Friday night, I found myself needing to empty out some space in my freezer so I could fit a ton of free ice pops and ice cream sandwiches and some ice cream pints that Joy scored. I’m telling you, her magic power is discovering the best clearance deals, negotiating prices, and finding freebies.
I ended up pulling out a number of items to thaw including a pound of bacon that I had found on clearance and a loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread.
I grew up freezing bread, though I know some people are skeptical or opposed to it. I find that as long as you use the bread fairly quickly (say within a month) and rotate your new bread into the freezer and your old bread out, it doesn’t lose any texture or flavor.
If your bread isn’t double wrapped, though, it helps to wrap aluminum foiled or another layer or plastic wrap around the outside to protect against freezer burn. That’s what my mom always did, and I swear by it!
I was originally planning to turn these ingredients into egg sandwiches on Saturday morning, but we made last-minute plans to have A’s parents over for dinner, and I pivoted to breakfast-for-dinner (AKA brinner)!
Brinner
If you’ve never done breakfast for dinner, you absolutely must give it a try.
Brinner is a great way to feed a crowd, meal prep in advance, and please even the pickiest eaters.
In addition to my bacon and whole wheat sandwich, here are the other ingredients I had handy that needed to be used up:
- Eggs (I only had 8, but I knew I could pop down the street to a local farm that sells their eggs)
- Broccoli (leftover from a crudite platter I had cut for lunch on Friday)
- One bell pepper (surplus from TexMex bowls I made Thursday)
- Chopped tomato (also leftover from the TexMex bowls)
- Several small zucchini (fresh out of our garden!)
- A four-pack of cinnamon buns (which I received along with the free ice creams)
- A couple pounds of organic strawberries (on sale this week at my local Whole Foods)
Altogether, these ingredients shouted “Make breakfast for dinner!”
Since I was planning to be out most of the day on Saturday, I knew some advanced prep was required. And few recipes are as perfect for meal prep and a fridge clean-out as frittata!
Kitchen Sink Frittata
A frittata is similar to quiche but is made without crust (and thus perfect for those with a gluten allergy or intolerance). It is similar to an omelet but can be made in advance in a pie dish, square baking dish, or even larger baking dishes if you’re feeding a crowd!
I also enjoy frittatas because I love recipes that are adaptable and that work well with whatever I have on hand.
You can make a frittata….
- Plain, with just eggs
- Cheesy, with eggs and one cheese (or a variety of cheeses)
- Meat lovers’ (add any combination of sausage, bacon, ham, chicken, or even pepperoni like my friend’s kids do!)
- Vegetarian, with eggs and one or more vegetables. You can pack a ton of vegetables into a frittata and most varieties work:
- Spinach, kale, swiss chard, or your other favorite leafy green
- Bell peppers
- Spicy peppers
- Onion
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini or other squashes
- Potatoes or sweet potatoes (these need to be precooked)
- Mushrooms
- Jarred vegetables or other condiments. Think olives, artichoke hearts, roasted bell peppers, and more!
I encourage you to experiment with whatever you have on hand. These are just a few possibilities but be bold and try new combinations!
Kitchen Sink Frittata for a Crowd
Since I was feeding four adults and three little boys with big appetites, I wanted to pack quite a bit into this frittata. I knew I needed to use some of the bacon (though I tend toward vegan and vegetarian dishes, we are flexible and incorporate a little meat now and then), and I wanted to use some of those leftover veggies before they spoiled.
I grabbed another dozen eggs from my local farmer Saturday morning on my way back from my early morning hike and then assembled the frittata while the boys ate their breakfast.
I recommend parcooking vegetables that require longer cook times like broccoli, kale, potatoes, and even onions and peppers (to take the “bite” out of them) while softer vegetables like spinach, tomatoes, and zucchini can be tossed in with the scrambled egg mixture.
Depending on what flavors you’re going with, you can easily turn this into a one-bowl, one-pan meal by chopping the vegetables, adding them right to your baking dish, and then just scrambling your eggs in a bowl before pouring them over the top.
I diced and fried half the pound of bacon first, then cooked most of my vegetables in the residual bacon grease (rather than using added oils or butter). I used a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a 9×13 baking dish and then used a paper towel to grease the pan using the bacon fat as well.
I was only looking to parcook the vegetables, so I sauteed the broccoli for about a minute, then added the bell pepper for another minute or two. As soon as I saw the green color brighten slightly, I pulled these vegetables out of the pan and dumped them in with the bacon.
The tomatoes were already diced from our dinner the previous night, so I added those right into the pan.
I cooked the zucchini for only about 30-60 seconds in the same saute pan with the last of the bacon fat and added this as well.
I sprinkled all the veggies with fresh cracked black pepper and a little salt (since bacon is very salty) and then stirred them around to mix them well.
In a separate mixing bowl, I cracked 20 eggs total and added just a splash of water. Some people add milk or even cream, but a good friend of mine once told me that scrambled eggs are fluffiest if you whisk them with just a little cold water. I’ve stuck to water ever since – it’s the least expensive anyway!
I skipped salt in the scrambled eggs, though normally I would add a pinch or two, since A’s parents try to adhere to a low salt diet.
Once whisked, you just need to pour the eggs over the top of your other ingredients and stir gently to ensure the egg penetrates to the bottom.
I popped a lid on my 9×13 container (or you can cover it with foil) and stuck the pan in the refrigerator.
You’ll want to take the pan out of the fridge about an hour before you are ready to bake it so that the glass dish doesn’t go into the oven cold if you’re preparing this dish in advance. Or you can go directly into the oven and bake it right away.
Bake times will vary slightly based on your chosen ingredients and your oven, but mine baked for 45 minutes at 350 degrees and then I browned the top slightly by upping the temperature to 425 degrees for another 5 minutes.
You are looking for a firm surface with no major jiggling in the center of the dish.
Top with fresh sliced green onions, ketchup, hot sauce, or your favorite egg accompaniment, and enjoy!
This Week’s Frittata Recipe
Serves 7 Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes Active Time: 20 minutes
- 1/2 lb bacon, diced
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 large bell pepper, diced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1-2 small zucchini, diced
- 20 eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Scallions, hot sauce, ketchup, for topping
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, if baking immediately.
- Saute bacon until browned and crispy. Remove to 9×13 baking dish. Use a paper towel and some of the bacon grease to grease the sides and bottom of your bacon pan.
- Gently saute the broccoli in the residual bacon grease for about 1 minute.
- Add the chopped pepper and saute for another 1-2 minutes (just until veggies brighten noticeably). Remove to baking dish with the bacon.
- Toss zucchini in the same saute pan for 30-60 seconds, then add this to the baking dish with the bacon and other vegetables.
- Add chopped tomatoes to baking dish, season with salt and black pepper, and stir to combine.
- Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl, add a large splash of water (about 2 tablespoons), and whisk until almost fully scrambled.
- Pour eggs over bacon and veggies, stir gently to incorporate.
- Bake immediately at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Increase temperature to 425 degrees until top is nicely golden brown (about 5 minutes).
- Remove pan from oven, let cool slightly, then cut and serve.
I served this frittata alongside cut strawberries and blueberries, vegan whole wheat French toast, and warmed cinnamon buns for a hearty meal.
Let me know your favorite frittata combinations in the comments below!