I cut back the last of the (bolted) over-wintered chard this week, and harvested the final leaves to make this swiss chard frittata. Since newly planted greens are ready to harvest now, too, this recipe seemed timely.
With zucchini, plenty of herbs, and a pile of hardy greens, this is a great light summer meal. If you have a garden, you’re probably already growing most, if not all, of the veg you need here. And if not, it’s all easy to find at this time of year.
The vegetables are quickly cooked in the same pan you bake the frittata in. If you don’t have an oven-safe frying pan, don’t worry. Just switch it over to a baking dish before adding the custard mixture and you’re good to go.
For some more recipes using plenty of chard or other hardy greens, try this chickpea pumpkin curry, very garden-friendly lentil patties, or roasted cauliflower tacos with a base of massaged rainbow chard.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Zucchini: cooking the zucchini (courgette) before baking helps to reduce the water content – if using raw zucchini, you often get watery pockets in the custard.
- Swiss chard: I always remove the tough stems but you don’t have to if you like them – they can be pickled if you want to reduce waste. Of course, any hardy greens can be subbed for chard. Kale, spinach, or rucola are all great here and others like beet greens work too.
- Eggs: there is no substitute for eggs in this recipe. Room temperature will give you the best results, as always.
- Non-dairy milk: I always use oat milk, but any unsweetened type (barring coconut) is fine, as is water in a pinch.
- Herbs: dill is particularly good and what’s featured in the recipe. Change the herbs based on your preference, and note that they make up a large part of the flavour profile here. Basil and chives are excellent options. I don’t really recommend dried herbs in this recipe but they can be used in a pinch.
Step by Step
Step 1: fry the vegetables in an oven-safe frying pan with a bit of olive oil.
Step 2: add the greens and stir to wilt.
Step 3: pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and stir a little to even it out.
Step 4: bake until lightly golden and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
Add other veg as you like – mushrooms, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes – whatever you have on hand. This takes away from the ‘green monster’ feeling a bit, but green isn’t the only healthy colour!
Avoid over-baking. The frittata should be just set, with barely golden edges, when it’s ready. Over-baked and it will be rubbery and horrible. The centre will likely puff up during baking, completely normal, and it will deflate after coming out of the oven.
How to Store
Storage: leftovers are surprisingly good cold, but don’t keep well for more than a day. I always polish off any leftovers in the evening rather than letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this as the greens and herbs are not palatable after thawing.
Expert Tips
- Don’t omit the oil: this not only improves the flavour, but it’s also what’s going to allow for your frittata to be lifted out of the pan after baking.
- Cook the vegetables: if adding extras, mushrooms in particular should be seared before adding, or you’ll get a watery end result.
- Use a separate dish: if you don’t have an oven-safe frying pan, sauté the vegetables as directed, and then move them into a baking dish before adding the eggs.
More Savoury Egg Recipes
Beets and Greens Tart
Super Green Spinach Pancakes
Quinoa and Greens Patties
Zucchini Cornbread Muffins
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Green Monster Swiss Chard Frittata
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 60 ml non-dairy milk
- A large handful fresh dill finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small onion halved and thinly sliced
- 1 small zucchini quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 70 grams chard, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl. Add the milk and dill, then whisk by hand until foaming and fully combined. Set aside.4 large eggs, 60 ml non-dairy milk, A large handful fresh dill
- Heat an oven-safe frying pan* over medium heat.
- Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil, followed by the sliced onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 small onion
- Add the zucchini and garlic, and cook for other 3-4 minutes, or until the zucchini is lightly golden. Season with salt and pepper.1 small zucchini, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Stir the chard into the pan to wilt the greens. Turn off the burner.70 grams chard, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
- Pour the egg mixture into the hot pan** and carefully move the pan to the pre-heated oven.
- Bake the frittata for 15-18 minutes, or until just set. The edges will be a very light golden colour and the centre will still be slightly soft to the touch.
- Serve immediately. Leftovers don’t keep well for more than a day but this can be eaten at room temperature.
Notes
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
This recipe was first shared in August 2014. It has been updated with improvements to the recipe as of July 2021.
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