Omelet vs Quiche vs Frittata?

Eggs: versatile and delicious. 

Whether for breakfast or brunch, lunch or dinner, they can add richness to a pasta, top a messy hamburger, boiled and be mashed, be scrambled, baked, fried etc. There are endless things to do!

Three of the most popular ways of making eggs is in the omelet, quiche or frittata forms. They are quite distinct and you may, to your own surprise, may have been confusing them all these years and not known it! Let's do a little myth-busting shall we?

From when I was at the Calgary
Stampede this summer: eggcellent.

Omelet: made with or without egg yolks, it is technically not supposed to incorporate any vegetables or toppings into the egg mixture itself. An omelet is strictly an egg mixture that gets cooked and then wrapped around the fillings of your choice!

Frittata: the fancier omelet. It can be made with or without egg yolks and is essentially an omelet with the toppings mixed into the egg mixture. It also, is open faced and generally served at room temperature (that's why it is more common at brunch) unlike omelets. This makes sense since all the toppings are incorporated; however, makes the cooking process a little more complicated. I find that sticking my pan in the oven is a great way to get the top cooked without burning the frittata through the bottom on the stove. I think prefer this to a traditional omelet because it makes sure that every bite has some yummy topping incorporated. 

Quiche: So Good. This is a step up from fritatta: It has a delicious crust and it's egg mixture is somewhat different. It is actually classified as a "custard" filling because it is made of eggs and milk or cream which is then baked and...becomes a custard (although atypical because most custards are made without egg whites). 

Here's another Italian-inspired creation from my kitchen to yours!

Mediterranean Frittata

2 tbsp olive oil

This is what you have to look forward to: so yummy.

125 mL egg whites

1/4 cup almond milk

Half medium onion

5 cherry tomatoes

1/2 red pepper 

1/4 cup frozen corn

1 cup spinach (or more!)

1 tbsp minced garlic (~ 2 cloves)

1/4 cup sliced sundried tomatoes (~ 5)

1 long scallion

5 fresh basil leaves

fresh parmesan

salt and pepper

lactose-free cottage cheese

hot sauce of choice

Preheat oven to 400C- move to middle rack. Heat skillet with 2 tbsp olive oil. While heating up, mix egg whites and milk. Whisk until it begins to froth (this makes the eggs become super airy and light when cooked!). Dice the onion and place in hot skillet. Let the onions brown. If they begin to stick to the pan, add a couple of tablespoons of water to steam them and deglaze the pan (lift the flavors from the bottom of the pan). While onions cook: dice red pepper (or frozen roasted red peppers) and slice cherry tomatoes lengthwise, chop basil (see How to Cut Basil Properly in cooking instructions), scallion, slice parmesan to taste (save these for later). Add diced pepper, frozen (or fresh if you have it) and tomatoes to pan. Let these soften and then pour the egg mixture over top. Top with spinach (push the spinach into the mixture but not too far down; just enough to be incorporated into the frittata but not submerged. We don't want them to become mush while cooking here or crispy when in the oven later).  Add sundried tomatoes over the entire top and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. When the egg mixture is cooked around the edges (approximately 1.5 inches from the edge of the skillet) place in the oven for ~5 minutes until the remainder of the top is cooked. Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh basil scallions and parmesan to taste. 

I like to eat mine with a little kick so I use hot sauce as well and then cool down each bite with a little lactose free cottage cheese :)

Must say: I make a mean frittata.

If you want to attempt to remove it from the pan, here is a trick: DO NOT LIFT IT WITH ANY UTENSILS. Place a cutting board, plate or whatever you want to flip it onto, over the top of the skillet. Flip them (the skillet and the thing you are flipping it onto) at once and the frittata should slip out of the pan onto the surface (albeit upside down but still, it looks GREAT)...or you can serve it from the skillet. Remember, these are generally served at room temperature.

Buon Appetito! 

[Italian: Have a Good Meal!]