemon thyme, eggs, cheddar and pepper. Pour this mixture into the frypan over the spinach.

Top with the grated parmesan.

Bake for about 18 minutes or until it is set. I placed mine under the grill for about 5-10 minutes at the end to bring it up to a golden brown.

Serve it with a garden salad or some yoghurt, but this is optional. I wouldn't serve it with a salad for breakfast, but for a brunch, lunch or dinner, this would be perfect.

I would love to know if you cook this recipe, I know you will enjoy it.

Warm wishes

Pauline