Hakuna Frittata

When I was a wee little Lizz, I loved eggs. I ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fried, scrambled, poached, I couldn't get enough...or so I've been told. One day, when I was three years old I came home from nursery school and announced to my family that I no longer liked eggs. Apparently this sparked some controversy and I was immediately questioned on how I could so quickly change my mind about a food I loved so much. As far as I was concerned, the answer was plain and simple. An older classmate, Lissa Bolettino told me she didn't like eggs.

Until November of 2009 eggs, for me, were out of the question. The smell, the texture -- the whole idea of them really turned me off. One lazy afternoon I was watching Giada DeLaurentiis on Everyday Italian and she was offering up some breakfast recipes. I was very intrigued by her Linguine and Proscuitto Frittatas. As I watched her construct the dish from start to finish I began to crave eggs. As strange as it was, I decided to go with it.

I had some eggs in my fridge leftover from one of the Thanksgiving desserts I had made. I also had about half of the ingredients Giada used and a various potpourri of other vegetables and cheeses, so I decided to improvise. It didn't look that hard -- she just threw some things in a bowl, whisked them up and popped it in the oven. Surely, I could do the same. 10 ingredients and 30 min later, I was eating eggs again!

As I do with most of my recipes I (usually) try to take the healthiest approach with the ingredients I use. I made some substitutions and baked the eggs in one dish instead of muffin tins. I made one this morning, and snapped a pic so you could have a look at the end result:

here's the recipe I used:

Gorgonzola Mushroom Frittata

1 egg, 2 egg whites

1/3 c. milk (I used 1%)

1 tbsp. shallots

1 small clove of garlic

1 tbsp. italian flat leaf parsley

1 tbsp. roasted red peppers

1/4 c. gorgonzola crumbles

1/4 c. part skim, low moisture shredded mozzarella

1/2 c. cremini mushrooms

1/2 c. cooked whole wheat spaghetti broken in half (recommended brand De Boles)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 375.

Bring a medium sized pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Break the spaghetti in half, add to the boiling water and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 7 to 9 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander. The pasta should measure about a 1/2 cup.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and cheeses. Add the shallots, garlic, parsley, red peppers, mushrooms, salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Transfer the mixture to a medium sized (approx 7 x 2 inch) oven safe round dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until eggs are firm.

The best thing about frittatas is that you can use any ingredients you like. I really like the idea of adding the pasta because it makes the dish more versatile and can be served, and enjoyed at any time of the day.