Looking for recipes that feature fresh summer zucchini? You absolutely must add this simple zucchini frittata to your breakfast or lunch rotation!
Here’s why we love it so much:
- It’s light, savory, and reasonably healthy! We’re always looking for brunch dishes that check these boxes. It’s gluten-free too!
- A great use for zucchini if your garden, like ours, provides an over abundance!
- Cheese! Have we told you how much we love cheese? This simple frittata features only a few high quality ingredients, so we go for a reasonably strong cheese that provides great flavor. Yum!
- Can be made ahead and enjoyed days later either cold, room temperature, or reheated — perfect for weekend meal prepping!
Frittata vs quiche: what’s the difference? It comes down to the ratio of eggs to dairy. A frittata is made up mostly of eggs with a smaller amount of dairy added in, while a quiche uses roughly 2:1 ratio of dairy to eggs. Thus, quiche are also generally richer, creamier, and a bit more indulgent. Don’t get us wrong, we adore quiche, but we can absolute appreciate the light, airy texture of a homemade frittata too!
The other main difference is the vessel in which they’re cooked. A quiche is typically baked in a pie pan or tart pan (with or without a crust), while a frittata is cooked in a skillet. Both are fabulous, but now you know the difference!
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh zucchini or summer squash
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Cheese, such as Sartori BellaVitano (it’s what we had in the fridge!) — Parnigiano Reggiano, a sharp white cheddar, gruyere, havarti, or Pecorino Romano make great substitutions!
- Fresh basil
- Chives
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Flaky sea salt
Special equipment: you’ll also need a mixing bowl, whisk, mandoline (optional, can use a sharp chef’s knife instead!), and a 11″ skillet.
Have extra zucchini and looking to bake something sweet? Try our Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread or these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins!
How To Make A Zucchini Frittata
- Prep the zucchini. Preheat oven to 375F. Wash and dry zucchini, then thinly slice into rounds that are ⅛” thick. Heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a 11″ skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the sliced zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until just beginning to brown.
- Make the egg mixture. While the zucchini is cooking, combine 12 eggs, ½ cup sour cream (or ricotta), a heaping ½ cup grated cheese, 3 Tbsp basil, 2 Tbsp chives, 1 tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Finish assembling the frittata. Add 3 large cloves of finely chopped garlic and ¼ tsp Kosher salt, then cook another 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour the egg and cheese mixture on top, then stir once or twice, to make sure all the zucchini are coated. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup grated cheese, then cook for 3-4 minutes on the stove top, until the edges begin to set.
- Transfer to preheated oven. Transfer the skillet to a preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until the frittata is light golden brown and puffed up.
- Serve immediately. Allow the frittata to cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve immediately. We recommend a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on each piece.
Though we love enjoying this warm, you can absolutely serve frittatas room temperature or even cold straight out of the refrigerator, making them a great option for meal prepping!
Tips For The Best Frittata
- Sauté the zucchini first! A frittata cooks quickly, in about 20 minutes. If you don’t sauté the zucchini first, you risk the eggs cooking before the zucchini cooks through. It’s meant to be soft and tender, not crunchy, so don’t skip this step. Using other ingredients? Same rule applies: make sure your frittata ingredients are mostly cooked before going into the oven!
- Use a really flavorful cheese! This frittata recipe features only a few ingredients, so it’s important to use a flavorful, sharp cheese. We love the nuttiness of Sartori BellaVitano or a sharp white cheddar cheese, but we’ve listed other suggestions above that would also work great!
- Use full fat sour cream! It adds the loveliest creaminess to this otherwise light frittata!
- Can a frittata be made ahead? Yes! While we love serving this fresh and hot out of the oven, frittatas are also great room temperature. Can be made up to 3 days in advance, just allow it to sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes before serving. If reheating, simply place in an oven preheated to 350F for 10 minutes, or until warm throughout.
Variations
- Sour cream — don’t have sour cream? Try using store-bought or homemade ricotta, crème fraîche, whole milk, whole milk, Greek yogurt, or heavy cream!
- I don’t have a 11″ pan — can I use a 12″ skillet instead? Absolutely! It’ll likely just cook a few minutes sooner since the frittata will be thinner.
- Cast iron skillet — can I make this in a cast iron skillet? Yes! Using a cast iron will create a crispier bottom crust. Additionally, the frittata will continue to cook slightly once removed from the oven, so if using cast iron, pull it 2-3 minutes before it’s done (according to cook time below).
- Switch out the vegetable! Instead of zucchini or summer squash, try thinly sliced eggplant! And if you love butternut squash, be sure to check out our goat cheese and butternut squash quiche! It’s similar in texture to this frittata recipe, though a bit creamier from chèvre and heavy cream, but same general idea. And omg it is so delicious!! Try our Herby Spinach Frittata next!
- Have some extra arugula pesto lying around? Drizzle on top just before serving for wonderful additional flavor.
- Can this be made entirely with egg whites? We haven’t tested it as an egg white frittata, and we don’t recommend it based on the fact that frittatas need fat (eg, full cream dairy), but if you try it, please let us know in the comments below!
This easy summer frittata makes such a fantastic, light breakfast or brunch dish! You’ll love serving it with a light salad or over fresh baby lettuce with crusty baguette on standby. If you make this Zucchini Frittata recipe at home, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
Have more zucchini to use up? Be sure to check out our pan seared salmon with zucchini and couscous (legit, the most popular and loved recipe on the blog!) and these crispy baked zucchini fries! These zucchini bread muffins are also on our must-make list!
And make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook for more Well Seasoned recipes! DON’T FORGET to tag us on social channels when you make a recipe at #wellseasonedstudio !! We LOVE seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
More summer recipes to try:
- Mozzarella Caprese Gazpacho
- Pappardelle With Corn, Tomatoes, and Basil Cream Sauce
- Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings
- Peach Burrata Salad
- Chicken Pesto Panini
Zucchini Frittata Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-2 zucchini
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 12 large eggs beaten
- ¾ cup Sartori BellaVitano grated, or other sharp cheese — see below for recommendations
- ½ cup sour cream full fat
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp chives finely chopped
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Flaky sea salt for serving
Instructions
- Prep the zucchini. Preheat oven to 375F. Wash and dry zucchini, then thinly slice into rounds that are ⅛" thick. Should yield 1 ½-2 cups total. Heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a 11" skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the sliced zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until just beginning to brown.
- Make the egg mixture. While the zucchini is cooking, combine 12 eggs, ½ cup sour cream (or ricotta), a heaping ½ cup grated cheese, 3 Tbsp basil, 2 Tbsp chives, 1 tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Finish assembling the frittata. Add 3 large cloves of finely chopped garlic and ¼ tsp Kosher salt, then cook another 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour the egg and cheese mixture on top, then stir once or twice, to make sure all the zucchini are coated. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup grated cheese, then cook for 3-4 minutes on the stove top, until the edges begin to set.
- Transfer to preheated oven. Transfer the skillet to a preheated oven and cook for 20-23 minutes, or until the frittata is light golden brown and puffed up.
- Serve immediately. Allow the frittata to cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve immediately. We recommend a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on each piece.
Notes
- Can use a mandoline to thinly slice the zucchini into ⅛” slices, if preferred.
- Sour cream — don’t have sour cream? Try using store-bought or homemade ricotta, crème fraîche, whole milk, whole milk, Greek yogurt, or heavy cream!
- Don’t have a 11″ pan? Use a 12″ skillet instead. It’ll likely just cook a few minutes sooner since the frittata will be thinner.
- Cast iron skillet — can I make this in a cast iron skillet? Yes! Using a cast iron will create a crispier bottom crust. Additionally, the frittata will continue to cook slightly once removed from the oven, so if using cast iron, pull it 2-3 minutes before it’s done (according to cook time below).
- Switch out the vegetable! Instead of zucchini or summer squash, try thinly sliced eggplant!
- Can be made up to 3 days in advance, just allow it to sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes before serving. If reheating, simply place in an oven preheated to 350F for 10 minutes, or until warm throughout.
Let us know your thoughts!