Joe's Culinary Corner: Frittata

Black Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Frittata

This healthy whole-grain burger is a great example of using beans in place of meat. Beans provide the protein that every body needs, but with none of the cholesterol that meat supplies. The mix of spices, nutty quinoa, sweet romesco spread and hearty beans, make this burger a satisfying meal for vegetarians and meat-lovers alike.

Ingredients
Amount
Pecorino cheese, grated
½ cup
Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp.
Kosher salt
1 tsp.
Fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp.
Eggs, beaten
10 ea.
Black pepper, freshly ground
to taste
Bread crumbs
3 Tbsp.
Extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp.
Yellow onion, large, halved and thinly sliced
1 ea.
Yukon Gold Potato, peeled, ¼" dice
1 ea.
Black beans, cooked
1 cup
Red bell pepper, roasted, in ¼" dice
½ cup
Ricotta cheese
¾ cup

Method

1. In a large bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the pecorino, parsley, ½ teaspoon of salt, oregano, and eggs. Season with black pepper and set aside.

2. Spray a muffin tin with vegetable spray and coat each with some bread crumbs. Add about 1 tsp. of the grated cheese to each muffin.

3. Preheat an oven to 350°F.

4. For the potato bean mixture: Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and just starting to color; and potatoes, and remaining salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a large bowl. Add the cooked black beans and red peppers stir to combine.

5. For the muffin tins: Spoon about 2 T. of the bean mixture into each muffin cup, then top with 1 T. of the ricotta , and sprinkle each with the remaining pecorino cheese. Stir the egg mixture again and pour into each muffin cup ⅔ of the way up the sides.

6. Place the muffin pan in the preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until the center is set. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Run a rubber spatula around the edges of each cup and remove from the muffin pan.

Yield: 12 portions