Clean out the Fridge Frittata

Monday morning and I was browsing the web looking for something good to eat.  I have a banana which has seen better days and I was looking for an easy way to use it up.  Found a banana chocolate chip muffin recipe I want to try soon.  It looked devine!   But, I did stumble across this recipe on the allrecipes.com website:

A lightbulb went off because I also had Italian sausage in the fridge too that I had frozen and then subsequently thawed.  Hmmm... it was almost 10:30 a.m. at the time so I decided to make my own version of the Italian sausage frittata.  I used the recipe as a guide for how to cook it since I'd never made a frittata before.  I was excited because this was a stovetop version. Usually with frittatas have to be started on the stovetop and finished off in the stove, but I don't have an oven proof skillet.  This was ideal!  And the best part is, you can add any ingredient you have on hand.  I had a zucchini that I had bought for some recipe this week, but had forgotten it in the fridge.   I also had about a half an onion left and a small red pepper.  Oh yeah, and the eggs were getting close to expiration too.  As you can see, this is the perfect "use it up" recipe, hence the name: "Clean out the fridge frittata" :)

So, here's the recipe:

Clean out the Fridge Frittata

1 zucchini, diced small

1/2 onion, diced small

1 small bell pepper, diced small

1/2 lb (2 links) Italian sausage

6 eggs (4 eggs, 2 egg whites), beaten well

1/2 tablespoon butter

Shredded cheese, to serve

Add zucchini, onion, and bell pepper to a skillet with the butter and cook until zucchini is softened.  Add the Italian sausage, break up into bite size pieces, and cook through.  Add the eggs and stir to combine egg with vegetables and sausage. Cover and cook through on medium-low heat, until eggs are set, about 12 - 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cut into wedges and serve.

I realized I had a bell pepper I could use after I'd cooked the onion and zucchini for a bit, so I added the pepper when I added in the sausage.   It worked out just fine.

The original recipe said to cover it and I had to make do :)  A glass cutting board worked well.  A word of caution: when you remove the cutting board watch for steam and hot water that has condensed on top.

My skillet was a little large and I didn't have enough eggs to get a pretty form, thus the jagged edges of egg around the edge.  A smaller skillet would work much better and provide for a fluffier egg and better presentation.

I added cheese to the top and cut it into wedges to serve.

The verdict:

You can add any combination of veggies and/or meats to make this delicious frittata. It would be fun with some funky cheese on top or in it.  I can't tell you how super easy it was to make and how delicious it is. It's even better the next day, I found.  It made a great breakfast this morning!  Next time, I would probably make the sausage first and wipe out some of the grease before adding the veggies and eggs.  But this way was yummy too, maybe just not the absolute healthiest it could be :)  Add a salad and make it a dinner - add some fruit and make it a breakfast or brunch.  It is an easy, go-to, clean out the fridge kind of recipe that I will definitely be trying again!