One of our favorite recipe from our South Beach Diet days, the Vegetable Frittata is fresh and light, yet full enough to constitute as a meal on its own. Although my husband does often complain if a meal is “meatless,” he usually goes for this one. But, in an unexpected turn of events, I was the one feeling like I needed some meat…so I added Canadian bacon to this otherwise vegetarian dish.
The original recipe is from the South Beach diet cookbook, but I often play around with the veggies I put in, and, as I did this time, added some meat. Tonight I added summer squash, tomatoes, and spinach as well to the variety of veggies.
2 tablespoons Smart Balance (trans-free) margarine
1 onion, chopped
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 summer squash, thinly sliced
4 large mushrooms, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used orange, but often use red)
1 package of frozen spinach, cooked and drained (it is important to “wring out” the spinach, the liquid in the spinach will make the dish too watery)
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 rounds of Canadian bacon, cubed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
½ teaspoon ground pepper
4 large eggs, at room temperature
I cup liquid egg whites or egg substitute
1/8 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/8 cup freshly grated asiago cheese
Preheat the broiler, and place rack in lowest position (about 6 to 7 inches from heat source).
Melt one tablespoon margarine in a large, oven-safe, nonstick skillet over med. heat. Add the onion, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, pepper, half of the salt, thyme, and half of the pepper. Sautee over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender and no juices remain, add the cooked and drained spinach as well as the tomatoes.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, half the salt and pepper, and half of the cheese.
Melt the remaining teaspoon of margarine (this step is not really necessary, I have found) in the skillet with the veggies over low heat. Pour in the egg mixture. Once egg mixture is in the skillet, add the cubed Canadian bacon. Cook, uncovered and without stirring, for about 15-20 minutes (the recipe says 15, but I always need more like 20, sometimes even 25 minutes). Once only the top remains runny, the frittata is ready for the broiler. Place the skillet under the broiler and cook for 5 minutes, or until the eggs are set (again, sometimes I feel it needs longer under the broiler). Slide the frittata onto a large plate to serve. Top with reserved grated cheese and slice.
The spinach made the frittata look rather ugly, so I was upset about that, but it added a nice layer of flavor, so I am glad I included it. Not my best presentation, but a yummy meal nonetheless!
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving (including the Canadian bacon, less without):
315 calories
13.5 g fat
20 g protein
10 carbohydrates
3.5 g fiber
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