Frittata Baked With Quinoa, Herbs, and Vegetables

Whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, eggs provide an inexpensive, nutritious, and filling meal. Any ingredients that can be added to scrambled eggs are wonderful for frittatas, as well.

The following recipe includes quinoa and is delicious, satisfying, high in protein, portable, and freezable. Quinoa is a super grain, providing all 8 essential amino acids (complete protein). It gets baked in the oven, so it doesn’t need to be precooked. Instead, it settles to the bottom of the pan and creates a moist crust.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon butter or oil
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 8 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup lowfat or nonfat milk
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, shallot or onion
• 1+ teaspoon chopped fresh or dried thyme, rosemary, parsley or other herbs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1-2 cups chopped vegetables (red and/or green bell peppers, sliced cherry tomatoes, corn, mushrooms, minced parsley, cubed butternut squash, shredded broccoli, etc.)
• 1 cup finely shredded Cheddar, Parmesan, Romano, or Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter,  spray or lightly oil an 8×8 baking dish and set aside.
2. Using a fine mesh strainer, rinse quinoa with cold running water until water runs clear, to remove bitter saponins. Drain well.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, garlic/shallot/onion, thyme, pepper and quinoa. Stir in spinach.
4. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Jiggle dish gently from side to side, so quinoa can settle on bottom in an even layer.
5. Cover dish with foil and bake until set, about 45 minutes. (I forgot to do this once and the casserole was still excellent!)
6. Remove foil and sprinkle top evenly with cheese. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, until golden brown and crisp, 10-15 minutes more.
7. Set aside to cool briefly, then slice and serve.

Variations:

1. Pour the above mixture into a 12-cup muffin tin to create mini frittatas. First spray or lightly oil the muffin tin, or insert cupcake papers. Fill muffin tin cups just below the rim with mixture. Do not cover with foil. Bake until set, approximately 25 minutes. Carefully add cheese, return to oven and bake until golden brown and crisp.
2. Layer frittata serving or mini frittata between bagel or English muffin halves, or slices of whole grain bread for an on-the-go sandwich.

Nutrition per serving: 

260 calories (130 from fat), 14g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 300mg cholesterol, 14g carbohydrates (2g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 18g protein.

Freezing frittatas:

Individual frittatas make convenient, portion-controlled meals that can be prepared in advance. Wrap each serving tightly to prevent freezer burn, and store in freezer for up to one month. When ready to eat, remove desired portions, defrost overnight in refrigerator, and rewarm the next day in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.