Spinach, onion & bacon frittata

Sometimes I make a big old mess in the kitchen.  Picture a sink piled high with pans, bowls, and every cutting board I own.  I could clean the dishes as I go.  (I don't.)  I try to savor the meal I've created without distractions and in a seated position.  (Enter Family Guy reruns and leaning against the counter, plate in hand.)  I stare down the Pisa-like tower and wonder if mind control works on dish soap, a sponge, and a Pisa-like tower of dishes.  (It doesn't.)

Thankfully for you and me, this isn't one of those times.  Rather, this is a tale about how less is more.  Less dishes, less ingredients, and generally less fuss.  How I ditched the apron, popped in a DVD and barely paid attention to what was on the stove and ended up with an unreasonably delicious meal in spite of my apathy.  Don't you just love when life works out like that?

If you've hung around here long enough, you know that my love for eggs knows no bounds.  For once, I have a taste for something inexpensive (somewhere my parents are rolling their eyes).  It's also convenient that most egg dishes are about as easy a main course as you'll find.  Directions like "do not disturb" and "allow the eggs to set" are my favorite kind.  Because then I can focus my attention on said DVD and laugh out loud because there is no one around to shoot funny looks my way for doing so.

Turns out that DVD is a perfect transition to this dinner.  The movie, Morning Glory, features Rachel McAdams and a surly yet hilarious Harrison Ford.  (If you haven't seen it, you absolutely must -- it's charming and extremely witty!!  It's on my buy list... and I rarely buy movies.)  Anyway,  Ford's character is a well-known and once well-respected news anchor who finds it beneath him to do anything other than hard news.  He never breaks during a story, refuses to participate in small chat, and sounds like he's dictating the Oxford English Dictionary at all times.  He pro-noun-ces ev-er-y syll-a-ble so dis-tinct-ly.

And, as luck would have it, he loves frittatas.  So, throughout the movie you constantly hear "fri-tta-ta"... slow and with lots of Ts.  I don't know what it is, but I giggle every single time.  Fri-tta-ta!  Say it with me.  Fri-tta-ta!  Isn't it more fun that way?  Heck yes, though it's much more fun to eat said fri-tta-ta.

And now you're wondering why that pop culture rant was necessary, aren't you?  Because, shh, I'll let you in on a little secret -- it's because there isn't much to write about with regard to this fri-tta-ta.  Oh, it's absolutely delicious... the smokey salty bacon and the sweet onion flavor the fluffy spinach and egg so perfectly.  And the cheese added at the very last minute melts and makes a gooey stick-to-your-teeth top that you'll be thinking about for the rest of the night.  But the cooking process?  As the pictures have shown, you saute, pour, and cook.  That's all I've got.  Sorry, folks.  Just make it already so I can stop talking, please?  Thanks :)


Spinach, Onion, and Bacon Frittata
-serves 6 with a side dish, or 4 as a main course

A few notes: None really, but if you're a fan of the frittata and would like to see another recipe, check out this one for an apple and cheddar frittata from a few months ago.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Salt
Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs and bacon, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, undisturbed, until edges are set, about 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top of frittata is just set, 10 to 13 minutes. Invert or slide frittata onto a plate.  Sprinkle with cheese and allow to sit for a minute to melt.  Cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.