Zucchini Frittata
Lots of Fresh Zucchini and a Little Bisquick Makes a Satisfying Dish
- Servings: 8 to 10 as a side and 6 as a main course.
This recipe came to me from a busy city cook who is originally from Australia and created this recipe using a popular Australian scone mix. Not being able to find the mix in New York, she substituted Bisquick and produced a wonderful combination of fresh vegetables and full flavors.
The zucchini can be shredded or finely sliced, but taking the extra minutes to do the shredding will give you a better result because the smaller pieces will evenly distribute throughout the frittata, producing a better flavor. Using the largest holes on a box grater, it takes about four minutes to shred four medium zucchini.
If concerned about adding raw onion and garlic to the mix, you can pre-cook them until soft in a teaspoon of olive oil in a fry pan and then add to the rest of the ingredients. If you do this, try to let the cooked onion and garlic cool just a bit before adding to the raw egg mixture so as to not start the eggs from cooking before everything is combined.
From start to finish, this dish takes about an hour to cook, making it a good choice for a weekday dinner, either as a side dish or a main course. It's also perfect for brunch or lunch with a green salad.
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs, beaten
- 5 cups grated or finely sliced zucchini (this is equal to about 4 medium zucchini)
- 1 small onion, finely diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh garlic
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 cup light oil, like canola
- 1 1/2 cup Bisquick
- 3 tablespoons minced parsley (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 drops Tabasco
- 1 cup grated or shredded sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
- Using a paper towel or pastry brush, lightly oil a 9-inch square baking dish. Pyrex is perfect for this.
- Measure out all the dry ingredients before grating the zucchini because it gets wet quickly.
- Crack the five eggs into a small bowl and with a fork, gently beat together. Reserve.
- Grate the zucchini and put into a large mixing bowl.
- To the grated zucchini add the beaten eggs, diced onion, minced garlic, salt, Tabasco, grated Parmesan cheese, and the Bisquick. (The grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese is the one ingredient you don't add now; this is held until the end and added just before the frittata finishes cooking.)
- With a large spoon, combine everything together. Pour the mixture into the oiled baking dish and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when placed in the center of the pan.
- Leaving the oven on, sprinkle the grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese all over the top of the frittata and return the pan to the oven to cook another 5 to 7 minutes, or until just melted.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Tip: Slice or grate the zucchini just before you use them because they are full of moisture and will throw off some water while they sit.
Tip: Once you make the batter, if you let it sit too long before baking, the mixture will begin to get wet and separate so bake it as soon as possible.
