Spinach artichoke frittata with a Parmesan cream sauce is an easy brunch recipe for a crowd, and filling enough to need no accompaniment besides some fresh fruit, so you can enjoy your guests!
This is that weekend brunch recipe you make when you have leftover pasta. It sounds elegant, refined, tastes delicious, and there really isn’t much to it when it comes to preparation. In fact, you could assemble the whole thing the night before you plan to serve it and then just bake the frittata and make the sauce in the morning. How easy is that?
Many moons ago, when we were expecting Princess A, my family threw us a small baby shower at a restaurant in South Florida. It was a lovely room, the staff was great, the party was wonderful, and the food was spot on. I believe everyone chose between a basic bacon and eggs plate, a French toast, and this frittata, which stole the show! The layers of angel hair pasta with the salty artichoke and creamy eggs topped with a rich Parmesan cream sauce that you just couldn’t get enough of just tasted so decadent. Thankfully the liberal amounts of spinach and fresh fruit made you feel somewhat virtuous, but I kept thinking about this dish afterwards and knew I had to recreate it. It only took me over a year. Oh well, it feels like it all happened just yesterday and some things are worth the wait.
With Mother’s Day approaching, I knew I had to put the spinach artichoke frittata on the blog in case you want to make mom feel really special and cook her a restaurant-worthy breakfast she can enjoy peacefully in her pajamas. Or, you know, make it whenever because it’s delicious and easy and who doesn’t love brunch?
Spinach Artichoke Frittata with Parmesan Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 6 ounces dry angel hair pasta
- 8 large eggs
- 4 cups fresh spinach (don't be stingy!)
- 1 14-oz can artichoke hearts in water (about 8 hearts)
- 2/3 c whole milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado or vegetable oil
Parmesan Cream Sauce
- 1 tbsp reserved bacon fat
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 c whole milk
- 3/4 c heavy cream
- 1 cup fresh grated parmesan
- sprinkle of cumin
- salt and white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels, and reserve 1 tbsp of the fat for the sauce.
- Cook the pasta until firm according to the package directions. It will feel slightly undercooked, but that's okay, it will finish cooking in the egg mixture and be a lovely al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F with your cooking pan in the oven, with a tbsp of avocado oil or vegetable oil. (Skip this step if assembling the dish the night before)
- Chop the bacon into small pieces, julienne the spinach (cut into strips), and quarter the artichoke hearts.
- Whisk together the eggs milk, salt, and pepper, then mix in the pasta, bacon, and vegetables. If you are making this in advance, prepare the egg mixture and pour into your baking dish, cover, and place in a pre-heated oven when ready to bake.
- Pour your mixture into your pre-heated baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is no longer jiggly and the eggs are cooked through. Allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
- While the frittata is baking, make the Parmesan cream sauce by melting the bacon fat and butter together in a small pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook 2 minutes to make a thick paste.
- Complete your roux by slowly pouring in the milk and cream, whisking constantly so the mixture stays very smooth. Once all the milk has been incorporated, reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the cheese. Keep the heat low, you don't want the sauce to come to a boil.
- Allow to cook another 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce has slightly thickened. Add a dash of cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.