This delicious pumpkin frittata with roasted pumpkin and feta is 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 do you just want to make a light, quick, and healthy lunch or dinner dish? This roasted pumpkin frittata with feta is the answer! Whether 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 tomato and cucumber slices in the morning, a green salad for lunch, or 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 try this one with pea and parmesan frittata; it is delicious as well! Or this Zucchini Slice!
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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 is either turned completely in the pan (not folded) or set under the grill to cook the upper side as well. You can also 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 (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). 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 of 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 โ 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: Eight large eggs are needed for a 30 cm/12-inch skillet. If you use a smaller pan (25 cm/10 inch), you can make the frittata with six 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?
- Step #1: Prepare the pumpkin. Hokkaido doesn't require peeling, but any other pumpkin you might use needs to be peeled. Cube it into small cubes. Place the cubes in the skillet, and add olive oil, paprika, dried thyme, salt, and grated garlic. Mix well to coat; I always do it with my hands.
- Step #2: Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until soft.
- Step #3: Remove the cast-iron pan from the oven. Scatter the thinly sliced green onions on top of the pumpkin.
- Step 4:ย Beat the eggs and add salt, pepper, milk, and cheese. Carefully pour the mixture over the baked pumpkin and use a wooden spoon to distribute the vegetables evenly in the pan.
- Step #5: Bake for a 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 and the 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.
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 BBQ sauce chicken breast.
Pumpkin Frittata Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb pumpkin 450 g, Note 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil Note 2
- ยฝ teaspoon paprika powder
- ยฝ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 large garlic cloves
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- lots of freshly ground black pepper
- 8 large eggs Note 3
- ยผ cup full-fat milk single or heavy cream, 2 fl.oz/ 60 ml
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- black pepper
- 3.5 oz feta scant 1 cup when crumbled / 100 g
- โ cup grated Cheddar 2.5 oz/ 75 g
- 6 thin green onions
Instructions
In the skillet:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare pumpkin. Hokkaido doesn't need to be peeled, any other sort does. Cut into small cubes.
- Roast: Place in the skillet, add olive oil, paprika, thyme, grated garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Mix well to coat. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
- Whisk the eggs and the milk/cream in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper, crumbled feta, and grated Cheddar. Mix well.
- Thinly slice the green onions and set aside.
- Combine: Remove the skillet from the oven. Scatter the onions on top of the pumpkin cubes. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. Use a wooden spoon to evenly distribute the vegetable into the pan.
- Bake: Return to the oven and bake for further 15 minutes or until the eggs are puffed and set and only slightly jiggly and shiny in the middle, they will continue cooking due to the residual heat after you have removed them from the oven.
In a baking dish:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Roast the seasoned pumpkin cubes until soft. Let cool for a few minutes and transfer to a well-buttered baking dish (about 8x12-inches/ 20x30 cm large).
- Bake: Add the egg-mixture, distribute the veggies evenly in the dish, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are puffed and set and only slightly jiggly and shiny in the middle.
Notes
- I use Hokkaido (red Kuri squash) almost all the time. It has an intense flavor and it doesn't need to be peeled.
- If you bake the frittata in a baking dish (roughly 8x12-inches/ 20x30 cm large), you will also need some butter to grease the dish well.
- If your skillet is smaller (10 inches/ 25 cm), you can make the frittata with 6 eggs, 3 cups cubed pumpkin, and slightly less milk, cheese, and spring onions.
mjskitchen says
I've just gone through all the recipes I've missed and as usual, hey all look so wonderful! I particularly love this frittata, Would never have thought of using pumpkin in a frittata, but you make it look so good and such a natural ingredient. Thanks for the creative idea.