I used to think that packing my lunch for the week ahead involved an entirely separate cooking process from making Sunday night dinner. Whenever I went grocery shopping, I would buy one set of ingredients for that night's dinner, and another for that week's lunch. And while I made it work (and made some tasty mason-jar salads in the process), it was not only fairly time-consuming, but also quite expensive.
Between watching my co-workers eat delicious-looking leftovers and talking to my friend Heath about her week of prepping all her food on Sundays, I realized that dinner and lunch could be much more intertwined. Enter this frittata: the recipe comes from Food52's new cookbook (which focuses entirely on this exact topic), and it makes enough for dinner and lunch. I noted a number of substitutions in the recipe, because I want you to use whatever add-ins that a) you like best; b) already have in the fridge, or c) are in season.
If you have a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, feel free to cook the entire thing in one pan, then slice it into smaller pieces. If you don't, divide it between two skillets and make two smaller frittatas. And if you only have one nonstick skillet (that's me!), prepare it all in two skillets up until the point of pouring in the egg mixture, then cook them in two rounds in the nonstick. Trust me: it's worth the extra 15 minutes. Eggs slide so much more easily out of a nonstick than a cast-iron.
For dinner, we served this warm with crusty bread, olive oil for dipping, and a simple greens salad tossed in vinaigrette. The extra frittata can be sliced, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, kept in the fridge until ready to eat. I brought two small slices to work and ate them cold on a whole-wheat cream biscuit (and it was divine), but feel free to warm them up before devouring.
Make-Ahead Frittata With Greens and Ricotta
Makes: Two 8 or 9-inch frittatas, or one 12-inch frittata
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced [can sub 2 shallots, or 1 bunch (about 6) scallions]
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed at room temp. (or sub fresh shelled peas, if you can find them at the farmers' market)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 cups greens (we used spinach and baby kale; mustard greens or swiss chard would be great, too)
- 18 large eggs
- 4 ounces freshly-grated fontina cheese
- 10 chives, thinly sliced
- handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta
Instructions (these instructions are for making two smaller frittatas)
Set two 8 or 9-inch nonstick skillets over medium heat. Warm one tablespoon oil in each one, divide the onion between the two skillets, and cook until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Divide the peas between the skillets, add a large pinch of salt, and cook for another minute. Divide the greens between the pans and cook until they begin to wilt. Remove the pan from the heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, fontina, chives, dill, a large pinch of salt and several grinds black pepper. Return the pans to medium-low heat, pour half of the egg mixture in each, stir briefly to mix the greens into the mixture, then cook, undisturbed, until the eggs are set around the edges but still wet in the center, about 10 minutes. Be sure not to have the heat on too high, or the bottom will brown too quickly.
Preheat the broiler to high. Dollop half the ricotta on each frittata, then broil until the eggs are set (very little movement when you shake the skillet), 5-10 minutes. It's okay if it still looks a tiny bit wet in the center—it will continue to cook as it sits in the pan.
Recipe adapted from Food 52's A New Way to Dinner.