Italian Sausage and Vegetable Frittata

Velvety, cheesy frittata packed with potatoes, tomatoes, scallions, greens and Italian sausage. Make it for brunch with friends, or refrigerate for breakfasts all week—and trust me, you’ll want to have this on repeat.

What if you could cook a week of happiness?

I do it all the time. No, really, think about it. Reports are mixed on whether breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day, but doesn’t the perfect breakfast just make you feel a little sunshine in your soul?

Not so heavy you feel like you need a nap to restart your day. Not so light you need lunch half an hour later. Fresh and invigorating, but also warm and comforting. Healthy, but you don’t need to share it with your pet rabbit. And so incredibly flavorful you’re kind of excited to get out of bed (okay, halfway—maybe we work on that one)?

That, my friends, is the kind of happiness we’re talking about here. I know I can’t solve all your problems, but when it comes to the breatkfast-related ones I gotchu.

This Italian Sausage and Vegetable Frittata is packed with crispy-edged potatoes, bright grape tomatoes, springy green onions, fresh greens, a smattering of sweet sausage and lots and lots of cheese. To me it’s one of those foods that brings so much comfort, but without a bland or boring bite.

How to make Italian Sausage and Vegetable Frittata

1. Fry the potatoes.
2. Brown the sausage.
3. Sautée the veggies.
4. Mix up the eggs and cheese and pour them in.
5. Bake.
6. Invite friends over for brunch.
7. Put it out next to a bottle of Cholula (affiliate link) or whatever your favorite hot sauce is (but it’s cholula, right?).
8. Watch a disappearing act for the ages.

Biscuits and fruit on the side are optional. Coffee, less so.

I’ve written a little about this frittata (and the magic of ricotta in frittatas) before over in my post for Southwest-Style Sweet Potato Frittata. It’s my version of one my husband’s parents made for us once that was so delicious I could eat it every day. Honestly, I do make it and eat it for a week straight pretty often.

I love making a leisurely breakfast, but isn’t a week where you don’t have to make breakfast pretty great? Especially if you work, have a busy week or, ahem, have a toddler whose favorite thing to do while you make breakfast is empty the entire tea drawer.

Leisurely breakfast on Sunday when dad’s home to entertain said toddler. For the rest of the week it’s one minute in the microwave while I squish approximately 1,000 blueberries and get coffee. I will take it, gleefully.

What is a frittata, again?

Basically? An Italian version of an omelette. Typically a little thicker, and no fold.

If you’re familiar with them already, you probably have a specific picture in your head, but it’s pretty simple: eggs and other ingredients. Usually something like eggs, milk, cheese, and some vegetables. That leaves a lot of room for customization.

This one feels quite a bit more true to its culture than my last frittata recipe. I wouldn’t call it “authentic” necessarily, but tomatoes and basil, Italian sausage, ricotta—what feels more Italian than that? I weirdly even think the coloring looks like something out of a little Tuscan ceramics shop.

Decidedly less Italian is the white cheddar I use. I really love an extra sharp white cheddar like Old Croc, or whatever aged local variety you can find. You could use something like parmigiano reggiano, but I think white cheddar adds a funky bite in the best possible way.

You can tell it’s good if it’s crumbly-soft, but you can feel salty crystals crunching when you take a bite. It should be bold and a little earthy.

One more note on the cheese: use the real thing

I recommend using a good block cheese for this one. I’m always open to using on what you have, but the bagged stuff is not going to have the same flavor or texture.

First, it needs to be grated finley. Second, the pre-shredded kind has preservatives to keep it separated on it’s journey from the shredder to your fridge. That can keep the cheese from dissolving into the frittata evenly, just like chocolate bars melt better than chocolate chips.

Listen, I use bagged cheese sometimes, and I’m definitely not saying never use it. It just isn’t the best for this recipe.

May this frittata bring you as much cheesy happiness as it brings me. If it does, try out my southwest-style variation orrr put your own spin on it and comment how it went!

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