Bacon and Greens Frittata

Nuts and bolts:

Frittata is one of my go-to dishes if the week is going to be crazy busy. It is a quick meal, and if you put in enough vegetables, it is a one-pot meal. Just add a salad and/or piece of bread, and you have dinner. I make a large one because it makes excellent breakfast and lunches for several days. I based this recipe on Alton Brown’s Frittata, but mine has different filings.

My thoughts on Frittata:

1. This recipe is more of a method than a typical recipe so that you can use any filling in your frittata.

2. I use bacon fat, but you do not need to. I use it because I am fond of the flavor, but you can use olive oil, butter, or other oil.

3. You do need a cast-iron skillet. I have tested this recipe in other types of pots, and it did not work well.

4. You do not need to use a dozen eggs, but I would not use less than six eggs.

Method:

What you will need for this recipe are a dozen eggs, one bunch of bitter greens (i.e., spinach, kale, chard), 8-ounces of mushrooms, ½ pound of bacon, ½-1 cup of cheese, two tablespoons of olive oil, divided, 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat (or other oil), salt, and pepper to taste.

I start by chopping the greens and slicing the mushrooms. Then heat a sauté pan with one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat for about a minute.  Then add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until the mushrooms start to brown, and after that, add some salt and pepper. Next, add the green in batches. I like to split my greens into thirds. I add a little more olive oil to the pan and add about a third of the greens and a pinch of salt. Then let the greens wilt and continue until all the greens are cooked.

The mushrooms browning.

Important tip: I add olive oil or water to the greens as they cook to get them to wilt and let out their bitter flavor. You can use a little wine but not too much. You need to cook the vegetables, but they also need to be dry to make the frittata.

Once the mushroom and green mixture is cooked, place it in a strainer and let all the liquid drain from the vegetables. While the vegetables are draining, chop the bacon and heat the cast-iron skillet.

Important tip: I tend to use a whole pound of bacon; I like to have bacon pieces for salads and sandwiches. There will be more fat than I need for this recipe, but I can drain the fat from the pan and either save or discard it. 

Then cook the bacon in the cast-iron pan. I tend to cook my bacon super crispy, so cook your bacon to your desired doneness. Set the bacon on a plate with paper towels to remove excess grease. Then discard the bacon fat in the pan until you only have 2-3 tablespoons in the pan; it does not have to be exact. Take the skillet off the heat and let it cool down. Then mix 12 eggs in a bowl or large pitcher with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs until they are a bright yellow mixture, then whisk in about half of the cheese.

Whisking in cheese to the egg mixture.

Then reheat the cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Preheat your broiler once the fat in the pan heats up, and add the drained vegetables to the skillet. Warm them and spread them evenly around the skillet. Then pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Let it cook for a minute, and then gently push around the eggs from the sides of the skillet to keep eggs from burning. After that, let it cook in the skillet without moving the eggs for 3-5 minutes or until the bottom is set; this might take some guesswork. When the bottom is set, turn off the heat, then add the rest of the cheese to the top of the frittata. Then place it under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes or until the top is brown and the egg is set. Remove it from the broiler and enjoy!

The stages of cooking the frittata: Left is when the egg is liquid in the center but starting to cook on the sides of the skillet. The middle is when the bottom of the frittata is set, and the cheese is sprinkled over. It is ready for the broiler. Left is the finished Frittata just out of the broiler.

Final thoughts on Frittatas:

I love making this dish. I make it throughout the summer when we get a lot of green from our CSA share. My family loves that it makes such delectable leftovers that they ask me to make a frittata often. I enjoy making this dish for any meal or event because it can serve a lot of people.  So, enjoy making Frittatas in your mess!

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Bacon and Greens Frittata

Author: Dorothy's Mess

Ingredients

• 1 dozen eggs
• 1 bunch of bitter greens (i.e., Spinach, kale, chard), chopped
• 8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
• ½ pound of bacon, chopped
• ½-1 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat (or other oil)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Special equipment

• Cast-iron skillet

Instructions

1. Start by chopping the greens and slicing the mushrooms.
2. Then heat a sauté pan with one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat for about a minute.
3. Next, add the mushrooms to the pan, cook until they start to brown, and add some salt and pepper.
4. Next, add a little more olive oil to the pan and add about a third of the greens and a pinch of salt. After that, let the greens wilt and continue until all the greens are cooked.
5. Once the mushroom and green mixture is cooked, place it in a strainer and let all the liquid drain from the vegetables.
6. While this is draining, crop the bacon and heat a cast-iron skillet.
7. Then cook the bacon in the cast-iron skillet until it is the desired doneness. Set the bacon on a plate with paper towels to remove excess grease.
8. Discard the bacon fat in the pan until you have 2-3 tablespoons in the pan; it does not have to be exact. Take the skillet off the heat and let it cool down.
9. Then mix 12 eggs in a bowl or large pitcher with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs until they are a bright yellow mixture, then whisk in about half of the cheese.
10. Then reheat the cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
11. Preheat your broiler once the fat in the pan heats up, and add the drained vegetables to the skillet. Warm them and spread them evenly around.
12. Next, pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Let it cook for a minute, and then gently push around the eggs from the sides of the skillet to keep eggs from burning.
13. Then let it cook in the skillet without moving the eggs for 3-5 minutes or until the bottom is set; this might take some guesswork.
14. When the bottom is set, turn off the heat, then add the rest of the cheese to the top of the frittata.
15. Then place it under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes or until the top is brown and the egg is set.
16. Remove it from the broiler and enjoy!

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