Cast Iron Broccoli Basil Mozzarella Frittata

This is my first “baked” frittata. I have always followed in the footsteps of my mother, grandmother, great grandmother and made my frittatas on top of the stove, a method that takes a lot of practice and confidence, perhaps even a hands on lesson. But, this method just might be the way to go if the idea of flipping a frittata is a little intimidating, or if you want to avoid standing at the stove.

But just for fun, let’s bake a frittata in the oven with my new found friend, the cast iron pan.

I am embracing cast iron with gusto, and decided to turn it into a baking dish that could make a frittata in the oven that gives my stove top method some tough competition. I was hesitant to give this a try, as the protein in eggs naturally wants to bind to a pan, and I didn’t know how the pan was going to behave. Success would mean it would slip out of the pan easily in one piece. It worked.

The eggs baked beautifully, while forming a bit of a golden crust that made for a delicious texture. The inside eggs, beaten with a splash of cream, almost had a quiche like texture, and the end result was show stopping beautiful.

Now that I’ve convinced you (hopefully) of trying this technique, allow me to persuade you to try a broccoli basil combination. I once made a broccoli and basil soup and was delighted with the aromatic surprise the broccoli needs.

Typically broccoli and cheddar travel the egg path together but the mozzarella compliments the basil a bit better, because olive oil is the base and one could put this in a crusty Italian roll and melt even more mozzarella cheese into the bread for a great lunch. I also avoided cheddar, trying to avoid the idea of those many broccoli cheddar casseroles.

The Process for Broccoli Mozzarella Baked Frittata

I started this with a fully cured cast iron pan that has been around forever. It’s my smallest of my three frying pans (8 inch). You can use a non-stick pan that is oven safe if you don’t want to chance a cast iron or don’t have one.

You can see that there is not a large amount of oil used, at least not as much if this was being prepared stove top. I chopped the broccoli and sauteéd in the cast iron pan until the broccoli was tender. This is your judgment call.

You don’t want mushy broccoli, but you don’t want it too crisp either. It will continue to cook a bit in the oven, so keep that in mind.

Use the best eggs you can afford. I get my eggs from a farm with roaming chickens and there is a difference.

The frittata baked in the oven approximately 30 minutes and came out a slightly golden brown and oh so appetizing.

More Frittatas from Spinach Tiger

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Cast Iron Broccoli Basil Mozzarella Frittata

Broccoli Basil Frittata covered in mozzarella cheese, baked in a cast iron pan. Easy brunch, lunch or dinner.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6

Author: Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of broccoli or enough to cover skillet cut into small pieces.
• Extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
• 10 large eggs beaten
• Splash of cream optional
• 1 handful basil torn into small pieces
• 1 cup Fresh mozzarella cheese cut into cubes or small thick slices
• Sea salt
• Black pepper freshly ground
• Touch of freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

• Saute broccoli in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper until cooked but still firm as it will continue to cook in oven.
• Beat eggs. Add salt, pepper splash of fresh cream and just a touch of nutmeg. The cream results in a richer texture, but is not absolutely necessary. Once broccoli is sauteed, make sure the pan has enough oil on bottom and sides so that the eggs don’t stick, approximately 2 tablespoons. My pan is very well seasoned (cured) and I probably used 1 tablespoon. Add beaten eggs.
• Arrange mozzarella evenly, but not covered all over.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-40 minutes or until the middle is set. Check at 25 minutes. The time will depend on size of pan, your oven, etc.
• Once frittata is removed from oven, allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Cut into wedges.
• Frittata is best served at room temperature.

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