By planning ahead and cooking extra vegetables, this super quick Leftover Roasted Vegetable Frittata can easily be whipped up for dinner on a busy weeknight. The frittata is also great cold, so tuck any extras into lunchboxes.
Total Time Investment: 20 Minutes
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Frittatas are a handy option for a quick but healthy meal. Thanks to our backyard chickens, we always have eggs on hand. And as almost anything can be thrown in a frittata, all that is required is a quick rustle in the fridge or freezer to get dinner underway.
Why You Should Create Intentional Leftovers
I am the first to admit that I am not great at using up leftovers, and my main focus this year is to make better use of any surplus from our meals. It is a process though, and requires a mental shift for me, as I have become quite accustomed to either sending leftovers to the chickens or packing them off with Mr Grumpy for lunch. One of the best resources I have found to help me on this journey is Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s book, Love Your Leftovers.
As part of this process, I have discovered that there is a huge difference between leftovers and intentional leftovers. Leftovers are such things as the occasional spare roast potato or cupful of rice; things that I find difficult to repurpose into a meal for three, and which more often than not end up as chicken scraps. Intentional leftovers are, however, a completely different prospect.
Intentional leftovers are created when I deliberately cook more food than I require for dinner in the knowledge that there will be enough leftovers available to create another meal. For example, when making this roast vegetable frittata I prepared two huge trays of vegetables. One tray of vegetables was eaten for that night’s dinner, whilst the other tray of vegetables was repurposed into this frittata.
One of the biggest advantages of creating intentional leftovers is the time it saves me during the week. Some of my favourite intentional leftovers are roast chicken or roast vegetables. Both chicken and vegetables take far more time to cook than I often have available on a busy weeknight. By making a roast dinner on a lazy weekend evening, and cooking more food than we need for dinner, the leftovers can easily be repurposed into quick meals through the week.
Ingredient Substitutions For Roasted Vegetable Frittata
- This frittata will work with almost any vegetables you have. Personally I am not a fan of pumpkin, and favour sweet potato over potato, however the vegetables you use really come down to personal preference. Zucchini, capsicum, onions or shallots, carrots and mushrooms would all work well in this roasted vegetable frittata recipe.
- Use your favourite herbs in the mix. Rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme, tarragon, chives, and chervil all pair well with eggs.
- Toss some garlic cloves in with your vegetables when roasting them. Squeeze out the roasted pulp, mix it with the eggs, and omit the fresh garlic from the recipe.
- If you are a fan of cheese, some shredded Cheddar would be delicious mixed with the eggs. Or why not drop chunks of feta or goats cheese over the top of the frittata as it cooks.
Tips & Tricks For A Delicious Roasted Vegetable Frittata
The leftover roasted vegetables need to be either at room temperature or slightly warmed before adding them to the fry pan. Do not use cold vegetables straight from the fridge as this will prevent the middle of the frittata from cooking correctly. Either allow the vegetables to come to room temperature, or give them a quick zap in the microwave before you start.
Making a huge tray of roasted vegetables is a great way to clean out the fridge. Almost any vegetable can be roasted, and (in my opinion) all vegetables taste better when subjected to a short stint in the oven so next time you have the oven on, make sure you have a rummage in the vegetable crisper.
I use either a 20cm stainless steel fry pan or my Le Crueset fry pan to make this frittata. If you have a cast iron skillet, use that instead.
By planning ahead and roasting some extra #vegetables, you can make this Roasted #Vegetable #Frittata in under #30minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight, and #leftovers can be tucked into #lunchboxes. #vegetarian #glutenfree #dinner Click To TweetMy leftover roasted vegetable frittata is easily prepared in advance, and tastes fabulous either hot or cold. This makes it the ideal meal for those nights when the family are all eating at different times.
To round out the meal I’ll serve this roasted vegetable frittata with a loaf of crusty bread and simple green salad.
And any leftovers (of the leftover roast vegetable frittata) are great tucked into a lunchbox the next day. Perhaps I’m getting better at using up those leftovers after all.
Enjoy!
Made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below.
And if you loved it, please don’t forget to rate it.
20 Minute Leftover Roasted Vegetable Frittata
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (try parsley & basil)
- Salt & pepper
- 2 Tbsp butter or ghee
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 4 cups roasted vegetables at room temperature or slightly warmed in the oven.
Instructions
- Pre-heat the grill.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs together with the chopped herbs and a good seasoning of salt and pepper.
- Set the beaten eggs aside.
- Melt the butter in the fry pan over a medium - low heat.
- Add the crushed garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the vegetables to the pan and toss lightly to cover the vegetables in the garlic butter.
- Reduce the heat under the fry pan to low.
- Whisk the eggs briefly to ensure the herbs are thoroughly incorporated, then gently pour the eggs over the vegetables. Push the vegetables below the eggs, and gently move the vegetables to ensure that the egg flows into all the gaps.
- Allow the frittata to cook for 10 minutes. You will start to see small bubbles rising in the mixture, but the top will not be set at the end of this cooking time.
- Place the frittata under the grill for 3 - 5 minutes, or until the top has set and has started to brown.
- Set the frittata aside for 5 minutes before serving, or allow to cool completely and serve at room temperature.
Notes
P.S. Looking for other ideas for using up leftovers? Try Leftover Salmon Caesar Salad, Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes or Lentil & Roast Beef Salad.
Ange @ Little Kitchen Blue
Frittata is such a fabulous way to use leftovers. I love making something new and tasty from leftovers and frittatas are always a great option!
tania
I am getting better at throwing random things into frittatas Ange 🙂 I find them very handy for easy lunches too.
Christie
I love throwing leftover veggies into my morning omelet. A frittata is a fabulous way to feed more people.
tania
That’s a great idea for smaller amounts of leftover veges Christie. Thanks for that!
Peter Block
I love a fritatta. This has so many great vegetables and great color.
tania
Thanks Peter 🙂
Natalia Richer
This looks fantastic! UGH I’m with you! This year I need to cut on my food waste. Great way to use leftovers in this recipe and even handier that you’ve got backyard chickens!
tania
I’m getting better Natalia, but I have a long way to go. In the meantime the chickens come in very handy. At least the food is recycled into something useful rather than just being thrown out.
The Food Hunter
This looks fabulous…I can’t wait to try it.
tania
I hope you enjoy it Theresa 🙂
Amanda (@lambsearshoney)
Oh, what a divine looking fritatta – and I have so many eggs at the moment. Can’t wait to roast some veggies now!
tania
I wish I had your egg problem Amanda. The chickens appear to be on a go-slow at the moment. I do find that frittatas are a great way to use up a surplus (when I have them 😉 )
Nancy | Plus Ate Six
Intentional leftovers – of course I have them but normally throw them into a roast veggie pasta sauce. Must remember frittata next time.
tania
I like the idea of a roast veggie pasta sauce Nancy. Sounds yum. I will have to give that a go.
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen
Was just thinking I need a good frittata recipe for end of the week dinners – perfect timing! Love the idea of packing in flavour by using roasted veggies – definitely saving x
tania
I hope you enjoy it Claudia. Frittatas are perfect for end of week dinners!
Melanie
I usually use my leftover roasted veggies in my pasta sauce but felt like something different and came across this recipe. So glad I did! We loved it and it’s a nice change from the usual.
tania
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Melanie. Thank you for letting me know.