Frittata muffins

The other day, I found myself with a couple ounces of leftover pancetta (after making spaghetti carbonara for dinner) and decided to use it to make a few mini frittatas for breakfast the next morning.  I'm calling them frittata muffins, and I baked them in a regular-sized muffin tin.

Mini frittatas have been one of those things I've wanted to make and possibly have extra to freeze and have handy for a quick weekday breakfast.  Somehow, I'd never gotten around to it but here was my chance to whip some up.  I didn't have enough ingredients to make a big batch to stash any away in the freezer but it was just right for a fresh, hot breakfast.

I cooked and rendered the leftover pancetta and added it to the basis of 4 eggs and about a quarter-cup of milk.  The fun thing about frittatas is the flexibility for customization; add any ingredients - as much or as little - as you like.  In this case, I kept it pretty simple by adding the pancetta, a few tablespoon of Parmesan as well as Gruyere cheese, plus a little parsley I plucked from my herb box.  

I placed my frittata mixture into 5 muffin cups and watched them puff up and set, ready in less than 15 minutes.  Add a few slices of toast and breakfast was ready! These little frittata muffins are easy to make and another great way to enjoy eggs for breakfast.  


This is something that's really easy to whip up.  The first thing is to decide what you'd like to include in your frittata muffins.  Needless to say, there are so many options as far as fillings go - from bacon to ham, cheeses, and/or veggies like spinach, onions, mushrooms, or peppers.  Take a look at what you have on hand and have fun with it.

For some ingredients (like the pancetta I used), you'll need to cook them first.  I cooked and rendered the fat from my pancetta and let it cool while I whisked the the eggs, chopped the parsley, and grated a few tablespoons of cheese.  If you're simply using ham and cheese, for instance, you can skip the skillet-cooking altogether and it would be even easier to prep. 

I see many recipes where mini frittatas are made in mini muffin tins...that's a great idea if you're making them for a brunch buffet where there are plenty of options and you don't want anyone to fill up on any one thing.  For us, with these being the main breakfast item, I opted for the regular muffin tin, which is not all that big to begin with!  

I filled the cups about 2/3 of the way...the egg mixture will puff and they are done once the tops are just set.  Much of the heavier pieces of pancetta does settle towards the bottom of the little frittata but overall, you get a good salty bite on the whole. This was a fun way to enjoy our morning eggs.  I always appreciate eggs and love seeing them on the breakfast table!

Recipe:

Frittata Muffins
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

- For 5 mini frittatas, baked in a regular-size muffin tin -

4 large eggs 
1/4 cup whole milk
Salt & pepper, for seasoning
2 ounces diced pancetta, cooked and cooled to room temperature
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used both Parmesan and Gruyere)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray the inside of 5 regular muffin cups with cooking spray. 

In a medium-size bowl, whisk the eggs together with the milk.  Add a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper, to season.  Stir in the cooked pancetta, cheese, and parsley.  Fill each of the prepared muffin cups about 2/3 of the way with the egg mixture.  Bake until the egg mixture has puffed and the top is just set, about 13-15 minutes.  

Remove the muffin tin from the oven, carefully remove the frittatas with a small offset spatula.  Plate and serve warm (I like it with a side of toast).