This cozy spinach frittata recipe is ready in 30 minutes with just a few ingredients! Throw it together in the morning for a simple weekend brunch, or make it ahead of time and reheat as needed for quick breakfasts all week long. Vegetarian; Gluten-Free.
This quick egg dish is hearty and easy to customize! Use this recipe as a jumping-off point and add extra veggies or protein to make it your own.
Serve this frittata on its own or pair it with a quick spinach balsamic salad and some toasted crusty bread! Frittatas also reheat quite well, making this simple recipe a great candidate for meal prep.
Ingredients overview
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full ingredients list with exact quantities.
- Heavy cream gives our frittata its creamy texture. Substitute half and half or whole milk if you like! Lower-fat milks (like 1%, 2%, or skim) don't produce quite as rich of a texture here, but they'll work in a pinch.
- Baby spinach. Give it a rough chop if you prefer smaller pieces. Fresh kale also works well in this recipe.
- White cheddar cheese gives this frittata depth and complexity without competing too much with the other flavors. Swap it for havarti, goat cheese (à la our leftover turkey frittata) or mild gruyere.
Pro Tip: Preheat the oven while you prep your ingredients!
Variations and substitutions
- Add veggies. Zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, and leeks (similar to our gruyere leek frittata) are tasty additions here; sauté them along with the shallot and garlic mixture. This frittata is also good with leftover roasted vegetables (like butternut squash, potatoes, or parmesan roasted broccoli).
- Stir some fresh herbs or sliced green onions into the egg mixture (parsley, chives, and basil are all good here).
- Add protein like cooked breakfast sausage, smoked salmon, crispy bacon (or prosciutto!), leftover dutch oven pulled chicken, or ham.
Step by step instructions
Whisk the egg mixture together
Whisk large eggs together in a medium bowl with heavy cream, shredded white cheddar cheese, kosher salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Set this mixture aside while you sauté the aromatics.
Melt a bit of butter (you could also use olive oil) in a cast iron skillet over medium heat, then add shallot and garlic. Sauté until the shallot is soft and lightly caramelized, then add baby spinach and cook for a few minutes more until the spinach has wilted down.
Spread the spinach and shallot mixture across the skillet in an even layer. Turn off the heat, then gently pour your egg mixture over the spinach mixture.
Bake
Use an oven mitt to carefully slide the frittata into a 400° Fahrenheit oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the eggs have puffed up, the center has hardly any jiggle left, and the edges are lightly browned.
Pro Tip: The exact cooking time will depend on your oven and the pan you use (we used a 9-inch cast iron skillet in these photos). A smaller pan may need an extra few minutes to ensure the eggs are cooked through; if you use a larger pan, the frittata will spread out and cook more quickly!
FAQs
Yes! Cook the aromatics, wilt the spinach, and add the egg mixture to the skillet as directed, then cover the pan and cook over very low heat until the eggs have set. This can take a bit longer than baking in the oven, and it won't cook quite as evenly, but it will still taste good!
Let leftover frittata slices cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 350° F oven until warmed through.
While you can freeze baked spinach frittata, we don’t recommend it. When you thaw and reheat the dish the eggs can become rubbery and kind of tough. We much prefer eating this simple dish when it's fresh out of the oven or storing it for a few days in the refrigerator before reheating.
Typically, no: We don't recommend stirring the frittata once you add the egg mixture. Once the eggs hit the hot pan, they start to form a crust (this crust packs some added flavor, but it's also important to help the frittata release cleanly from the skillet after it's baked). If you stir the eggs after they hit the hot pan, the crust won't form as well and the frittata can stick to the pan.
That said, if you want to see more spinach across the top of your frittata after adding the egg mixture, you can use a fork to gently pull a few pieces up to the surface.
Use a small Dutch oven or a heavy oven-safe skillet instead.
📖 Recipe
Spinach Frittata
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This creamy spinach frittata is the perfect addition to any brunch menu. It's simple to make and easy to customize: Add extra veggies or protein to make it your own.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cup shredded white cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces)
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 packed cups baby spinach (2 ounces)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
- Make the egg mixture. Add eggs, shredded white cheddar, and heavy cream to a medium mixing bowl with a generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Sauté the veggies. Heat a 9” cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add butter to skillet and let it melt, then add garlic and shallot. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes until shallots are softened and lightly browned. Add spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted. Spread veggies over the skillet in a fairly even layer, then turn off the heat.
- Assemble. Gently pour the egg mixture into the skillet on top of the spinach. No need to stir - just let the eggs settle around the filling.
- Bake. Use an oven mitt to carefully transfer the skillet to the 400° F oven. Bake 15-20 minutes, until eggs have puffed up, are no longer jiggly in the center, and the frittata is lightly browned around the edges. Remove frittata from the oven; let cool 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. Note: If you use a larger pan, you may need to reduce the bake time.
Notes
Equipment notes. We prefer a 9” cast iron skillet for this recipe. If you don’t have cast iron, use another oven-safe skillet or an enameled Dutch oven. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, sauté the aromatics and spinach as directed, then transfer to a greased oven-safe baking dish, add the egg mixture, and bake from there. You may need to adjust the bake time for other skillet sizes (an 8” skillet may need a little extra time; a 12” skillet will cook the eggs more quickly). Our testers recommend adding an extra egg or two if you're using an especially large skillet (10" or wider).
Substitutions and Additions. Use olive oil instead of butter. Add extra veggies (onions, mushrooms, garlic, bell peppers) when you sauté the shallot and garlic. Swap some or all of the white cheddar here for gruyere cheese, goat cheese, feta, or havarti. Use half and half or whole milk instead of the cream if you prefer.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers. Store cooled, leftover frittata slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to serve, reheat slices on a sheet pan in a 350° F oven for 5-10 minutes, until warmed through. We don’t recommend freezing leftover frittata as it can make the eggs rubbery and tough.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 261
- Sugar: 0.9 g
- Sodium: 261.1 mg
- Fat: 20.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Protein: 15.2 g
- Cholesterol: 319 mg
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