How to Make a Homemade Zucchini Frittata
Frittata is one of those versatile dishes that can be enjoyed at any time, regardless of the occasion. The dish is healthy, delicious, easy to make, and very practical. It takes just about 15 minutes to prepare frittata. And here, we will give you a zucchini frittata recipe so you can make one yourself.
Frittata doesn’t need that many ingredients to make. All you need are eggs, zucchini, onion, sweet corn, and coil, 10 minutes to prepare the ingredients, and 10 minutes to cook. That’s all. This is why this classic Italian dish makes a great breakfast, lunch, and even dinner. It is a delicious and easy dish anyone can make.
About the Dish
- What is a “frittata”?
“Frittata” means “fried” in Italian. And the name describes what the dish is all about: fried eggs. Frittata is not your ordinary egg-based dish, however. It is different from omelet and quiche (more on this later). A frittata is already good on its own although it is often enriched with vegetables, cheese, and protein.
As a dish, the frittata is very versatile. You can serve it as a breakfast, a lunch, or even dinner. There is no “wrong” time to eat frittata. That doesn’t mean there is no perfect time to enjoy a zucchini frittata, however. Summer is one of those times.
- How is it different from an omelet?
Both omelets and frittatas are egg-based dishes. What makes them different? First, frittatas are not folded in their center, unlike omelets. Second, the add-ins of a frittata are cooked in the pan, together with the egg mixture. Third, frittatas can be enjoyed by multiple people, unlike omelets that are often limited to a single person only.
- How is it different from a quiche?
Frittatas are different from quiches, too. Firstly, frittatas don’t have crust while quiches do. Secondly, while both dishes use heavy cream, the amount of heavy cream used for frittatas are usually much less than that of quiches. Thirdly, frittatas are cooked on the stove and in the oven, in contrast to quiches that are cooked entirely in the oven.
- What’s in the dish?
In our zucchini frittata recipe here, the ingredients are eggs, zucchini, onion, sweet corn, and oil. It is a fluffy frittata decorated with lots of zucchini slices and sweet corn kernels.
- Calorie content and serving
Per serving, this dish has 172 calories. One serving can be enjoyed by 4 people.
- What other dishes to serve with it?
This frittata can be served as is. But if you insist to serve other dishes with it, lemon pepper shrimp, garlic butter sautéed clams, chili lime corn, and tequila lime chicken all make good meal combinations with a frittata.
Cooking Tips
- Beat easily
Don’t overbeat the eggs. Beat them just enough to blend the yolks and whites. Overbeating the eggs will result in too much air in the eggs. As a result, when the frittata is baked in the oven, it will poof. Overbeaten eggs may also become rubbery and tough. You don’t want any of these. Go easy on the eggs.
- Sizing up
It is true that you can use any oven-safe skillet. But if you want a fluffy frittata, you need to use the right size. How do you know your skillet is the right size for your zucchini frittata? Just match the number of eggs with the size of the skillet. For example, if you make an 8-egg frittata, use an 8-inch skillet, a 10-egg frittata, a 10-inch skillet, and so on.
- Use a cast-iron skillet
To make zucchini frittata, you will need to cook it on the stove and in the oven. To get the best result, you need a skillet that can conduct heat nicely and evenly. The best option here is a cast-iron skillet. Such a skillet not only conducts heat nicely and evenly, but it also makes slicing and serving a lot easier thanks to its non-stick quality.
- Don’t overbake
When you make a frittata, you want it to have a custard texture. That is, barely set and trembling. An over-baked frittata, on the other hand, has a sponge-like texture. So, avoid overbaking.
- Safety first
You need to remove the skillet from the oven once the frittata is done. Keep in mind that the skillet will be hot for a while. Do not touch it directly. To remove the hot skillet safely, you can either wait for it to cool off, use a heat-resistant kitchen glove, or use a silicone handle cover on the skillet. Remember, safety first!
- Serving
You can serve zucchini frittata immediately after it is done or warm. Once a frittata is down to room temperature, the dish can last for an hour at most. If you want to eat it later, put it inside the refrigerator and it can stand up for up to 1 day. For serving, you can reheat it, bring to room temperature, or serve cold.
- Play around
One of the best things about frittatas is that you can experiment with it. That’s right. You can play around to find the flavor combinations that you like the most. In our recipe here we use zucchini as the add-in for the frittata but you are welcome to use other vegetables or herbs.
Zucchini Frittata Recipe
Course: Main course
Cuisine: Egg
Keyword: Zucchini frittata
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 172
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of frozen sweet corn
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 zucchini (about 8 oz.)
- 6 large eggs
- 6 pinches salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Prepare a big bowl and crack the eggs into it.
- Add salt and beat the eggs lightly.
- Prepare a skillet and set the heat to medium.
- Add oil and onion.
- Saute the onion until it is a bit caramelized. Then, add sweet corn and zucchini. Cook these ingredients for about 30 seconds.
- Add the lightly beaten eggs into the skillet. Cook until the edges become light brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Move the skillet into the oven and bake the eggs for 10 minutes.
- Broil until the surface of the eggs is nicely browned or about 1 minute.
- Remove the skillet from the oven.
- Slice the eggs into wedges.
- Your zucchini frittata is ready. Serve while warm.