Carbonara Frittata

Any frittata is a great idea for a quick, inexpensive, last minute breakfast, lunch, or dinner recipe. We often make one when we don't really want to cook, but don't want to go out to eat either. But this recipe for carbonara frittata uses up leftovers too! 

Whenever we make spaghetti carbonara, we always have some left over. We usually reheat it in the microwave for lunch the next day. But this time we thought - why not add it to a frittata? We also wanted to make a baked frittata for as little work as possible. That also means you can use no butter or oil in the recipe at all. What a hit!

Pasta Carbonara

Frittatas are like sturdy omelets. They are much easier to make than omelets, and we think they have a better texture. They can stand for a few minutes after they come out of the oven and they won't suffer for the standing time. You can make them with eggs, cream, and everything from cooked sausage to leftover grilled steak to chicken or pasta or roasted potatoes or roasted vegetables. Most frittatas are cooked on the stovetop then finished under the broiler. But baking a frittata means you get to skip a step.

If you don't have leftover spaghetti carbonara but want to make this recipe anyway, cook about 4 ounces of spaghetti until al dente. Meanwhile, mix 2 eggs with 3 tablespoons cream and 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl. Add the hot pasta and toss to coat (this cooks the eggs and makes a sauce that sticks to the pasta), then add 2 strips cooked and crumbled bacon. Use that in place of the leftovers in this easy recipe.

All you need to serve with this wonderful recipe is some fresh fruit (peeled clementines are a nice fresh and sweet contrast), some orange juice, and milk or coffee.