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.
*************************************
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.
