I have never been much of an egg person.  I am a total virgin egg-orderer at restaurants.  It’s almost embarrassing.  When (if) I order eggs out, I keep it simple with scrambled eggs or an omelet.  The other day, my husband actually had to explain to me the difference between over easy, under easy, sunny side up etc.  Seriously, eggs are just not in my wheelhouse.  I don’t do hardboiled unless we are dipping them in dye for Easter.  You cook what you like and eggs are something that it’s taken me a long time to like.  I’ve made a handful of egg casseroles in my time because they are usually packed with breakfast meat, shredded potatoes and cheese — this makes eating eggs a little easier, obviously!  But the bottom line is, eggs are a healthy and affordable source of protein and I’m making an effort to learn new ways to cook them.  Recently I’ve become wooed by the classic frittata; I’ve been ripping out recipes in magazines, saving online recipes to my desktop etc., etc.  There is something sort of sexy, hip and refined about a frittata.  Frankly, it’s just an easy, one-pan method of cooking eggs with about anything you want to use up from your fridge!  But somehow it seems like a classied up casserole.  Maybe it’s just more elegant to say “fri-tah-tah” than “CASS-E-ROLE!”

I made this Three Cheese and Chive Frittata on Thanksgiving morning when my brother’s family was staying with us.  I wanted to keep it meat-free and kind of simple since we’d be eating heavy later in the day.  But seriously, you can put anything you want in a frittata, just make sure it is pre-cooked.  I think some freshly grated cheese and some fresh herbs are a must to completing this beautifully simple and rustic breakfast dish.  Or dinner dish.  Or lunch dish.  Again, the possibilities are endless!

Three Cheese and Chives Frittata (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

6-7 eggs

1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus a little more for grating over top after the frittata comes out of oven)

Optional: 1-2 cups of any type of cooked vegetable and/or meat (asparagus, sausage, ham, potatoes, spinach, mushrooms etc.)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil or chives (I went with chives and parsley!)

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat eggs and stir in cheese, salt and pepper (and optional pre-cooked vegetables or meat if desired).

Heat a 10 inch ovenproof skillet (ideally a cast iron skillet) over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add olive oil and carefully swirl around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the skillet.  Add egg mixture to skillet, spread out evenly and cook over medium heat, without stirring, until the edges are set and golden brown, about 8-10 minutes (you can carefully loosen an edge to check the bottom).

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the eggs are completely set and frittata is deep golden brown on the bottom, about 15 minutes more.

Remove skillet from oven (be careful, it will be HOT!).  Sprinkle with a few more tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan and some more black pepper and fresh herbs.  Cut in wedges and serve immediately.  Alternatively it can be served at room temperature or even cold.

Adapted from Whole Foods Market, Learn to Cook: Frittata