A rich and decadent roasted cauliflower frittata with smoky cheese. Cauliflower becomes sweet and caramelized in the oven. The smoked cheddar adds richness. This frittata one will impress. Perfect for a special brunch.
This is a rich and decadent frittata. Break this out when you want to impress, and when you want a dish to stand on its own.
Serve with a fresh simple green salad like this radicchio and apple salad or other light vegetable dishes. Even this simple cucumber salad would contrast nicely with the richness of the frittata. Keep everything else light and fresh.
Tip: Frittatas are great for brunch!
This frittata is no exception. If anything this is the recipe you want when you want a rich dish on the brunch table but prefer not to go to the trouble of more traditional extravagant brunch fare. I think this dish is the perfect substitute for eggs benedict.
And it's meatless. Full flavour. Smokey and rich, with no bacon. Vegetarian brunch for the win.
The richness come from the caramelized and roasted vegetables. They cauliflower and the onions take on a sweetness and richness about them after a long slow cooking. Which means this recipe takes a bit more time to prepare than my other frittatas, but it is worth it for special occasions.
I've used Apple Wood Smoked Cheddar in this version. Use your favourite smoky cheese or good, aged, sharp cheddar.
Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard help round out the flavours. Don't skip this or sub in something else. The richness of the roasted cauliflower and the cheese need both the yogurt and the Dijon to lighten them up. It wasn't until a recent trip to Paris that I came to understand the beauty of good mustard served with cheese. It is truly magical. And here, in this frittata, the mustard is necessary. Use a good quality Dijon. Not yellow mustard and not honey mustard.
🌱 Instructions
- First, you must roast the cauliflower to soften and caramelize it. Roasting will sweeten the cauliflower.
- As the cauliflower roasts heat your cast iron pan and saute some onion until soft. Don't brown the onions too quickly. Cook them slow and on medium-low heat so they become sweet and soft. This will take about 15 minutes. You can also grate the cheese and prep the eggs while you wait.
- Once the cauliflower comes out of the oven, add it to the onions in the skillet. You will be making the frittata right in the same pan.
- Add the eggs and push the cauliflower around a bit to get the egg mixture well distributed.
🍴Serving
Frittata's need to rest before serving, allowing them to cool 5-10 minutes helps the eggs release from the pan so the frittata slices up nice and clean.
Serve while still hot or allow it cool to warm-ish room temperature. Frittatas are forgiving that way and can give you some time to prep sides when they are part of a larger spread.
Frittatas are one of my go-to brunch dishes. They can be made a bit ahead of time and the oven cooking time means you have some hands free minutes to do something else.
Because of the richness of this particular frittata serve with light, green, side dishes.
More frittatas you might want to try:
📖 Recipe
Smoked Cheddar and Cauliflower Frittata
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower leaves trimed, washed, dried and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 white onion diced small
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- pinch salt and pepper
- 6 large eggs
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 7 oz grated smoked cheddar cheese reserve ⅓ cup for the top
- 3 sage leaves
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Toss cauliflower with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil and spread evenly on a rimmed cookie sheet. Sprinkle with paprika and place in a 400 degree oven to roast. About 20-25 minutes or until soft and caramelized. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 375.
- In a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe fry-pan) heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-low heat and fry onion until soft. About 15 minutes. Do this while cauliflower is roasting to save time.
- Roll sage leaves into a tight and thin cigar shape. Using a sharp knife, slice across the roll to make thin slivers of sage. Set aside.
- Crack eggs into a large bowl. Add most of the cheddar cheese (reserve about ⅓ cup of the grated cheddar for the top), yogurt, Dijion, sage, salt and pepper. Whisk together until smooth. Set aside
- Once cauliflower is done roasting, add cauliflower to onions in the skillet. Add remaining teaspoon of paprika and toss, over medium heat, for about 1 minute.
- Add egg mixture to the skillet. Pushing the cauliflower around to ensure the egg and cheese are well distributed throughout the pan. Cook on medium heat 7-8 minutes or until eggs start to set. Cover pan with a lid if necessary to ensure the top of the eggs begin to set up.
- Top with reserved cheese and place pan in the oven. Cook frittata in the oven another 10-15 minutes. Until eggs are fully set throughout and cheese is bubbly on top. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
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