MINI ITALIAN FRITTATAS

These Mini Italian Frittatas are baked individually in muffin pans. They’re not only so cute but also have big flavor from prosciutto, spinach, leeks and not to mention tons of cheese. I got the recipe from Ina Garten’s “make it ahead” cookbook. Just like other recipes from her books, they never fail. Her food is always so delish and non-pretentious. I think the key is to use fresh and the best ingredients you can find. These Mini Italian Frittatas can also be made ahead of time. You can bake them, then cool, cover, and refrigerate up to a day. When ready to serve, bake them in the oven at 350 degrees F. for about 15 minutes.

I obviously didn’t think ahead about brunch today. But they still only take about 30-35 minutes to make so it’s not too bad for a hungry girl and her husband.

One of the key ingredients here is leeks. If you haven’t tried leek, it is in the onion family but milder. The challenge of cooking with leeks is that they are almost always dirty. When they are grown, soil is piled up around them, so there’s always soil hidden in between the leaves.

I cut off the dark green leafy part and the end, slice in half lengthwise and chop them into small pieces. I found the best way to clean them is to chop them up and let them sit in water in a large bowl for a few minutes.

 The soil will fall to the bottom of the bowl, then fish out the leeks and use a salad spinner to dry them.

Another key ingredient is prosciutto which is basically Italian dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked. It is salty and yummy. I can eat the whole thing by myself. It’s also good to serve as Charcuterie.

Peel them from the papers. Stack them up and coarsely chop them.

Let’s cook some food!

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Brush a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil, including on top of the pan. You can also use a paper towel to grease the muffin tin if you don’t want to use the brush.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the leeks and cook for 3 minutes, until tender.

Add the prosciutto and cook for 2-3 minute, break it up with a fork if they stick together.

Add the spinach, toss, then cook until wilted (only about 1-2 minutes).

Turn off the heat, add julienne fresh basil. “Julienne” is basically just a fancy culinary  term for “cut into long thin strips”.

Squeeze in half of lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon).

Toss everything together and set aside for about 5 minutes.

Beat eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture into a measuring cup. I don’t have a large measuring cup. If you do, you can just beat eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper in it. It’s easier to pour the egg mixtures into the muffin tin using a measuring cup than using a spoon.

Divide the spinach mixture with tongs among the 12 muffin cups, leave the liquid behind.

Sprinkle fresh grated Gruyère cheese on top. Ina’s recipe uses Fontina which is an Italian cow’s milk cheese. I couldn’t find Fontina at my local grocery store so I use Gruyère cheese instead. You can also use Gouda or Provolone if you can’t find Fontina or Gruyère.

Pour the egg mixture over each cup.

Sprinkle each frittata with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and lightly browned on top. If you insert a knife or a toothpick in the middle, they should feel firm.

Cool for 5 minutes, remove with a small sharp knife onto a serving plate, and serve hot or warm.

They are so delish and pretty easy to make. I hope you give these Mini Italian Frittatas a try. The recipe card is below.

3.0 from 1 reviews

MINI ITALIAN FRITTATAS

 

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Mink (adapted from Ina Garten's)

Recipe type: Frittata

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 12 mini frittatas

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for greasing the pan
• 1½ cup chopped leeks, white and light green parts
• 4 oz. sliced Italian prosciutto, coarsely chopped
• 8 oz. fresh baby spinach
• 2½ tablespoons julienne fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeeze lemon juice
• 1½ cups (4 oz.) freshly grated Gruyère cheese (or Fontina cheese)
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 eggs
• 1½ cups half-and-half
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Brush a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil, including on top of the pan.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the leeks and cook for 3 minutes, until tender. Add the prosciutto and cook for 2-3 minute, break it up with a fork if they stick together.
3. Add the spinach, toss, then cook until wilted (about 1-2 minutes).
4. Turn off the heat, add julienne fresh basil. Squeeze in lemon juice.
5. Toss everything together and set aside for about 5 minutes.
6. Beat eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture into a measuring cup.
7. Divide the spinach mixture with tongs among the 12 muffin cups, leave the liquid behind.
8. Sprinkle fresh grated Gruyère cheese on top.
9. Pour the egg mixture over each cup.
10. Sprinkle each frittata with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and lightly browned on top. If you insert a knife or a toothpick in the middle, they should feel firm.
12. Cool for 5 minutes, remove with a small sharp knife onto a serving plate, and serve hot or warm.

Notes

Ina's recipe uses Fontina which is an Italian cow's milk cheese. If you can't find Fontina, you can use Gruyère or Gouda or Provolone cheese instead.
Also, I found the longer I leave the spinach in the pan, the mixture gets more wet so only cook it for 1-2 minutes until it just starts wilted.

3.5.3251