Si Mangia Bene: The Sunday Frittata

Today’s Si Mangia Bene post is written by our Beauty & Style editor, Stephani. She loves The Food Network, cooking and sharing recipes.

By Stephani

Breakfast just happens to be my favorite meal of the day. As a health junkie I’ve come to learn that it is also the most important meal of the day. Here’s why:

Your body is in starvation mode when you wake up in the morning. In order to jump-start your metabolism, you need to break the fast so your body and mind can wake up. Even eating a cup of yogurt or last night’s pizza leftovers is better than eating nothing at all. You need something in the morning in order to be your most productive throughout the day, and also so that you don’t overeat during other meals.

Now I’ll spare you the rest of the boring stuff and just say, studies have found that people who eat eggs in the morning consume fewer calories throughout the day. And everyone always says that they don’t have time for breakfast in the morning (especially eggs!), so here’s my foolproof way to get around that sorry excuse.

Photo by Stephani Bloomquist

The Sunday Frittata. Bake your breakfast on Sunday and you’ll have no excuse not to heat a delicious slice each morning before you run out the door!

Ingredients:
8 eggs
1/3 c. milk
3/4 c. cheese (mozzarella is healthier than cheddar), shredded
3/4 c. ham, diced
1/2 tsp. dried dill
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil, for baking dish

Tools:
Baking dish (I use a round shallow dish)
A whisk or beater
Small- to medium-sized bowl

*Note: This is not the traditional way of making a frittata. The excellent chefs of the world would first cook this in a pan on the stovetop with their expert skills and then put it in the oven … I’m not that good. So I do it this way:

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and dill in a small- or medium-sized bowl.

3. Shred the cheese and dice the ham. Add to the bowl and stir them in.

4. Oil the baking dish so the frittata won’t stick. (I usually forget to do this and regret it afterward, but it’s not the end of the world!)

5. Pour the contents of the bowl into your oiled baking dish.

6. Bake the frittata for 25 minutes, then check to make sure the eggs are cooked thoroughly. To do this, insert a toothpick into a few places in the eggs and make sure the toothpick comes out clean. If the eggs are not fully cooked, place it back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes and repeat until it is cooked thoroughly. Watch carefully, as you don’t want to overcook the eggs.

7. When the frittata is done, let it cool and then slice it pizza-style in 6-8 slices.

8. Enjoy this frittata like Harrison Ford’s Mike Pomeroy in Morning Glory.

So what’s your solution to busy morning madness? Try this frittata and let me know how it went! Leave me some love in the comments or send a message to [email protected]