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Home » Recipes » Breakfast

Ham and Spinach Frittata

By Lauren | Updated: Jan 15, 2024 | Published: Feb 22, 2022 | Leave a Comment

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In this Ham and Spinach Frittata, ham, cheese, spinach, and red peppers are all mixed together with eggs in an easy meal that is great any time of day. This Ham, Cheese, and Spinach Frittata is a super versatile dish. You can have it for breakfast or dinner, and we often have it for both.

Ham and spinach frittata in a white quiche dish with a slice cut and being removed.

A frittata is an Italian egg dish, like an egg pie. It’s similar to a large omelet filled with veggies and cheese, or a quiche without a crust. Eliminating the crust is a nice way to reduce the flour/simple carbs.

It is full of protein and vegetables, and you can often throw in whatever you have in the fridge. We usually have most of the ingredients on hand, so it’s a nice meal to turn to when we’ve run out of planned meals or have extra unused vegetables that we don’t have a specific use for. I also love to make this Bacon and Leek Frittata, a delicious way to mix up your frittata ingredients.

Basic Frittata Recipe Structure:

The recipe can be adapted to whatever you have in the fridge. The basics are 10 eggs, 1 cup milk/cream, and 1+ cup shredded cheese. Then add an extra protein if you like such as ham, bacon, or sausage, and some veggies like spinach or peppers.

Expert Tip: Salt is not needed in this recipe because the ham and cheese are already plenty salty. If you are making another variation of a frittata without ham or another salty ingredient like bacon, you may need to add a small amount of salt.

Ham and Spinach Frittata Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make a Ham and Spinach Frittata.

Ingredients needed to make a ham and spinach frittata.
  • Spinach: Pack 2 cups of fresh spinach in a measuring pitcher, then roughly chop. Sauté for a minute until soft and wilted. This reduces the water content and therefore the overall baking time of the frittata. You can skip this step and add the spinach directly to the egg mixture, but you will need to extend the baking time by 5-10 minutes.
  • Olive Oil: Choose extra virgin olive oil, if possible. See my interview here with an olive oil and wine producer in Italy.
  • Eggs: Choose pasture-raised, if possible.
  • Heavy Cream & Whole Milk: Add a half cup of each, but don’t go out of your way to buy both. If you don’t already have both on hand, just buy either heavy cream or whole milk and use 1 cup total of whichever you choose.
  • Yellow Onion: Use either 1 small yellow onion, minced, or two slices of a larger onion, minced.
  • Red Bell Pepper: I like red bell peppers in this dish for the color and sweetness, but the red bell pepper can be substituted with an orange or a yellow bell pepper. Green bell peppers are fine too, but they are less sweet.
  • Ham: Choose thick-cut ham or a ham steak. If this is hard to find, sliced ham works too, but will have a different texture.
  • Cheddar Cheese: Cheddar pairs well with the ham, spinach, and bell pepper, but Monterrey jack can be used as well (or both cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese).

How to Make a Ham and Spinach Frittata

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make a Ham and Spinach Frittata.

*Note: The recipe card with instructions and ingredient list with quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.

Quiche dish and a saute pan with wilted spinach.

Step 1. Butter a quiche dish, or other similar shallow round dish. Preheat the oven to 325° F

Step 2. Sauté the spinach with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat for a minute or two stirring until wilted. Remove and set aside. You can skip this step, and leave the spinach raw, however you may need to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time due to the extra water content in the spinach.

Bowl with egg, milk, and heavy cream mixture, next to bowl with egg mixture and spinach, ham, onion, red peppers, and cheddar cheese.

Step 3. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, and milk.

Step 4. Add the spinach, onion, red pepper, ham, and cheese. Whisk to combine. I usually reserve a small handful of the cheese and add it on top before putting it in the oven.

Frittata egg mixture in a quiche dish, next to image of the same dish with the fully baked frittata.

Step 5. Add the egg mixture to the quiche dish. Sprinkle the top with any remaining cheese.

Step 6. Bake at 325° F for 45-50 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Variations & Serving

You can add chunks of thick-cut ham or slices of ham, which is often easier to find. I stack the slices of ham on top of each other and then dice them, tossing them in as though they are slices of thick-cut ham. You can add crumbled sausage or even chicken sausage, and many vegetables work well such as corn, zucchini, or baby bok choy. You can also make it ahead of time and reheat it in the oven until warmed through.

You can serve this on its own, with a light salad, or with these Buttermilk Biscuits Without Shortening.

Recipe Inspiration

My mom made this dish for us several times after we came home from the hospital with our oldest son. He arrived six weeks early and needed extra attention and care in those first few weeks. It was such a relief to have meals like this to all share together and not worry about cooking. It is pretty quick to throw together and now it’s a part of our regular rotation either for breakfast or dinner, especially if we are looking for something filling but without a lot of carbs.

If you're looking for other breakfast recipes you might enjoy these:

  • Leek and Bacon Frittata with Asparagus overhead shot.
    Leek and Bacon Frittata with Asparagus
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    Dutch Baby with Cinnamon Sugar Blueberries
  • Eggs Baked in Tomato Sauce in a white square baker on wooden background.
    Eggs Baked in Tomato Sauce
  • The fully baked Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole With Challah Bread in a square white baking dish with powdered sugar and a sea foam blue cloth underneath.
    Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole With Challah Bread

Ham and Spinch Frittata FAQs

How long will a frittata last in the refrigerator?

A frittata will last for two days in the refrigerator. It can last longer, but I find that it is best reheated one to two days after making.

What to serve with a frittata?

If you are serving the frittata with breakfast or brunch, I recommend serving it with fruit and berries.

If you are serving the frittata with dinner, I recommend serving it with a light salad or crusty bread.

A frittata is a whole meal and does not necessarily need to be paired with anything else. So while a salad, or fruit, or bread would be nice, it is not necessary and can save you some time and energy by just having it on its own.

How to reheat a frittata?

A frittata can be reheated by the slice in the microwave. Cook for 1 minute at a time at 50% power. The entire dish can also be reheated in the oven. Bake for 5-10 minutes at 325°F to warm through.

Can a frittata be made ahead of time?

A frittata can be made ahead of time and reheated. We did this all the time when my oldest was a newborn baby. Reheat in the oven at 325°F for 5-10 minutes.

If you tried this Ham and Spinach Frittata Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Ham and Spinach Frittata

Ham, cheese, spinach, and red peppers are all mixed together with eggs in an easy to throw together meal that is great anytime of day.
4.86 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 50 minutes mins
Author Lauren Skardal
Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 533 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 packed cups fresh spinach, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 10 eggs
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 small yellow onion, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 6oz ham diced, about 1 cup
  • 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
 

  • Butter a quiche dish, or other similar shallow round dish. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
  • Sauté the spinach with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat for a minute or two stirring until wilted. Remove.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, and milk.
  • Add the spinach, onion, red pepper, ham and cheese. I usually reserve a small handful of the cheese and add it on top prior to putting it in the oven.
  • Add the egg mixture to the quiche dish. Sprinkle the top with any remaining cheese.
  • Bake at 325° F for 45-50 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Notes

    • Cheese: We usually use either cheddar cheese, Monterrey jack, or a combination of both.
    • Spinach: You don't have to sauté the spinach before adding it to the dish. You can add it directly to the dish without sautéing it, but the frittata will take about 10 minutes longer in the oven because of the water content in the spinach. So to save cooking time, we often sauté it in a pan first.
    • Baking Dish: You can use a quiche dish, a pie dish, a square ceramic baker, or an oven-safe saute pan to make this frittata.
    • Salt: This recipe does not call for added salt because I find that the ham and cheese already have enough salt.
  •  

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 504mg | Sodium: 839mg | Potassium: 445mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3844IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 442mg | Iron: 3mg
Have you tried this recipe? Leave a comment below and share a photo on instagram and tag @elleandpear or #elleandpear. I'd absolutely love to hear from you and see what you're making!

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Lauren sitting at table in Tuscany with a glass of wine, charcuterie and rolling green hills and winery in the background.

I'm Lauren, I've worked in Finance, earned an MBA, and lived and traveled throughout Europe and the US. I love to cook and bake, and bring our family together around the table. Recipes shared here are real family recipes with real fresh ingredients inspired by our travels.

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