Goat Cheese Asparagus Frittata

Essentially a crustless quiche, asparagus frittata is a time saver — spend 15 minutes hands-on, and the rest of the time hands-off. You can serve it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, and change the produce with the seasons. Baked in the oven rather than cooked on the stovetop, it's a fast, light dish that will quickly become a go-to family recipe!

For some more springtime recipes, try our olive oil carrot cake with maple cream cheese frosting, sweet strawberry icebox cake, and lemon rhubarb cake.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Asparagus: in-season stalks are going to taste best. You could sub white asparagus if you prefer it.
• Spinach: substitute the baby spinach for any fresh chopped greens you like.
• Cream: this is 35% whipping cream (anything around that range will work). You can substitute whole milk or 18% cream but note that the dish won't be as rich.
• Dill: dried dill will work if that's what you have on hand, as pictured, but fresh will have a stronger flavour.
• Peas: use fresh or frozen peas, no need to thaw first.
• Goat cheese: substitute feta or another soft cheese if preferred.

Method

Step 1: blanch the asparagus with boiling water.

Step 2: layer asparagus, peas, and spinach in the baking dish.

Step 3: mix the eggs, cream, and spices in a bowl.

Step 4: pour the egg mixture over the vegetables.

Step 5: dot the top with goat cheese.

Step 6: bake until just barely set and serve.

Top Tips

• Peel if needed: if any of your asparagus stalks are very large, thick, tough, or woody, gently peel the outer layer using a vegetable peeler.
• Beat the eggs well: incorporating plenty of air into the eggs when beating will make for a lighter frittata.
• Parchment optional: lining the baking dish with parchment paper helps to prevent any sticking (we all know the frustration of an egg dish sticking) and makes for easier clean up. Grease the baking dish well if you prefer not to use the parchment paper.

Recipe Notes

The brief dip in boiling water will change the colour of the asparagus to a bright vibrant green, and will also soften the pieces slightly. This process is called blanching.

The frittata will be a little wobbly when finished baking, but not wet in the middle. It will finish setting as it cools slightly before serving. Over-bake and it'll turn out tough.

We like ½ cup (120 g) of soft goat cheese in this recipe. If you don't love goat cheese as much as we do, reduce the amount to ¼ cup (60 g).

If you include meat in your diet, consider adding cooked chopped bacon or chopped prosciutto to your asparagus frittata. Once cool and sliced, it's also terrific topped with a slice of smoked salmon!

How to Store

Storage: store cooled slices of frittata in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days. It's good cold, too.

Freezing: transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. To reheat frozen frittata slices, gently microwave on half power, heat in the oven at 325ºF (160ºC) until heated though, or in the air fryer until heated though.

Make Ahead: assemble the frittata, cover it tightly, and place it in the fridge for up to two days prior to baking. Alternatively, bake it up to two days in advance and gently warm in the oven at 325ºF (160ºC) before serving.

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