A Good Breakfast
’Tis the season of “too.” Too much on the calendar, too many items on the to-do list, too much indulgent food. We did all just eat our favorite Thanksgiving desserts morning, noon, and night, right?
I think it’s time to bring it back to the basics: a good breakfast. With a good breakfast under my belt, I feel like I can take on the world! Or maybe just hang in there semi-competently until lunchtime?
This recipe is one of those lovely super-easy, make-ahead, adaptable-to-your-taste gems. I’ve made it with all sorts of variations of canadian bacon, sausage, cooked broccoli, cooked peppers and onions, cooked kale, sundried tomatoes, cheddar, provolone, parmesan, and goat cheese. All yummy.
Two keys here.
First is amount: don’t add more than 2 teaspoons of add-in per mini-frittata. The version here calls for 1 teaspoon broccoli and a wee sprinkle of cheese. Remember, these are mini! And mini is small!
Second is size: chop those add-ins finely. Again, we’re dealing with minis and we want our add-ins to be at least moderately well-distributed. I’ve also found that finely chopped veggies are much more palatable to picky eaters than big hunks of veggies.
The only drawback I see with this recipe is that it doesn’t fare well with freezing. Trust me, I’ve tried it! Don’t do it! If a full batch is too much for you to finish in a few days, the recipe can be halved easily. Otherwise, make a batch, refrigerate, and gently reheat in the microwave before eating. This is a situation where the 50% power button is appropriate.
Let’s go forth and tackle the season of “too!” Let’s make breakfast!
Broccoli Cheddar Mini Frittatas
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup finely chopped cooked broccoli (I use thawed frozen broccoli; works great!)
8 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position.
Spray the cups of a mini muffin pan (24 cup capacity) with nonstick cooking spray. Put 1 teaspoon of chopped broccoli into the bottom of each muffin cup.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper until well blended. Pour the egg mixture into the muffin cups, filling each just to the top. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top of each muffin cup.
Bake for 10 - 13 minutes, or until the frittatas have puffed and are set in the middle (no wiggly middles if you gently shake the pan!). Remove pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let cool for a few minutes, then run a butter knife around the edges of each frittata to loosen it from the pan. Remove frittatas from pan and serve warm. Yield: 24 mini frittatas