![Mushroom and Beet Borscht](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/09/16/dining/16MARTHA/16MARTHA-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Cauliflower and Tomato Frittata With Feta
![Cauliflower and Tomato Frittata With Feta](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/01/31/science/recipehealthfrittata/recipehealthfrittata-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2garlic cloves (to taste), minced
- 114.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice
- Pinch of sugar
- Salt to taste
- 1sprig basil or ½ to 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½medium head cauliflower, cored and cut or broken into small florets (about 3 cups florets)
- 2ounces feta, crumbled (about ½ cup)
- ¼cup imported black olives, pitted and halved or coarsely chopped (optional)
- 8large or extra-large eggs
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 to 2tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley or a combination of parsley and mint or marjoram
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a heavy 10-inch skillet, preferably nonstick. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until it begins to smell fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with liquid, sugar, salt and basil sprig or thyme. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down to a fragrant, dry sauce, about 20 minutes. Remove basil sprig. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Step 2
While sauce is simmering, steam cauliflower 5 to 8 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Add to tomato sauce and break up into small pieces with the back of your spoon. If possible, refrigerate uncovered overnight or for a few hours.
- Step 3
Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in salt (about ½ teaspoon), pepper, tomato sauce with cauliflower, feta, optional olives and herbs.
- Step 4
Clean and dry skillet and return to heat. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in the skillet. Hold your hand above it; it should feel hot. Drop a bit of egg into the pan and if it sizzles and cooks at once, pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Swirl pan to distribute eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up edges of frittata with the spatula in your other hand, to let eggs run underneath during first few minutes of cooking.
- Step 5
Once a few layers of egg have set, turn heat down to very low, cover (use a pizza pan if you don’t have a lid that will fit your skillet), and cook 10 to 15 minutes, shaking pan gently every once in a while and lifting up the frittata and tilting the pan to let egg run underneath. Frittata should be just about set, except for the top.
- Step 6
Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Uncover pan and place under broiler, not too closeto heat, for 1 to 3 minutes, watching very carefully to make sure top doesn’t burn (at most, it should brown in spots and puff under the broiler). Remove from heat, shake pan to make sure the frittata isn’t sticking and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes and for up to 15. Loosen edges with a wooden or plastic spatula. Carefully slide from pan onto a large round platter. Cut into wedges or into smaller bite-size diamonds. Serve hot, warm, at room temperature, or cold.
- This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I recommend roasting the cauliflower for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees instead of steaming. Also I substituted chopped fresh tomatoes for canned.
This was a big hit. For 2 people, I made a 4 egg version--but didn't cut down on the tomato sauce, just made sure it was cooked down very dry. Also used more than 1/2 the quantity of cauliflower. Since I was aiming for something a bit like Turkish menemen, I also used Turkish pulbiber (Aleppa pepper) instead of black pepper. It set beautifully, came out of the pan beautifully, and tasted wonderful. I used a cast iron skillet (nature's non-stick surface).
Didn't add the olives, finished in the oven rather than on stove top covered.
I kept a bit of the base egg mix separate, coated and cooked in the skillet before pouring in the rest of the mixture as a base for the frittata; used a cast-iron skillet and baked in the oven, 400 deg about 18-20 minutes. Didn't use olives, could have used more feta, but I can't have enough feta.
A great frittata, enjoyed by all. Thanks Martha!
Oh, boy! I should have cooked down the tomato sauce much more--watery is not so great! Next time!
Made this a week ago (see note). Bought ingredients to do again but time wS compressed, so I put everything together and dumped into an 11x7 casserole. Cooked at 350 for 45 min. Yowza! So good.
Like several others, I roasted the cauliflower rather than boiling it. Highly recommend! Otherwise followed the recipe exactly as written, using a 10" cast iron skillet. Best frittata ever, and easily adaptable to variations.
Made per recipe for ingredients & with 10" skillet. A splendid blend of flavors. Great texture & color too. Used thyme option to start then parsley & mint as fresh herb combo. Take time needed to get tomato sauce to thick pasty texture. Makes all the difference in outcome. After step 5 I finished this in oven & not under broiler. Approx 35 min or so at 325 degrees worked in my oven for being done all the way through and puffy. Definitely a keeper!
I started by sautéing the cauliflower in the pan until browned, then adding the garlic for a minute, then the tomatoes. Reduced the tomato sauce as described and added it to the eggs. Then proceeded with step 4. Saved a pot for steaming and helped to keep the filling from being too wet. Used a basil sprig in the sauce and a mixture of mint and parsley in the eggs. Very nice. Be careful not to add too much salt.
This is a bit of a pain to make, but boy the finished product is delicious. It has kind of meaty umami flavor even though it’s vegetarian. Definitely cook down the tomato sauce until it is pretty dry. I made this exactly to the recipe and it was a big hit both warm and cold.
I really like the method for this; it helped me understand how to make a good frittata. I found I had to cook it for a lot longer on the stove top than the recipe advised to ensure the bulk of the eggs were cooked before putting the pan under the broiler.
This is easily my favorite recipe on this whole site - have made it countless times and it is always perfect, no matter the variation. As others have said, I recommend roasting the cauliflower (with spices - harissa is a favorite). I also increase the herbs dramatically (1 cup). Chèvre works just as well as feta. VERY important to let the tomato mixture reduce completely, and it does make a difference to let it sit with the cauliflower. Martha is a genius!
This was a hit. Great texture and flavor. Swapped in broccoli because I didn’t have cauliflower and agree that roasting it is the move. Doubled the parsley and had to broil for 5 min on high to get a nice brown. Making the tomatoes the night before made breakfast a breeze.
I am a die hard fan of this app and have trusted it for years to steer me to great recipes. This recipe fell FAR short from the 5 star rating. I followed the recipe completely and it was disappointing. Little flavor and lots of time to prep. This is a one and done.
Used leftover arriabiata, 1 fresh tomato and combination of mozzarella feta. Delicious.
Made this tonight to use up surplus cauliflower and *could have sworn* I had feta. Turns out I didn’t, but used Parmesan instead (both mixed in with tomatoes and sprinkled on top before broiling). Added a bag of baby spinach and cooked the cauliflower in the air fryer for about 12 minutes, and it all turned out delicious!!
Really tasty! Like other reviewers, I roasted the cauliflower (quite dark). Taking someone’s cue of menemen, I added a bit of chopped mild green chile. I’m sure I added more feta than the recipe called for—no regrets on that front! Will make again, probably many more times.
I loved this. The cooked down tomato sauce and cauliflower were excellent. I cooked mine in a 375 oven for 30 minutes. Would definitely make again except the Hubby was less enthusiastic.
Delicious! A simple and rather plain-reading recipe, turned out to be very tasty and nuanced in so many ways! Made with fresh tomatoes, romanesco instead of the cauliflower, and minced black olives instead of chopped (all what I had already on hand, in equivalent amounts to the recipe). Followed the rest of the recipe as-is, including the overnight in the fridge. A new staple in the rotation, for sure!
Roasted cauliflower and blistered a pint of cherry tomatoes in a hot oven. Added tomatoes to about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce I had in the fridge (pulsed that together with immersion). Sauteed 1/2 leek and some chard stems, added olives, tomato sauce and cauliflower to skillet, poured over egg and feta mixture. Topped with additional feta and a handful of grated cheddar. Baked for about 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Served with simple green salad. Absolutely delicious! And easily adaptable.
At the suggestion of another reader, I roasted the cauliflower, although at 500 degrees rather than 400, to get a nice, light char, then finished the whole thing in the oven at 350 rather than cooking the eggs as directed. Perhaps I took the lazy way out, but I didn't want a brown crust on the eggs (yucky, in my book) and it turned out great. I also used an iron skillet for the tomatoes as well to finish the egg mixture. Nice flavors, especially with a dab of harissa on top for a little zip.
After reading the comments regarding moisture I wondered why the recipe added the tomato juice. I omitted most of the liquid and roasted the cauliflower to not only add flavor but reduce moisture. Didn’t have thyme so I used fresh oregano. Extra feta on top for the broiler was great. I give it an A-. I might like it better with diced fresh tomatoes instead of sauce.
This was great. I was somewhat confused by the layering instructions, also feeling lazy, so when everything was combined I just threw it in the oven at 350 for 20 or so minutes. It was great! Had no problem removing it from the pan either.
Had to steam the cauliflower for at least 15 minutes to get it to be tender. Really loved this recipe overall, big lunch hit. Will make again when I have an hour to make lunch - it's worth it!
I like roasted cauliflower and roasted potatoes in a fratatta. Goat cheese , tomato, abd asparagus too
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