Giada De Laurentiis’ Favorite Frittata Recipes
Hearty and quick, frittatas can be some of the most economical and filling dishes to get on the table.
Here are two of Food Network personality Giada De Laurentiis’ favorite versions of the humble meal that packs so much flavor and nourishment.
The chef says that leftovers and frittatas go hand in hand
In her cookbook Everyday Italian, De Laurentiis explained the difference between frittatas and omelets.
“A frittata is an egg-based dish that’s sort of like an omelet, but simpler: Instead of folding the eggs over their fillings—which is where a lot of home cooks go wrong—you just mix everything together, and broil the top to finish cooking.”
The beauty of this meal is it can be enjoyed right out of the oven or at room temperature, making it an ideal dish for entertaining. And just about any kind of frittata is a great frittata.
“They’re an especially great way to use up small amounts of leftovers, which is actually how I invent my frittata recipes,” De Laurentiis added. “Whether it’s that single stalk of fresh oregano, a few slices of prosciutto, or a small hunk of fontina, it can go in my frittata.”
Ideal anytime of day, whether as a snack, light meal, “or even as the filling for a hearty sandwich,” here are two of De Laurentiis’ “favorites.” Both recipes are available in the chef’s Everyday Italian cookbook and on Food Network’s website.
Giada De Laurentiis’ Frittata with Potato and Prosciutto
Potatoes, the Simply Giada star notes in her cookbook, are considered a “very European” ingredient in frittatas. She shares her tip for making potatoes a not-too-obvious part of the dish: “Use small cubes of potato, as here, or very thin slices. You don’t want to be biting into a whole mouthful of starch, and you want your potatoes to cook through in a reasonable amount of time.”
This frittata also includes chopped onion, minced fresh garlic, eggs, whipping cream, grated Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced and chopped prosciutto, and chopped fresh basil. A nine-inch ovenproof skillet is also needed for the recipe.
With several dozen five-star ratings on Food Network’s site, De Laurentiis’ frittata recipe was a hit with many fans, including one who wrote, “Super-easy, not too many ingredients=inexpensive, and packed with flavor (I was pleasantly surprised). Need I say more? Will make again & again! Thanks for this recipe…definitely a keeper!”
De Laurentiis’ Asparagus, Tomato, and Fontina Cheese frittata
One home cook wrote of this recipe on Food Network’s website, “For such a simple recipe, this frittata was so tasty! A perfect combo of flavors and a must-save in anyone’s recipe box. Another winner from Giada.”
The chef offers her tip for trimming asparagus: “simply hold one end of the spear in one hand, the other end in the other hand, and bend gently until the spear snaps—which it will do exactly where the stem starts to get woody.”
As with her potato frittata, this recipe features eggs, as well as whipping cream, and also calls for olive oil, butter, trimmed and chopped asparagus, diced tomato, and cubed fontina cheese.
