Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CHICKEN AND ORZO FRITTATA


We enjoy the occasional dinner frittata, so when I saw this one, which contains pasta and chicken, I thought I'd give it a try for a quick weeknight meal. Pasta and eggs is not something I grew up with, though I love pasta Carbonara. Giada's original recipe is here. I made a few minor changes--substituting sour cream for creme fraiche, part skim ricotta for whole milk, and a springform pan for a baking dish.


Serves 4
3/4 cup orzo pasta
6 eggs
1/3 cup ricotta
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cooked chicken breasts (about 2 cups), cubed- I rubbed them with Italian seasoning and roasted them
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup diced roasted red peppers
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and add the orzo. Cook 7-8 minutes. Drain.

In a large bowl combine the eggs, ricotta, and sour cream and stir until the eggs are beaten and the ingredients are combined. Add the cooked orzo, cooked chicken, scallions, parsley, red pepper, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Spray a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray. Pour in the mixture and bake 25 minutes. Turn on the broiler and place the pan under the broiler until the frittata is golden on top, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let set for 5 minutes. Unmold, cut into wedges, and serve with a side salad.
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TASTE NOTES
This was a hearty frittata, perfect for a light dinner or a filling lunch (we had half left over). It released fairly easily from the springform pan, though I'd spray it more heavily next time. I actually enjoyed the combination of pasta and eggs. I was going to add cheese, but thought I'd try it Giada's way first time out. Next time, I'll definitely add a bit of fontina or fresh mozzarella. With a simple Caesar salad, it was perfect and perfectly simple.

8 comments:

  1. I think I need to do this. I have it all - and have never done pasta with the eggs (although have done all other grains!). I think the added cheese would be grand - especially love the idea of some creamy fontina.

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  2. Looks terrific....pasta fritattas are really tasty and there's so many interesting fillings you could add. Very nice.

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  3. I love the orzo in here, what a great idea to put this together in a spring form pan so healthy! this must have been amazingly delicious it sure looks it!

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  4. I have never EVER thought of putting pasta in my eggs! Thanks so much for the shocking idea :-)

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  5. This looks like a very hearty frittata!

    We love to have spaghetti with a simple butter and ricotta sauce and if there are leftover my husband chops it up and makes a frittata with it the next day. It is so simple and good! His mother frequently prepared leftover pasta very this way.

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  6. I made an orzo salad last week. Never thought putting in frittata, something worth experimenting.

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  7. I love this idea of the orzo in the frittata and agree with you--a little cheese would be great in this dish. ;-)

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  8. I've never made a frittata with pasta before, but I know it would be an instant favorite. This frittata has been on my radar for awhile and you have made it look delicious!

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