The great thing about this recipe is that you can add any vegetables that you like–if mushrooms and spinach aren’t your favorites, substitute others. You can also add ham, bacon or sausage if you prefer meat over vegetables. I think the secret ingredient is the ricotta.

Ingredients

6-8 eggs

1 8 ounce package mushrooms (crimini or button)

2-3 handfuls fresh baby spinach  (about 5 ounces)

1 tablespoon butter

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 small red or green pepper, chopped

1 cup ricotta, part-skim

2 large scallions or 1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh herbs (rosemary, chives, thyme, parsley, oregano) or 1 teaspoon dried (I used all mentioned fresh from the garden, a bit less than a tablespoon each and used the rest on the accompanying new potatoes)

3/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mexican blend, parmesan, to your taste (I used a mix of all three kinds)

Salt and pepper to taste

thinly sliced green onions

Non-stick butter spray

Optional:  Sun dried tomato slices (2 T); 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno (more if you like it really spicy) I used both of these.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C. Use an oven-proof skillet (mine was 10”). If you don’t have one, spray a 9” pie plate.  Whisk eggs until well mixed and then add ricotta; whisk together. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix in fresh herbs, spices and half of the shredded cheese.  Whisk to combine and set aside. Heat butter and olive oil and sauté onions/scallions and peppers for several minutes until softened. Add minced garlic, sun dried tomato slices and jalapeño (if using) and saute 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms and brown a few minutes until moisture has evaporated (if dry, spray with a bit of the butter spray); drop in handfuls of spinach and stir until just wilted. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour in egg mixture to evenly fill skillet, or if using prepared pie plate, fill with vegetable mixture and then evenly pour in egg mixture.  Scatter the remaining shredded cheese and green onions on top of frittata and salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until brown on top.  Let sit for a few minutes before slicing. Great served with new potatoes with butter and fresh herbs.