People often ask me why I have the name Spinach Tiger. I’ve shared this before, but I’ll share again how this unusual name came to be. A long time ago, I was having a heated debate on an on-line private forum. One of the guys that usually took my side commented, “she’s a real spinach tiger.” I loved it. While it meant strong, it was also whimsical, and if you knew me in person, you would know how it fits.

Make Spinach Frittata for Dinner

Growing up in an Italian family, we never had frittata except as a side at dinner. It was never served as a breakfast or brunch item. So you can take the liberty of having an easy and affordable dinner. It

Often when I’m not sure what to make for dinner, I make a frittata, a hearty, healthy choice that has very little active cooking time. Served with crusty bread and salad, you have a fantastic meal, but this could also be considered a brunch item or a side dish.

Placing spinach at the top of the frittata makes for a beautiful presentation. Add the spinach to the frittata after the egg mixture is in the pan to get this beautiful look.

I’ve written often about frittatas, because they are the perfect way to use leftovers, are affordable and can become a leftover themselves. Easy to heat up, great for sandwiches, or even a side dish.

I wrote an article Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Frittatas here. It’s worth a read, if you haven’t mastered the frittata. There is also a link there to 15 frittatas.

Stovetop or Oven Baked Spinach Frittata

I grew up making frittatas on top of the stove, which takes a little practice, but you can bake your frittata in the oven. However, I like to start my frittata on the stove and then finish in the oven. This will cut down cooking time and I give you both options in the recipe.

Why Use Manchego Cheese?

Manchego Cheese is a Spanish sheep’s cheese with a nutty taste. People that can’t eat cow’s milk cheese can often eat sheep’s cheese. It’s one of my favorite for snacking too. You can switch out the cheese for swiss or cheddar or even add dollops of ricotta.

Why Cauliflower in a Frittata?

Instead of potatoes, I used left over cauliflower as a low-carb option. It’s a great substitute and added some heft.

More Frittatas from Spinach Tiger

• Yellow Squash Bacon Frittata Stovetop or Baked
• Brussels Sprouts Frittata with Arugula, Purple Potatoes, Manchego
• Sheet Pan Frittata
• Shredded Sweet Potato Frittata for One
• Asparagus Ricotta Frittata
• Italian Sausage RIcotta Spinach Frittata
• Sweet Potato, Sage Sausage Frittata

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Spinach Manchego Frittata Recipe, Paleo Friendly

Oven baked spinach manchego frittata

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 8 eggs well beaten
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups baby spinach washed, dried
• 1 cup Manchego Cheese shredded (can use white cheddar)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup cauliflower optional (can use potatoes)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat oil in a 10-inch non-stick pan.
• Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and cook for about five minutes, before adding any other ingredients.
• Beat eggs well.
• Season eggs with salt and pepper. Add in cheese.
• Add eggs to pan.
• Add spinach evenly. Push spinach down into egg mixture.
• Option 1: Use a spatula to bring from egg mixture from the edge of pan and allow It to run underneath. Once most of the liquid mixture is used, place I oven.

  Option 2: You can put frittata directly into oven. It will take a little longer to bake. (30 to 40 minutes). Check at 25 minutes.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until top is done.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.

The post Spinach Frittata with Manchego appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

How do I make a successful frittata?

I’m glad you asked. I posted this article on Everything You Need to Know about Frittatas and I highly recommend you give it a read. There are also links to fifteen frittata recipes, because I’m Italian and frittatas are a way of life.

We use frittatas to use up leftovers, to avoid turning to fast food, and sometimes to serve as a side dish, cut into a wedge.

How do I cook the brussels sprouts for a Brussels Sprouts Frittata?

This is so easy. You do have to trim off the stems, give them a good rinse, and then slice them with sharp knife or this easy mandolin. This should take about five minutes, the time it will take to microwave your purple potatoes. Give them a quick sautè.

When I think of Autumn, I think of brussels sprouts and I’m a bit serious with over 10 brussels sprouts recipes here.

I use purple potatoes because they have a low glycemic count and purple is so healthy, but you could use any potato you like, even sweet potatoes would work. You CAN leave the potatoes out if you don’t want the extra carbs. For me, it’s one of the carbs I embrace!

I use arugula because it doesn’t shrink to nothing in a frittata and I like it’s slight bitterness. Replace with spinach, chard, or kale if you desire.

Frittata 101 

Frittatas can seem like a mystery. How do you get that golden brown, perfectly cooked round omelette that cuts into wedges? I’m Italian so this is second nature for me. I grew up eating the classic asparagus or zucchini frittata wedge as a side dish. I never saw frittatas anywhere else, but a lot has changed since then.

Frittatas are now a part of the American brunch menu and enjoyed everywhere.

How Many Eggs for a Frittata?

I used 8 eggs and a 10 inch non-stick pan. I love Oxo’s Egg Beater that disconnects into two parts, making cleaning and storage easy.  You do still have to use some oil. Avocado or olive oil is fine and you can add a little bit of butter if you like. This will yield six to eight wedges. The best way to loosen the underneath and let the egg mixture run under (the trick to a stovetop frittata) is the right spatula. This omelet turner from Oxo is a life changer. (Amazon).

Frittatas: breakfast, lunch, dinner or a side dish. 

I grew up eating frittata wedges as a side at dinner. I evolved into making frittatas as the weekend brunch item or as a quick lunch. This is the beauty of taking eggs and anything you have left over and making an easy, delicious, nutritious meal. I wrote all about frittata making at this post below.

Frittata 101: Everything you need to know with 15 Frittata Recipes.

My Top Brussels Sprouts Recipes

Enjoy this brussels sprouts frittata and make it your own.

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Brussels Sprouts Frittata with Purple Potatoes

How to Make a Frittata from stovetop to Oven.

Course Breakfast, Brunch, dinner, lunch

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Frittata, Purple potatoes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Oxo Omelet Spatula
• Non Stick Pan
• Egg Beater or Whisk

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil)
• 1/2 cup shaved brusselsl sprouts or sliced thinly
• 4 purple potatoes
• 2 tablespoons cheese Manchego or White Cheddar
• Handfull arugula
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
• 1 tablespoon shallot (or red onion) finely diced
• 8 eggs See notes

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare Purple Potatoes

• Clean potatoes, microwave potatoes for about five minutes until softened. You can skip the micorowave, slice thinly and sautè until softened. I don't remove the skins, but you can if you want.

Prepare Brussels Sprouts

• Clean brussels well to get out any dirt. Trim off bottom. Either use mandolin or sharp knife to slice thinly.

Make Frittata

• Beat eggs with salt, pepper. Set aside, and cook vegetables first.
• Heat pan to medium high. Add butter and oil to hot pan.
• Reduce heat, add brussels sprouts and potatoes, and cook until softened.
• Add in arugula.
• Add beaten eggs. Using a large spatula, allow the eggs to run under the frittata mixture. Keep lifting and moving the mixture. Once you have no more runny eggs, and the remains to be cooked, put in oven for about 5 to 10 minutes. You want to make sure you don't see any runny egg mixture.
• Cut into wedges and eat hot or at room temperature.

Notes

The amount of eggs you use will depend on how big your pan is. I usually use a ten inch pan and do 8 eggs. You can do 6 eggs or you can increase pan size and do 12 eggs 

The post Brussels Sprouts Frittata with Arugula, Purple Potatoes, Manchego appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

What is an open face frittata? It’s a frittata with fillings placed on the top instead of inside. It’s what happened for me when we were down to two eggs and I was making a quick Sunday brunch for the two of us. I didn’t plan on making this a blog post, but it was a new discovery for me that one could stretch two eggs into a meal and that it seemed worthy to share with you.

Open Face Healthy Frittata with Purple Potatoes and Arugula is full of nutrition.

I’ve made lot of frittatas here at Spinach Tiger. It’s a cornerstone of my big fat healthy food view. Frittatas can be a healthy lunch or a quick dinner, and are a great fall back to the “busy life” dilemma.

Purple potatoes and arugula both have a high anti-oxidant profile. Many studies have shown both to aid in lowering blood pressure.

If you’re new to purple potatoes, let me give me the good news. There is not “potato” guilt. They have a lower glycemic index than white potatoes, and are all around “healthy” food. One half cup of potatoes is only about 12 carbs.  Purple Potaotes are a super food, containing cancer fighting anthocyanin, which gives the potato its brilliant purple color.  I wrote more about the benefits here.

The Process for a Healthy Frittata

I made this healthy frittata with only two eggs (because that’s all we had), but you can increase the ingredients for a larger frittata, just adjust your ingredients accordingly. If you want to bake your frittata, follow these instructions, although I would only do that if I were making a frittata with six or more eggs.

I prepared the toppings first, then took the two minutes it takes to make the eggs. Once the frittata is turned over, I added the cooked ingredients, the cheese and put a lid on it so the cheese would melt.

I think this is a beautiful presentation and I might do more frittatas like this.

This recipe is more of a guide and a new idea. It’s a great way to use any left overs!

You might recall I made a frittata for one, because sometimes it’s just you. Sometimes, it’s a crowd and you can bake a frittata in a baking pan.

Frittata for One

Sheet Pan Frittata for a Crowd

More Frittatas from Spinach Tiger

More Purple Potato Recipes from Spinach Tiger

This site contains affiliate links which earn a small commission, but does not affect your price. See disclosure here. 

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Open Faced Healthy Frittata with Purple Potatoes, Shallots, Arugula

A open faced frittata with purple potatoes and arugula.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons butter avocado oil or olive oil (may need less)
• 2 purple potatoes large diced
• 1 shallot small diced
• handful of arugula
• 1/4 corn or peas I used corn off a fresh cob
• 2 to 4 eggs see notes
• 1 ounce of Manchego cheese or cheese of your choice

Instructions

• Heat butter or oil a small non stick frying pan.
• Add potatoes and shallots until potatoes are cooked through.
• Remove to a plate.
• Clean out pan if needed.
• Add more oil or butter in pan.
• Beat eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add to pan. Using a large spatula (like this one), move the eggs to the underneath, from all four corners, east west north south, until there is not much liquid on top and you can flip.
• Using potholders and a flat dish, flip frittata over.
• Add in potatoes, shallots, arugula, and corn over the top.
• Add in cheese. I didn't cover with cheese, just added intermittently. You can use any cheese you like.
• Cover with lid for a minute or two until cheese is melted.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

You can make this larger by adding up to six eggs. You can also bake frittata in oven if you desire.

The post Open Faced Healthy Frittata with Purple Potatoes, Shallots, Arugula appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Strawberries in a salad has been done a zillion times, but that’s because it’s so good.  Strawberries,  sweet, juicy and pretty lay well against a vinaigrette and bring a special flavor and balance to a salad.  When the salad is arugula with strawberries and Manchego cheese, it’s a special treat, getting a little bit of sweet, savory, and creamy.

What I like most about this salad is that there are only three ingredients, yet it still tastes special. Arugula is one of those salad greens that brings such a blast of peppery tang that I don’t like to inundate with a lot of ingredients. I like to give it star billing and allow the dressing and a few ingredients to remain in important supporting roles.

The strawberries are Tennessee strawberries picked this past week, and they are sweet the way local berries in season are. Manchego cheese is one of my top five favorite cheeses. It’s an aged sheep’s milk cheese from Spain, that is crumbly and flavorful, and has universal appeal. I’ve never met anyone that has been hostile to Manchego. It’s marries well with fruit and the peppery arugula. The dressing is almost too simple here. Arugula takes oil quickly so one must be careful not to over dress it. A quick tossing of extra virgin olive oil, followed by a squeeze of fresh lemon and dot of good balsamic and the salad is done.

The Salad Bar

This is an entry for a new cooking group called the Salad bar started by Wendy, of Weekend Gourmet.  Every month, we are assigned a new ingredient. I love salads and thought this would be fun.

If you don’t have strawberries, use a different berry. I love blackberries and had that on a different night.

If you want to try a very unique arugula berry salad, try this one made with a confetti of white chocolate instead of cheese.

So tell me, what do you like most in your salad?

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Arugula with Strawberries and Manchego

Arugula, strawberries and a Manchego cheese harmonize well with a lemon and olive oil dressing.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 4 cups arugula or one container
• 1 cup strawberries trimmed and sliced in half
• 2 ounces Manchego cheese shaved
• fresh lemon juice squeezed from half lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon syrupy balsamic vinegar optional
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Toss arugula with one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, one teaspoon at a time because you may not need it to. Add lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Toss again. Season with salt and pepper. Add strawberries and cheese.



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This is an amazing, rich, satisfying recipe from Daniel Boulard. As soon as I saw this, I knew I would have to make it. This is a meal for cold weather, and a big appetite, as it’s very filling, but it’s real food, so eat up.

This is a slow food recipe, using veal stock, red wine and beef. The whipped potatoes are made with Manchego Cheese. You can switch out veal stock for beef stock.

This is a the best of a stew and best of mashed potatoes.

Enjoy the marriage of beef and veal with Manchego cheese mashed potatoes for a rich and unique Shepherd’s pie.

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Beef and Veal Stew Shepherd’s Pie

Recipe for Beef and Veal Shepherd’s Pie (adapted from Daniel Boulard, Elle Decor Magazine) Ingredients

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Beef & Veal Shepherd’s Pie

• 1 lb. boneless rib eye cut into 1″ cube
• 1 pound veal cubes optional, if you don’t use veal, use 2 pounds of rib eye steak
• 2½ cups Burgundy red wine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 medium onions ½” dice
• 2 large carrots peeled, ½” dice
• 3 stalks celery ½” dice
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups veal stock see recipe below or use beef stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mashed potatoes (see recipe below)

• 1/2 cup grated manchego cheese original recipe uses gruyere

Sachet

• • 2 cloves garlic
• • 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 3 stems parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 peppercorns crushed

Veal Stock

• veal bones
• 1 large onion quartered
• 2 carrots cut in large pieces
• few sprigs of thyme
• salt pepper
• six cups cold water

Mashed Potatoes

• 2 pounds white potatoes peeled (some love yukon golds for a creamier texture.
• 2 teaspoons salt for water
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 6 to 8 tablespoons whole milk
• splash of cream optional
• salt white pepper to season
• dash nutmeg about three gratings

Instructions

Beef & Veal Shepherd’s Pie

• Cut the veal off the bone and make the veal stock below. Cut the rib eye into small cubes, discarding the fat.
• Cover the cubed veal pieces and rib eye with the wine and marinate for 3 hours.
• Put sachet ingredients into a piece of cheesecloth. Prepare vegetables.
• After three hours, remove meat from wine. Reserve wine and reduce in sauce pan with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Add olive oil to large pot or dutch oven. Sear meat on both sides. Remove and set aside, reserving enough fat in pot to saute the vegetables.
• Add onion, celery and carrots and saute for four minutes. Add in tomato paste. Cook for two minutes and add meat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook until four is dissolved. Add wine, veal stock and sachet.
• Cover and simmer very low for two hours. Season to taste.Put stew into baking pan.
• Top with mashed potatoes and manchego cheese.
• Bake at 400 degrees, on top rack for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.

Veal Stock

• Cut away the bone from a veal shoulder. Reserve meat for recipe above. Place bones, carrots, onion and thyme on shallow roasting sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roast at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until vegetables are caramelized.
• Place in large pot with 6 cups of cold water. Add bay leaf, fresh sprig of thyme. Simmer for 2-4 hours or until reduced to 2 cups of broth. You might need to add in some cold water if broth is reducing too fast. Taste along the way.

Mashed Potatoes

• Peel potatoes, and cut into quarters and cut again. Rinse in cold water. Put just enough cold water in pan to cover potatoes by two inches.
• Add 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to boil and then simmer until fork tender. Drain and put back into pot and add butter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Scald milk. Smash potatoes with fork or old fashioned masher tool and add a few tablespoons of hot milk and three tablespoons of the butter. Mix with a wooden spoon.
• Take through the ricer and return to the pan. Turn the heat on low and add the rest of the milk a little at a time and use wooden spoon to stir.
• Add nutmeg. Stir again. Add in last tablespoons of butter. Taste and season again with salt and pepper if necessary.

The post Beef and Veal Stew Shepherd’s Pie appeared first on Spinach Tiger.