Pumpkin Frittata with Feta

Delicious pumpkin frittata with roasted pumpkin and feta made in a cast-iron skillet. It can be served for any meal of the day.

Feel like having something special for breakfast or brunch during the holiday season or on a Sunday? Or you just want to make a light, quick and healthy lunch or dinner dish? This roasted pumpkin frittata with feta is the answer! Either for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you can never go wrong with it! Even kids will love it, even if they are not as much into pumpkin dishes as you are.

Serve with some tomato and cucumber slices in the morning, with a green salad for lunch or with a piece of pan-fried chicken breast or smoked salmon in the evening. This dish will be delicious every time.

And if pumpkin is not in season when you read this, you could also tris one with leek and parmesan, it is delicious as well! Or this Zucchini Slice!

What is a frittata?

A dish made with eggs and other ingredients of choice, like meat, cheese or vegetables. It is similar to an omelet, the main difference being that you will mix the additional ingredients (at least one) with the raw beaten eggs before adding the mixture to the pan.

When you make an omelet, you usually cook the eggs, add the additional ingredients on top (when using any) and fold the omelet over them.

A frittata is normally cooked on the underside until the bottom is set. Then it will either be turned completely in pan (not folded) or set under the grill to cook the upper side as well. Or you can bake it entirely in the oven, which is the easiest way, if you ask me.

What kind of pan to use for frittata?

The best pan for this purpose is a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet (Amazon affiliate link). It is oven-safe, nonstick and conducts heat well.

The size of the pan matters because you should never overcook a frittata. My pan has a diameter of 30 cm/12 inches, which is rather large. The resulting frittata is fairly thick. You can use a smaller pan and have a thicker frittata, just keep an eye on it and give it a few more minutes baking time.

If using a larger pan, the egg dish will be thinner and you will have to reduce the cooking time.

Alternative pan:

As this dish is cooked entirely in the oven, you can use a regular baking dish instead. It should be roughly 20x30 cm/ 8x12-inches large. Butter it well before using.

However, in this case, you should start with roasting the pumpkin cubes on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Transfer them to the baking dish and continue with the recipe. The baking time might be longer, about 20 – 25 minutes. The eggs should be puffed and set and only a little jiggly in the middle.

Ingredients needed

• Pumpkin: I use Hokkaido pumpkin most of the time, it is the most flavorful sort I know. If you choose something else, make sure it has a lot of flavor as well.
• Eggs: 8 large eggs for a 30 cm/12-inch skillet. If you use a smaller pan (25 cm/10 inch) you can make the frittata with 6 eggs.
• Cheese: feta (from a block and not already crumbled feta) and grated Cheddar.
• Other ingredients: green/spring onions, garlic, dried herbs, and spices.

How to make pumpkin frittata?

• Prepare the pumpkin. Hokkaido doesn't require peeling, any other pumpkin sort you might use needs to be peeled. Cube it into small cubes.
• Place the cubes in the skillet, add olive oil, paprika, dried thyme, salt, and grated garlic. Mix well to coat, I always do it with the hands. (1)
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until soft. (2)
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper.
• Add the crumbled feta and grated Cheddar, mix well.
• Remove the cast-iron pan from the oven.
• Scatter the thinly sliced green onions on top of the pumpkin. (3)
• Carefully pour the egg mixture on top and try to distribute the vegetables evenly in the pan using a wooden spoon or something similar. (4)
• Bake for further 15 minutes or until almost done.

Don't overcook!

• The eggs should be mostly puffed and set, and only slightly jiggly and shiny in the middle. If you poke the frittata with a small knife, the eggs should not be runny anymore, but just only set. The dish will continue cooking in the skillet after you've removed it from the oven due to residual heat.
• There are many factors that will affect the cooking time, such as the type of baking dish you are using, actual oven temperature (it might vary from oven to oven). You should always keep a close eye on the dish during the last cooking minutes and remove it from the oven before it overcooks.

Tips

• Never forget that a cast-iron skillet gets very hot. Always use kitchen mittens when you handle the pan.
• If your skillet is smaller (25 cm/ 10 inches), you can make the frittata with 6 eggs, 3 cups cubed pumpkin, and slightly less cheese and spring onions.
• Don't forget to add full-fat milk or even cream, they make the eggs fluffy and creamy.
• While keeping in mind that feta cheese is rather salty, make sure you add enough salt and spices to the egg mixture, it should not be bland.
• When you pour the eggs over the vegetables, you will notice that the veggies will be disturbed. Take the time to distribute them evenly into the pan again.

What to serve with it?

As mentioned above, when serving roasted pumpkin frittata with feta for breakfast, some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers (or other raw veggies you like) should be enough.

For lunch, I like to serve any kind of frittata with a green salad with vinaigrette or yogurt dressing. A slice of crusty bread, spelt bread, or rye bread is always a good idea.

If serving it for dinner, you might want to serve it with some smoked salmon slices or pan-fried, grilled, or baked chicken breast.

More egg dishes:

Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole

Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Tunisian Tajine

Egg Salad with Greek Yogurt

German Eggs in Mustard Sauce