One-Pan Ham Cheese Frittata

My sister called me one Saturday morning asking what to bring to a neighborhood brunch, and I blurted out that she should make a frittata because it sounds fancy but honestly requires almost no skill. She laughed and asked for a recipe, and that's when I realized how much I'd relied on this one-pan wonder over the years—it's saved me countless times when I needed to feed a crowd without fussing over individual omelets. The beauty of a frittata is that it lets you throw in whatever you have on hand while the oven does most of the heavy lifting.

There was this one weeknight when I was meal prepping for the week ahead, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the stack of containers waiting to be filled. I made three of these frittatas in quick succession, and something shifted—suddenly I had breakfast sorted for days without the monotony of scrambled eggs or yogurt parfaits. My roommate wandered into the kitchen as I was plating the first wedge, and the smell of melted cheddar and ham made her pause mid-conversation; she asked if I could teach her how to make it because she wanted to impress someone at work.

Ingredients

• Eggs: Eight large ones create the structure, so don't be tempted to skimp—they're doing the actual work here.
• Whole milk: This quarter cup makes the frittata creamy rather than dense, though I've also used cream when milk wasn't around.
• Cheddar cheese: A full cup shredded gives you that tangy, melty core—this is where the flavor lives.
• Parmesan cheese: The quarter cup adds a sharpness that keeps the cheese from feeling one-note.
• Diced cooked ham: Buy it pre-sliced if you're short on time, or cube up a ham steak yourself.
• Baby spinach: Chop it roughly; it wilts down to nothing anyway.
• Cherry tomatoes: Halving them prevents pockets of acidity that can taste harsh when they concentrate in the oven.
• Red onion: The finely chopped bits soften into sweetness during the sauté, balancing the salty ham.
• Salt, black pepper, garlic powder: Season boldly because eggs can taste flat if you hold back.
• Fresh chives: Optional but worth it—they add a bright finish that ties everything together.
• Olive oil: Two tablespoons is enough to coat the pan and keep things from sticking.

Instructions

Heat your oven first:

Set it to 375°F and let it preheat while you're prepping—this ensures the frittata cooks evenly in the second half of cooking.

Whisk the egg mixture:

Combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until the color is uniform yellow; this takes maybe two minutes of whisking. Stir in both cheeses until distributed throughout.

Sauté the aromatics:

Heat olive oil in your oven-safe skillet over medium heat and add the red onion first, letting it soften for a couple of minutes before adding ham, spinach, and tomatoes. The spinach will shrink dramatically, which is exactly what you want.

Pour and set:

Distribute the egg mixture evenly over the filling, and let it cook on the stovetop for just 2-3 minutes until you see the edges beginning to turn from liquid to set. This brief stovetop time creates a slightly golden bottom layer.

Transfer and bake:

Move the skillet to your preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes—you're looking for the center to be just firm when you gently shake the pan, with the top turning light golden. Overbaking makes it rubbery, so watch it closely toward the end.

Cool and serve:

Let it rest for five minutes in the pan, which helps it firm up enough to slice cleanly into wedges. Garnish with fresh chives if you have them on hand.

Zapisz

One morning my neighbor stopped by just as I was cutting into a still-warm frittata, and I couldn't help but offer her a wedge. She sat at my kitchen counter eating it straight from the pan, and we ended up talking for an hour about nothing important—the kind of conversation that happens when food tastes good enough that you forget you're hungry and just enjoy being present. That's when I understood that this dish is really about creating a moment where feeding people feels effortless.

Making It Your Own

The ham and cheese version is my go-to, but I've experimented with swapping the cheddar for Swiss cheese when I wanted something more subtle, and it shifted the entire personality of the dish. Once I threw in sautéed mushrooms instead of some of the ham because that's what was in my vegetable drawer, and honestly it was better than the original. Bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus—any vegetable you'd put in an omelet works here, and the beauty is that the oven does the cooking work instead of you standing over a hot pan.

Storage and Reheating

This frittata stores beautifully in the refrigerator for up to four days, which is why so many busy mornings have started with me grabbing a wedge from a container. I've reheated it in the microwave for 60-90 seconds when I want it warm, but I've also eaten it cold straight from the fridge while standing in the kitchen before heading out the door. The texture holds up either way, and cold frittata actually feels more substantial than cold scrambled eggs somehow.

Serving Ideas and Final Thoughts

Serve this alongside a simple green salad dressed with vinaigrette, or with buttered toast to soak up any extra richness. It works equally well for breakfast, lunch, or a light dinner, which is part of why it became such a reliable fixture in my cooking rotation. Whether you're feeding a table of people or just yourself across several mornings, this one-pan frittata delivers comfort without the drama.

• Cut it into smaller pieces and serve as appetizers at a casual gathering—people always seem surprised it's so easy.
• Add a handful of fresh herbs like dill or parsley during the final five minutes if you want extra brightness.
• Make two of these in one afternoon and you've tackled breakfast for most of the week.

Zapisz

This frittata has become the recipe I recommend to anyone who feels intimidated by cooking because it asks so little and delivers so much. Make it once and you'll understand why I keep coming back to it.

Najczęściej zadawane pytania dotyczące przepisów

→ Jakie warzywa najlepiej pasują do tej potrawy?

Świetnie sprawdzają się szpinak, pomidorki koktajlowe oraz czerwona cebula, które dodają świeżości i koloru.

→ Czy mogę użyć innego sera zamiast cheddara?

Tak, ser Swiss lub feta to doskonałe alternatywy, które wprowadzą nowe nuty smakowe.

→ Jak zachować potrawę na później?

Po wystudzeniu przechowuj w szczelnym pojemniku w lodówce do 4 dni. Można je szybko podgrzać lub jeść na zimno.

→ Jakie są opcje przyprawienia tego dania?

Podstawowe przyprawy to sól, pieprz i czosnek w proszku. Dodatkowo świeży szczypiorek wzbogaci smak.

→ Czy danie jest odpowiednie dla osób na diecie bezglutenowej?

Tak, składniki są naturalnie bezglutenowe, jednak warto upewnić się, że używane produkty mięsne i serowe również nie zawierają glutenu.