Healthy Spinach Frittata

This Healthy Spinach Frittata is a comforting breakfast straight from the oven. Made with fresh vegetables, crispy bacon, and a savory cheese blend, you'll use a cast iron skillet to make this frittata recipe which will result in the most delicious egg frittata. This simple breakfast is perfect for any holiday breakfast or brunch or for a lazy weekend!

Jump to:

• ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
• 🤷 What is a Frittata?
• 🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
• 📋 Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
• 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
• 🍽️ More Breakfast Recipes
• Hearty Spinach Frittata

Making a frittata recipe is actually really easy to do. And, this spinach frittata is made in one pan which makes life easier and clean up a breeze. There are many things I love about a good frittata, but what I love the most is that egg frittatas are extremely versatile.

🤷 What is a Frittata?

People confuse omelets, quiche, and frittatas all the time. They're all egg dishes and while similar, they are different. Frittatas are started on the stove and finish cooking in the oven under the broiler. They are typically made in a thick skillet (cast iron) and when done sliced like a pie. They are served either warm or at room temperature.

With omelets, the eggs are whipped and then cooked in butter in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Quiche are baked in a pastry crust and contain a dairy component in the egg mixture which gives it a wonderful richness.

What people love most is that a variety of different ingredients can be added to omelettes, frittatas, and quiche to really bring out the flavors people enjoy the most.

🛒 Ingredients You'll Need

This egg frittata is primarily made with spinach with some added roasted butternut squash. Combined with a hint of fresh sage, the flavor combination is savory and fulfilling. I add about 8-10 slices to this dish to enhance the flavor even more.

While you can use any kind of shredded cheese you like, an Italian blend really enhances the flavor of this frittata recipe. The heavy whipping cream is added to this recipe to produce a bubbly and rich flavor you'll taste in every bite.

📋 Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

This spinach frittata is really easy to make. The first part is simple. Start by preheating the oven to 375 °F. From there, pick out the pan you'll use. For this frittata recipe, you'll want to use a pan that can be used on both the stove and in the oven. I find that using a cast iron skillet works best.

Cooking Bacon

Place the the pan over medium heat on the stovetop and then add the bacon in a single layer. Expert Tip: There may be a little overlap with the bacon, but that's okay. You can loosely cover the skillet with a piece of aluminum foil to minimize the grease splatter.

After a couple of minutes, flip the bacon over to check how it's cooking. Expert Tip: It may not cook evenly in the pan and if that's the case, rotate the bacon pieces around to get more even cooking. Once the bacon is done and slightly crisp, place the bacon on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the grease. Make sure you leave a couple tablespoons of the bacon grease in the pan to cook the butternut squash, onion, and fresh spinach.

Sauteing Vegetables

Heat the remaining bacon grease on medium heat until hot. Add the chopped butternut squash to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes until slightly softened. Next, add in the diced onion and cook for another 8 minutes. The vegetables will start to caramelize toward the end of the saute time.

Prepare The Egg Mixture

While the vegetables are sauteing, you can start preparing the egg mixture. To do so, crack the eggs into a large bowl and add in the heavy whipping cream, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and kosher salt.

Whisk to combine and then add in the heaping cupful of shredded Italian cheese blend and stir gently to incorporate. Chop the bacon and set aside. Expert Tip: When preparing the bacon, chop it into smaller pieces to make for easy eating.

Combining The Ingredients

After the vegetables are cooked, add the freshly chopped sage and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the butternut squash can be easily pierced with a fork. From there, add in the fresh spinach. Keep in mind that it will look like there is a out of spinach in the pan, but after a minute or two of cooking the spinach will wilt down.

As you can see here, the spinach wilted after a 1-2 minutes and the pan is no longer overflowing.

Once the spinach has wilted, add in the bacon pieces and stir to combine so that the spinach, butternut squash, and bacon are in an even layer in the pan.

Next, pour the egg mixture over the contents in the pan. The mixture won't completely cover the sauteed vegetables and bacon so you'll want to poke any large pieces peeking out back into the mixture with a fork.

Baking The Frittata

Place the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. You want to ensure there is no liquid on the toothpick. Let the frittata cool for 5-7 minutes before slicing and serving.

This spinach frittata is delectable and one of the simplest frittata recipes you'll ever make. The ingredients and process is quick and easy. We're talking about a meal that is ready and on the table in under 30 minutes!

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• If you're looking to make this an even healthier frittata recipe, only use the egg whites. This will cut down on the fat intake and cholesterol.
• I've made this recipe with a variety of different types of cheese like mozzarella and mild cheddar, but I find that the Italian Cheese blend tastes the best. When measuring the shredded cheese, make sure to use a heaping cup.
• You'll need half a pound of chopped butternut squash for this frittata. Make sure the butternut squash pieces are cut small, otherwise they'll take longer to cook. If you're short on time you can buy pre-cut butternut squash, though you may need to cut them into smaller pieces.
• Depending on what you have available, you can replace the butternut squash with something different such as an acorn or kabocha squash.
• When making this spinach frittata, you can add and/or substitute any vegetable you like. I love adding asparagus, fresh mushrooms, and even broccoli to this egg frittata.

🍽️ More Breakfast Recipes

I'm always looking for an easy breakfast recipe. This Potato Breakfast Hash is a hearty breakfast that keeps me full throughout the day. And if you like a good hash, this Leftover Breakfast Hash is an easy way to put leftover meats and veggies to good use.

If you're looking for another good frittata recipe, check out my Roasted Tomato, Kale, & Goat Cheese Frittata. It's a delicious vegetarian dish that is perfect for both breakfast and dinner!

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Update Notes: This post was originally published in December 2018, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in January 2021.