Unbelievably Easy Weeknight Dinner for Kids: The Personal Frittata (Kids Cook Monday)
| November 12, 2012 | Posted by Stacy under Dinner, Recipes |
Meet my new favorite dish for busy school nights: the personal frittata. On days when I pull in late with hungry kids and no dinner prepared, it’s easy to whip up a batch in minutes. The recipe, culled from Giada De Laurentiis, calls for just a handful of ingredients: eggs, whole milk, cheese, green onions, salt and pepper. But you can jazz it up with all sorts of yummy stuff: broccoli, zucchini, spinach, fresh herbs, cooked quinoa, ham, crumbled bacon–you name it!
Here’s just how simple it is: Crack a few eggs into a bowl and scramble with a fork. Add milk, grated cheese, green onions, salt and pepper–or whatever extras you want. I cook mine in small glass bowls but you also can use a ceramic ramekins or a muffin tin (I did find the muffin tin harder to clean, however).
The bowls (and their contents) will be HOT when you take them out of the oven so leave plenty of time to cool. You can speed the process by removing the frittatas and placing them on plates.
My 4-year-old twins had fun helping crack the eggs and adding the milk and cheese, then stirring up all up. I served the frittatas with tomato salsa, roasted asparagus and pear slices. Yum! They seem more elegant and special than plain old scrambled eggs and they’re easier than cooking a frittata on the stovetop. All three of my kids love them, which makes them a serious winner in my book.
Personal Frittatas
Adapted from The Food Network
Yields: 4 small individual frittatas
Ingredients
- Butter for greasing
- 4 to 5 extra-large eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 1/3 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease 4 individual-size (about 4– to 6-ounce) glass dishes, ceramic ramekins or muffin tin cups with butter. Whisk eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well. Stir in the green onions and cheese. Fill prepared muffin cups 1/2 to 3/4 full with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is slightly brown and just set in the center, about 10 to 15 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittatas from the cups and place on plates. Serve immediately.
What’s your go-to dish on busy weeknights when you need to get dinner on the table fast?!? I’d love to hear! Please share it in the comments section below.
I created this blog to raise awareness and start a dialogue about the various issues involved in school food. By writing about it, I hope to provide parents and educators with ideas and inspiration for making healthy changes in their own schools. Since healthy eating habits start at home, I also address common feeding challenges faced by parents.
I do the recipe above and add leftover rice or leftover roasted potatoes (chopped) — a success each time!
Nice idea! The roasted potatoes sound yummy!
This recipe sounds super easy and delicious! The directions are a bit confusing, though… The ingredients listed don’t match up with the ones in the directions.
Thanks for the catch! That’s what I get for switching the recipe at the last minute. The frittatas are just as delicious with ham and parsley instead of green onions.