Pea Frittata with Leeks (and Parmesan)

Flavorful pea frittata with leeks, Parmesan, and lots of fresh herbs, a light egg dish perfect in spring and summer.

This leek and pea frittata is one of our favorite spring dishes. We do love a posh asparagus frittata as well, but this simpler and cheaper egg dish is definitely just as delicious!

Making a frittata is always an easy decision. Either a vegetable frittata like this one with peas and leeks or one including ham or bacon or even leftover chicken, a frittata is always easy, filling, and delicious! It is quick to make, you will not need lots of ingredients and it`s really the kind of dish that pleases anyone.

You could also try this Tunisian Tajine with potatoes and chicken, a delicious frittata baked in the oven. Or this Pumpkin Frittata, perfect in autumn or in winter.

What do you need?

Leeks:

• A rather thin one, about 200 g/ 7 oz/ about 1 ¼ cup chopped leeks.
• As leeks in Germany mostly come “in huge”, I clean a large one and use a piece of the white part and a piece of the green part.
• I use the rest mostly for making soups, or I freeze it and use it later for making homemade stock.

Herbs:

• A small bunch of each of the different sorts. I had parsley, chives, and oregano. To make this complete I chopped a few more sprigs of sage, basil, and thyme.
• Definitely use dill, if you have it, it is great when mixed with eggs.
• You can use just one or two sorts of these herbs or completely other herbs, whatever you have and like. Just use plenty of them.
• I can imagine this working well with spinach instead of herbs too. Maybe not quite so aromatic but surely very tasty.

Parmesan:

• Use freshly grated Parmesan from a wedge of cheese, it tastes so much better than the already grated stuff.
• Make this dish vegetarian by using vegetarian hard cheese.
• Otherwise, you will need eggs, frozen peas, some butter, and some spices.

Alternative vegetables:

• As already mentioned, spinach or asparagus would be great.
• Otherwise, you could try spring onions instead of leeks, for instance.
• You could replace the veggies or add some finely chopped carrots, peppers, broccoli, green beans.

What pan to use?

• I use a cast-iron skillet, it is perfect for making this pea frittata. Why? (Amazon affiliate link)
• Because you will have to cook the eggs on the stove first but place them in the oven to finish cooking them.
• A cast-iron pan is oven-proof, unlike many other pans.
• If using another pan, just make sure it is oven-proof. It should not be non-stick and the handle should not be made of plastic.
• Usually, stainless steel skillets are oven-safe, but I definitely prefer a cast-iron pan.

How to make pea frittata?

• The peas should be at least partially defrosted, 15-20 minutes at room temperature should do it.
• Preheat the oven while you start preparing the Parmesan frittata.
• Chop the leek and the herbs, but keep them separated. Grate the cheese. Set aside.
• Whisk the eggs and the milk very well in a large bowl. Add some of the cheese, nutmeg, and generously salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold in the chopped herbs and the peas.
• Melt the butter in the cast-iron pan and cook the chopped leeks for a few minutes. Some bits of it should get golden.
• Add the eggs and stir gently with a wooden spoon just to make sure that the vegetables and the herbs are distributed evenly all over the pan.
• Turn the heat down to low and cook until the underside of the eggs sets but the top is still runny. You can lift it gently with a spatula and check, the bottom should be golden.
• Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
• Place the pan in the hot oven and bake for about 10-13 minutes or until the eggs are set on top and golden brown.
• Alternatively, you can finish cooking the eggs under the grill, it will only take about 5 minutes, but you will have to keep an eye on the pan, you don't want the eggs to burn.

How to serve?

• Serve immediately as a light main meal with bread or rolls.
• We love it with a green salad with a yogurt dressing or a cucumber salad with vinaigrette.
• But any kind of salad you like would be great as well.
• Last time we had it with asparagus bundles and ham.
• You can also let the pea frittata cool and serve as tapas, appetizers, take to a picnic or pack into your lunch box.
• The frittata is not suitable for freezing.

More egg recipes:

• Zucchini Feta Pancakes
• Eggs and Asparagus on Toast
• German Cast-Iron Pancakes
• Zucchini Slice
• Scrambled Eggs on Toast