Spinach Frittata

My preggo self was craving a frittata, but went blank on how to make it so I googled "frittatas" and used a recipe from Simply Recipes to refresh my memory and get ideas on ingredients. Of course, I tweaked the recipe. I used to make frittatas after we moved back from Australia in 2001 because we met a girl there who was glucose intolerant. Her diet was so restricted, but just about any style of frittata made her menu. Thus, she taught me how to make them. I should add here, frittatas are so easy to make!!!

So what is a frittata? According to Wikipedia, "a frittata is a type of Italian omelette that frequently features fillings such as meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Like a traditional French omelette, a frittata is prepared in a skillet. However, whereas an omelette is cooked on a stovetop and served folded, a frittata is first partially cooked on a stovetop but then broiled to finish and served open-faced." I chose to bake mine as I do not have the proper skillet to put inside the oven for this.

I am going to post my concoction. However, you can put whatever ingredients you want for your liking. I plan to try some different ingredients next time. However, this one turned out yummy, too. I will say this is somewhat chick food as it doesn't contain much meat. My hubbie liked it, but thought it was more of a breakfast/brunch dish. Ladies, you could eat it as a meal though and not think that probably. :) I served it with garlic French bread.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh spinach leaves (about 1 bunch), cleaned, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large clove garlic, minced (or garlic powder)
~2 oz chopped ham
10 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1+ cup grated cheddar cheese
~ 10 cherry tomatoes, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. I let my casserole dish heat up in the oven as it preheated.
2. Cook spinach in 1/4 cup of water for a couple of minutes in a covered saucepan until just wilted. Drain water and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and cheddar cheese. Add in tomatoes and ham. Then, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Sauté onions and red bell peppers in olive oil in skillet, until translucent, about 2 minutes on medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté a minute further. Add cooked spinach and mix in with onions, peppers and garlic.
5. Spread out spinach mixture evenly on bottom of large casserole dish. Pour egg mixture over spinach mixture. Use a spatula to lift up the spinach mixture along the sides of the pan to let egg mixture flow underneath.
6. Bake for 20-40 minutes, until frittata is puffy and golden. Remove from oven with oven mitts and let cool for several minutes. Because my dish was deep, it took a while for the middle to cook through. Because it was taking longer than planned, we ended up cutting the sides out to eat and put the middle back in the oven to continue cooking. That is why my pic of the frittata is only a slice on a plate as we started eating it before the middle was done. ha!