Sweet Potato, Leeks, And Greens Frittata Recipe

The frittata is a classic Italian dish that combines eggs with other ingredients such as vegetables, meat, and cheese. Unlike the French omelette, a frittata cooked on the stove is not folded but flipped and cooked on both sides. It can also be started on the stove and then baked in the oven, and this method does not require flipping or adjusting a stovetop flame.

Italians eat frittatas as a second course after a first course usually consisting of pasta or rice. It can also make up what is called a piatto unico — a complete meal in itself without a separate first and second course. Americans generally eat egg-based dishes for breakfast or brunch, but if you're looking for easy lunch or dinner ideas, consider adding a delicious frittata to the menu. Versatile and easy to make, a frittata can have many different flavor combinations, and the eggs are a good carrier for some of your favorite ingredients.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for a delicious baked sweet potato, leek, and greens frittata that offers the benefits of a few nutritional powerhouses. Feta cheese and fresh rosemary round out the flavor. This recipe calls for turnip greens, but any similar mild green like spinach or beet greens will taste just as good and all will provide the nutritional benefits of dark green leafy vegetables. Read on to discover just how straightforward it is to make this tasty and complete meal.

For this recipe, first you'll need a medium sweet potato, a medium leek, and a bunch of turnip greens. These will be sauteed in olive oil. Make sure to have half a dozen eggs on hand as well as feta cheese, a sprig of rosemary, and salt and pepper.

Peel and cut the sweet potato into roughly ¼-inch cubes.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, feta, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet on medium heat.

Saute the sweet potato and leek, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until the sweet potato is tender but not too soft. Add a small amount more oil if needed to prevent sticking.

Add the greens and saute for 1 minute until wilted.

Pour the egg mixture evenly on top of the vegetables in the skillet. Flatten any elevated pieces with a spatula.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the eggs are just cooked through and the edges are browned.

Let the frittata cool for 10 minutes to enhance the flavor of the feta, cut it into 8 slices, and serve warm. Alternatively, you can let it cool and serve it at room temperature.

The main flavors of this frittata come from sweet potato, leek, turnip greens, feta cheese, and rosemary. If you prefer not to use some of these ingredients or they are not available, there are plenty of options for customization. Any kind of regular potato will work well in this recipe. If you can't find turnip greens or have other greens on hand, feel free to use those instead. Turnip greens have a mild flavor and other similar greens like spinach, beet greens, arugula, and microgreens will work. Kale and Swiss chard are options but cut off the thick stems first (and use them in another recipe) because they take longer to cook. Given their high nutrient content, it's more important just to get some dark leafy green vegetables into this meal.

In place of leeks, you can use onions or shallots instead. The frittata will still be tasty though it won't have the special flavor of leeks. Feta cheese and rosemary add flavor to this frittata, but other kinds of herbs and cheeses can be used. Chives, tarragon, thyme, basil, parsley, and marjoram are good choices. In terms of cheeses that go well with a frittata, it's hard to go wrong. Goat cheese, Swiss, Gouda, Monterey Jack, and grated Parmesan are all good options.

A nice thing about this recipe is it's a one-pot meal. All of the ingredients are cooked or prepared in a skillet on the stovetop first before the same pan is moved to the oven to bake. Though cast iron skillets are ideal for making frittatas because they're ovenproof and naturally nonstick, not everyone has one in their kitchen. Luckily, you can still make a baked frittata without one. Just follow the recipe up to step 6. Then transfer the contents of the skillet to a greased baking dish of a similar size before you pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in step 7 and continue with the rest of the recipe.

Frittatas can also be cooked entirely on the stovetop. After you first pour in the eggs, cook the frittata on medium-low, covered, until the bottom is cooked and it's firm enough to flip. Flipping the frittata without breaking it may seem like a daunting task, but this will be easier if you cover the pan with the lid or with a large plate. Invert the skillet so the frittata ends up on the lid or plate, and then slide it back into the skillet to finish cooking the other side (uncovered).