Looking for a quick, low carb vegetarian meal? Look no further then and try my recipe for a Broccoli Rabe and Smoked Mozzarella Frittata! Just 15 minutes and a handful of ingredients and you’ll be having dinner.
The secret to a frittata is an oven safe, non-stick skillet. Which means cast iron! I have a Lodge 12-inch cast iron skillet and I have to say it is one of the best investments I’ve made in cooking equipment.
I make Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts and other veggies in it. I cook up Potato and Chorizo Spanish Tortillas. I sear steaks and saute chicken. And lately I’ve been having fun making brownies and cakes (recipes coming soon to a food blog near you! 🙂 ) in my cast iron skillet. Once you’ve gotten past the ‘my seasoning is too thin and things still stick’ beginning level with cast iron, everything will slide right off. Like magic! How do you get past it? Saute easy, less sticky foods at first, like broccoli, brussels sprouts, bacon, onions, and so on.
Now, I will mention that my road to cast iron love has not been easy.
At first I avoiding buying one since I was told you couldn’t scrub them. Ha! I scrub mine all the time with a scrubby sponge and soap. Sometimes a little kosher salt and oil if I have a stubborn bit stuck on (though that’s not an issue these days – my seasoning layer is nice and thick). The secret is to dry it well and then rub on a very thin coat of vegetable oil and warm the pan back up when you are done using it.
And then, after I bought one and started using it, I forgot about it for awhile and managed to destroy the finish. Yep, that pan right there that’s in the photos. It got all rusty. Yick. A little elbow grease, a strong scrubby, and some time was all I needed to rescue it. Oh, and a couple of seasoning runs in the oven – thin coat of oil (rub it on and then rub most of it off), pan upside down, and an hour at 400F.
Since I rescued it, several years ago, I have used it all the time! It took years to get me on board, but you are not taking my cast iron skillet away.
Once you have your cast iron skillet, or other broiler safe skillet, you are all set to make this smoked mozzarella frittata!
A little while ago, I was flipping through my Italian Vegetable Cookbook, looking for inspiration. Happily, I found some when I saw their recipe for broccoli rabe and smoked mozzarella in a great Italian frittata. It hit all my buttons – lots of vegetables, Mediterranean recipe, quick & easy, and it would work as a vegetarian main. And I really liked the idea of the bitter broccoli rabe paired with the smoky mozzarella. I just hoped it tasted as good as it sounded. Spoiler alert: It did! 🙂
I will note that I basically took the idea and the picture and ran with it. I used a different sized pan, more eggs, more broccoli rabe (I wanted a lot!), and added in some fontina to the egg mixture. A few minutes later and I was cutting up slices and serving dinner to thumbs up from me and my husband. (The daughter wouldn’t eat an omelet if you paid her.) That’s okay! More for us.
If you want to get really decadent, you can make an aioli, like I did with my Spanish tortilla recipe, but I personally thought it had lots of flavor and the eggs were creamy and cheesy, so it was perfect on its own.
We had the frittata with an Apple and Celery Salad and a nice of red wine.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Broccoli Rabe and Smoked Mozzarella Frittata
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups broccoli rabe, stalks and leaves, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 3 tbsp water
- 12 large eggs
- 3 tbsp half and half, or whole milk
- 4 oz fontina, shredded
- kosher salt and pepper
- 3 oz smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Put an oven rack in the middle position and begin heating the broiler.
- Using a 12 inch cast iron skillet (or a heavy, oven safe skillet), heat the olive oil on medium until it is shimmery. Add the broccoli rabe and garlic. Saute 1 minute. Add the water, cover the pan, and cook for 4 minutes, or until tender.
- Mix the eggs, half and half, fontina, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and tilt the pan to make an even layer. Stir the eggs and broccoli rabe in the skillet for 1 minute, then leave the eggs alone to set and thicken, 2 minutes.
- Top the frittata with the mozzarella slices and put it in the oven under the broiler. Broil the frittata for 5-6 minutes, or until the top is a little browned and the edges have puffed up.
- Take the frittata out of the oven and let it sit for a minute or two, then sprinkle parsley, salt, and pepper over the top, cut it into wedges and serve.
Notes
- I have a Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet. Once you've put down a good coat of seasoning (simply saute veggies in it regularly), your eggs will slide right off. Don't be afraid to use soap and scrubby sponges! I do all the time and my skillet is seasoned and happy. Just make sure to dry well and apply a very light coat of oil to the pan when you're done.
- I prefer this frittata warm rather than room temperature. The smoked mozzarella is best when it's still a little melty and soft.
- Recipe inspired by the Broccoli Rabe and Smoked Mozzarella Frittata in the Italian Vegetable Cookbook. I loved the flavor combination and came up with my own interpretation of the recipe.
Mark Koso says
Wow, this is good! I swapped out broccoli for the broccoli rabe because my wife doesn’t like it and added green onions as a garnish instead of the parsley. This is a winner.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Broccoli rabe is an acquired taste and not for everyone. I’m glad you both enjoyed it with the broccoli instead. 🙂