Mini Frittatas
A frittata is similar to a flat omelet. Just like an omelet, a frittata can be filled with anything—different meats and vegetables. Inspired by Rachael Ray, we bake our frittatas in mini-muffin tins instead of cooking them in a large pan. Making individual frittatas allows us to easily vary the flavors. Tonight we keep them vegetarian, filling most with red peppers and mozzarella, but keep some just with mozzarella for the children. This appetizer is good hot out of the oven or served at room temperature. Originally served as part of: Pancake Dinner for Erin.
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray (PAM)
- 2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (sliced into small pieces)
- ¼ cup jarred, roasted, red and yellow bell peppers (drained and chopped)
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-reggiano cheese (freshly grated)
- salt & pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh, Italian leaf parsley (cleaned and chopped)
Instructions
We start by pre-heating the oven to 375°.
We ready our mini-muffin tin, which can make 24 "muffins". We spray it with nonstick cooking spray and add the roasted peppers to 12 of the cups. We add the mozzarella to 16 of the cups since our children (we think) would prefer their eggs without the roasted peppers.
In a large measuring cup, we whisk the eggs. We add the milk, parmesan, and some salt and pepper and mix well.
We pour a little of the egg mixture into the 4 cups with the mozzarella only, filling them half-way. We stir the parsley into the rest of the egg mixture in the large measuring cup. We divide the mixture as evenly as we can in the mini-muffin tin. Each of the 12 cups is filled nearly to the top. We fill the unfilled cups half-way with water to prevent burning in the oven.
We bake the mini-frittatas for 12 minutes. They have puffed nicely and are firm to the touch. We turn on the broiler and broil on high for a few minutes to brown the tops slightly.
The muffin tin is removed from the oven and the mini-eggs are carefully placed onto a platter with the help of a fork and clean hands.
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray (Pam)
- ¼ cup jarred roasted red and yellow peppers (chopped)
- 2 oz fresh mozzarella (in small pieces)
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano (freshly grated)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley (chopped)
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Heat the oven to 375°F.
Kid job
Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin. Put peppers in 12 cups and mozzarella in 16 (4 cheese-only cups for the kids).
Kid job
Whisk the eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper in a large measuring cup. Fill the 4 cheese-only cups halfway. Stir the parsley into the rest and fill the other 12 cups nearly to the top. Put a little water in the empty cups.
Grown-up
Bake 12 minutes, until puffed and firm, then broil on high a few minutes to brown. Lift them out onto a platter with a fork. Good hot or at room temperature.