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A frittata dotted with crispy bacon is the perfect dish for brunch. Everyone will love this easy Bacon Frittata, mixed with spinach and feta, and finished with melty mozzarella cheese.
Some holidays just make you think of certain dishes. There’s corned beef for St. Patrick’s day, ham for Easter, steak for 4th of July… and for Mother’s Day, all things brunch!
Brunch feels especially fitting on this day, perhaps because of the semi-traditional “make mom breakfast in bed” tradition. Whatever the reason, brunch is a fun meal perfect for celebrating the wonderful ladies in our lives.
Even the most charming brunch needs a hearty main course, and for me, that’s a frittata. This hearty frittata recipe combines the protein of whole eggs with your choice of savory mix-ins. It’s attractive yet low-hassle, making it an easy frittata to pull off, even for beginners. Plus, it’s a great gluten-free, low-carb, and keto-friendly breakfast option!
So, if you’re planning a special brunch, make sure to include this easy frittata on the menu. And, as a bonus, this mom would love a constant flow of mimosas and croissants this Sunday morning, please!
What is a Frittata?
A frittata is a cross between a quiche and an omelette. It’s an Italian specialty, made with eggs, cream, and any kind of add-ins you like! Similar to a quiche, it’s baked in the oven, but like an omelet, it has no crust and starts out on the stovetop.
Frittatas are usually savory, and may or may not have some cheese in the mixture. For this one, I’m using a classic combination of bacon, spinach and cheese, with the added punch of juicy tomatoes.
What You’ll Need
This easy frittata recipe is very flexible. You can mix, match, and substitute ingredients to your heart’s content. The basic idea stays the same: 8 eggs, 1/4 cup of dairy, seasonings, veggies, and cheese.
- Eggs: This frittata is made with 8 large eggs and serves six people.
- Half & Half: You’ll need ¼ cup of half and half, heavy cream, or you can use milk.
- Salt & Pepper: To season the frittata, I used half a teaspoon of each.
- Nutmeg: Just a pinch of nutmeg adds the perfect hint of sweetness.
- Bacon: You’ll need 4 slices of thick-cut bacon, diced.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Cut 2 cups of cherry tomatoes in half, or substitute whatever tomatoes you prefer.
- Garlic: Mince 1 clove of fresh garlic.
- Spinach: To add color and healthy greens to the frittata, I used 3 cups of fresh baby spinach.
- Feta: One of my favorite cheeses, feta adds a salty, savory richness.
- Mozzarella: Half a cup of shredded mozzarella makes a melty topping for the frittata.
How to Make a Bacon Frittata
You’ll love how this easy dish comes together all in one pan! All you have to do is cook the veggies, and then layer cheese and a light omelette mixture of eggs and half and half.
- Prep Oven & Egg Mixture: Preheat your oven to 350˚F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. This is the base for your frittata.
- Fry Bacon: Set a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (cast iron works well, and so does stainless steel if the handle is ovenproof) over medium heat. Let the skillet heat up, and then add the diced bacon and cook for 4 minutes, or until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set it aside. Don’t drain the bacon grease! It will add a ton of flavor and prevent your frittata from sticking.
- Cook Veggies: Return the skillet to the burner and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic, followed by the spinach. Sauté for 2 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.
- Layer Frittata: Return half of the bacon to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Pour in ⅔ of the egg mixture and top with half of the feta. Pour in the remaining egg mixture, and then finish with the remaining feta, plus the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake: Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the center is set and the cheese is melted.
- Let Stand, Garnish & Serve: Remove your finished spinach frittata from the oven and let it stand at room temperature for about 7 minutes. Top with the reserved bacon bits, garnish with parsley, and serve.
Variations
You can really make a frittata with just about any ingredients that you like! It’s a tasty way to use up small amounts of ingredients, including leftovers. Keep my Leftover-Turkey Frittata in mind for your next Thanksgiving weekend. Here are a few easy combinations to inspire you in your frittata-making!
- Caprese: Omit the spinach and feta from this recipe, and instead, whisk a cup of fresh basil leaves into the egg mixture. Layer shredded mozzarella in place of the feta. Bacon goes great in this fun take on the classic caprese salad, but it’s also good without it!
- Potato & Chive: This is a great way to use leftover cooked potatoes! Make the frittata base and add chopped fresh chives. Instead of tomatoes and spinach, give cooked, diced potatoes and onions a quick sauté. Layer in the egg mixture along with your favorite cheese.
- Creole Surprise: Follow this recipe, but use Andouille sausage instead of bacon, and replace the spinach with a small amount of the “holy trinity” – fresh green bell pepper, onion, and garlic.
- Garden Frittata: Make the frittata base. Sauté half a cup each of diced zucchini, diced ham, diced onion and sliced black olives, until just heated through. Add the egg mixture and finish in the oven.
Recipe Tips
- No mush: Watery ingredients like tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, etc, can make your frittata a little too juicy. I recommend giving watery items a thorough sauté before mixing them with the eggs.
- Cheese helps: While you don’t have to include cheese in a frittata, it is a great ingredient to help bind the frittata together, add flavor, and give the texture a little oomph. Any cheese you like will work, from a tangy goat cheese to the creamy bitterness of Swiss.
- Double it: Are you feeding a crowd or doing meal prep? Your basic frittata recipe can easily be doubled and turned into an egg-bake casserole! Just pour it into a 9×13-inch baking dish and bake until the eggs are set. Cool slightly and cut into squares.
- Mini frittatas: Another great way to serve a frittata is to make mini frittatas in a muffin tin. While you can pour the frittata mixture directly into your muffin tin, I recommend using muffin tin liners lightly spritzed with oil or baking spray. They make cleanup easier and the presentation pretty!
Serving Suggestions
To serve bacon frittata as part of a full-course brunch, add my light and juicy melon pineapple fruit salad to the menu! This recipe for classic chicken salad is wonderful served with croissants as part of a dainty brunch menu!
Try my lemon cheesecake crescent rolls for a sweet breakfast side that goes so well with an iced coffee.
Half sweet cocktail and half cool dessert, these delicate pink drinks pair raspberry sorbet with airy rosé wine. sorbet rosé floats are sure to become your new weekend breakfast tradition!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Store leftovers wrapped tightly in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
You can reheat this frittata on 50% power in the microwave, or bake it again at 350˚F until heated through.
Easy Breakfast Ideas to Try
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Bacon Frittata
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- ¼ cup half & half, you can also use milk
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
- ½ cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Set an ovenproof skillet over medium heat; heat up the skillet until hot. Add the diced bacon and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Do not drain the bacon drippings.
- Return the skillet to the burner and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic; add spinach and cook for 2 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Stir occasionally.
- Return half of the bacon to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium.
- Pour in 2/3 of the egg mixture. Sprinkle half of the crumbled feta cheese. Pour in remaining egg mixture. Top with remaining feta and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the center is set and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and let it rest for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Top with reserved bacon, garnish with parsley, plus several halved cherry tomatoes. Cut and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
This was delicious! I omitted tomatoes due to an allergy. The entire family enjoyed it and I’ll be putting it into my rotation. My only issues were, what size pan? I didn’t see that on there. I’ve never done a frittata before so I didn’t know if I needed to grease the pan? My second issue was that my frittata took about 30 minutes to bake, not 8-10 as mentioned.