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Zucchini and Cheddar Frittata
This zucchini frittata is delicate and creamy, almost like a crustless quiche.
I always love the idea of a frittata. So long as you have a carton of eggs, you can throw one together in 30 minutes, and they’re great for using up any leftover veggies, bits of meat, or hunks of cheese you might have languishing in the fridge. Problem is, they’re usually dry, spongy, and just not that good. Whenever I have one, I find myself thinking that for the same calories, I’d rather be eating quiche!
This zucchini frittata, however, is delicate and creamy, almost like a crustless quiche. There are three secrets to success: squeeze as much water as possible out of the zucchini; add heavy cream and lots of cheese to the egg mixture; and bake the frittata in a low-temperature oven, instead of the traditional stovetop-to-broiler method, so the eggs cook gently into a custard without scrambling.
What you’ll need to make a zucchini and cheddar frittata
Step-by-Step Instructions
It’s best to use small zucchini, as they contain less water. Once grated, place the zucchini on several layers of paper towels and squeeze out as much water as possible.
Depending on how much water is in the zucchini, you may need to repeat this step.
Next, melt a few tablespoons of butter in an 8 or 10-inch oven-proof, nonstick sauté pan.
Add the shallots.
Along with the zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the zucchini is tender.
Meanwhile, combine the eggs, remaining salt, pepper and heavy cream in a large bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Add the cooked zucchini and grated cheese to the egg mixture and stir.
Pour the frittata mixture back into the pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until just set.
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Zucchini & Cheddar Frittata
This zucchini frittata is delicate and creamy, almost like a crustless quiche.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound (12 oz) zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots, from 1-2 shallots
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 ounces (about 1 cup) grated Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Using a food processor or box grater, grate the zucchini. Place the grated zucchini on top of several layers of paper towels and wring dry. If necessary, repeat 1-2 times to remove any excess moisture.
- In an 8 or 10-inch ovenproof, nonstick sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot, zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the moisture evaporates and the zucchini is tender, 6-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked zucchini and grated cheese to the egg mixture and stir to combine. Pour the frittata mixture into the pan (no need to wash it), then place in the oven and bake until set, 20-23 minutes.
- Note: Be sure to keep a dish towel over the pan handle after you remove it from the oven; it's easy to forget that it's hot and burn your hand.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked frittata can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove the frittata from the freezer about 24 hours prior to serving and reheat it in the microwave or, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven until hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 317
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Sugar: 3g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 16g
- Sodium: 337mg
- Cholesterol: 689mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Reviews & Comments
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Would a 9 inch cast iron skillet work for this?
Yep – hope you enjoy!
Once again, as always, I was impressed by this recipe. It was perfect! Tender, not rubbery or runny, with great flavor. Every single recipe that I’ve made of ours is a perfect, five-star dish. By nature I am skeptical and would have been tempted to believe that you were fiddling with the statistics to bump up the scores, if I didn’t know better. It is obvious that your skills as a professional chef, as well as tinkering with a recipe until it is just right is paying off. I don’t believe there is another site with so many excellent recipes and five-star ratings. Thank you!!! I know that I can try anything you post and don’t ever have to worry about being disappointed.
Hi Jenn, I love your zucchini frittata recipe. I’ve made it many times. I have around 8 oz of ham heron a ham steak) in the freezer that I want to use up and would like to include it in an egg dish. (BTW… we rarely eat ham but my husband wanted to make a navy bean and ham soup).
I’m leery of some of the other frittata recipes out there as I really like the way yours turn out. I haven’t made the spinach version yet but will at some point.
Suggestions on using the ham with or without veggies in one of your frittatas would be welcome.
I continue to be a big fan and make one or more of your recipes a week!
No hurry. Thanks in advance! Susan 😊
Hi Susan, I think the ham steak would be delicious chopped up and added to either my zucchini or spinach frittata. You could also add it to these egg bites instead of the bacon.
This was the best frittata I have ever made, Jenn! Absolutely perfect. I’m sorry I did not take a photo, but we devoured it in no time at all. I used goat’s cheese instead of cheddar. I am going to share it on my website, naturally, I shall be acknowledging you. Deborah Garber (www.deborahgarber.live)
This is my first time making a frittata and your recipe was perfect and delicious! Cheddar cheese and zucchini are two of my favorite ingredients on the planet, thank you for creating a fabulous recipe!
I love this Frittata. It’s easy enough to throw together for a week day breakfast. I do all of the hand on prep and cook the zucchini, pop it in the oven. By the time I have the kids up and dressed its ready for breakfast! (well for 3/5 of the family, 2 kids are picky and they get cereal lol) It makes enough that we have leftovers for the next day.
Made this last night and my youngest who doesn’t like eggs had two slices. I forgot to buy courgettes so used bacon lardons instead and fried in a pan and browned under the grill. Was lovely and a triumph to see my daughter eat eggs.
Love this recipe! Easy and delicious. A great way to use up those garden zucchinis
Delicious! The zucchini really adds to the dish. I also add in a little diced Canadian bacon for extra protein.
This was super easy to make and very tasty! I followed it exactly. Will definitely make again!
I’m going to try this recipe this weekend. I have always been disappointed with the texture of my frittatas. Tip for squeezing liquid out of zucchinis…I use an old cotton kitchen dish towel. You can really squeeze the zucchini. I find that paper towels can get wet and stick to the zucchini. Sometimes I press the balled up towel against a strainer for more leverage.
Thanks for another great recipe (I’ve got them all bookmarked!). I make this frequently, it’s moist, tasty and delicate, just perfect for brunch or lunch. I usually have garlic cloves on hand instead of shallots, plus I dust it with smoked paprika and black pepper before baking. I don’t miss the quiche crust at all, frittata is the way to go with a recipe like this one!
I loved this recipe, not only because it tasted delicious, but because it was gluten free and lower in carbs. Thanks so much!
This is a wonderful recipe which we have for dinner often. My husband loves it and normally does not like zucchini. I also add chopped sweet peppers to the sauté and grated hot pepper cheese. Also whole milk can be subbed for heavy cream and it still turns out well. Thank you Jen!
This frittata is so good. It is easy to prepare. I have made it several times.
Great frittata
Summer garden zucchini really is showcased in this super easy and delicious frittata. (Of course using zucchini when it’s not in season always works too.) My husband is usually the frittata chef in our house and never thought to use the cast iron skillet to sauté the zukes first, assemble then to pop it in the oven to bake. Moist and scrumptious. Have made it many times and will continue to do so!
Being a vegetarian and my husband a meat eater I have found many recipes on your site that we both love!
They are tasty, simple to make and healthy. This is my #1 go to site when I am looking for new recipes.
This is one of our favorite ways to use up extra zucchini in the summer. Makes a delicious, easy dinner with a green salad and maybe some fried potatoes on the side.
Has become a staple in my house for Sunday breakfast. Delicious and easy to make!
A great recipe for Keto! We have zucchini in the garden, a nice way to use them. It was really delicious, thank you!
I had some frozen zucchini spirals and thought this would be a great way to use them. This recipe is so easy and it’s such an easy way to make eggs. It was delicious!!! I didn’t have shallots but white onion was just as good.
Excellent recipe. Glad to have found it. I had some heavy cream that was well past its “best by” date but not sour, so I needed a recipe that called for heavy cream. I added both shallots and purple green onion bulbs (from our CSA produce box) and used medium yellow cheddar. The results were excellent, and made for a delicious late lunch when served with a side of spaghetti with olive oil, black pepper, and pecorino.
Do I need to peel the zucchini or just grate the whole thing?
Thnx
You can just grate the whole zucchini. Hope you enjoy!
Turned out perfectly. I made this exactly as written. Wouldn’t change a thing. Definitely keeping this recipe to use again and again.
Such a great recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Hi!
How is 3 oz shredded cheese equal to 1 cup? Aren’t there 8 oz in 1 cup? Can you clarify? Cooking tonight…
Thanks!
Hi Bella, if you were to weigh the cheese, it would be the equivalent of 3 ounces. 8 ounces in a measuring cup refers to volume. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy the frittata!
I made a version of this last week. It was delicious and really easy. I added leftover cherry tomatoes that I had roasted – and that added great flavor. I substituted a combination of swiss and mozzarella cheese for the cheddar since that’s what I had on hand. My cooking time was closer to 35 minutes but that’s likely due to a difference in pan size
I’d love to add some broccoli into this as well. Would it be best to steam the broccoli first before baking the frittata? I like my broccoli to be very soft. Also, do you get the zucchini before shredding it?
That was meant to say ‘gut’ as in, taking all the seeds out.
Hi Ashley, Yes I’d cook the broccoli first, but make sure it is dry before adding it. And no I don’t take the seeds out of the zucchini. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I have made this a few times now. Such a lite dish and a means of using up zucchini. I have added in sautéed fresh mushrooms. Excellent recipe!
This frittata is wonderful. I followed it to the letter. The only problem I had was not having an oven-proof skillet. When I got to the step to put it in the oven I used a ceramic pie plate (exactly like yours in the summer strawberry cake recipe). I almost always use white cheddar, but I only had the light orange kind. Well, the presentation was beautiful – between the red ceramic, ivory interior, and colorful cheddar, it looked magazine-worthy. The taste couldn’t be better. Thank you so much for your PERFECT recipes!!
Made this as written for the most part with some minor substitutions and additions below, and my roommate loved it!
1. used a cast iron skillet since that was the only oven proof skillet I had
2. used onions instead of scallions since I didn’t have any of the latter
3. added chopped bits of cooked bacon, and also cooked the onions and zucchini in a little bit of reserved bacon fat in addition to the butter
4. Added thin slice of tomato on top just before popping it in the oven
Just like Jen said it would, turned out with just set outer browned edges, and still custardy in the middle. Yum!
Excellent recipe – comes together quickly and with a salad, the perfect summer meal.