Pastina Frittata

Both of my grandmothers are pretty famous for throwing just about anything into an omelette. “Oh I’ll just wrap up those leftovers and make it with eggs for grandpa,” or “I put everything, but the kitchen sink in mine.” In the culinary world, I think they call that a frittata.

While I typically only make eggs for breakfast, they are so versatile that just about anything goes. I bought a box of pastina (tiny star-shaped pasta) around 4th of July because they looked so festive. Now that I still had it around, I wanted to find a use for it besides throwing it into a pot of soup or eating it with olive oil and parmesan cheese (by far one of my favorite simple comfort foods).

There were only 3 eggs left–still hadn’t gone food shopping since my ingredient challenge–but knew I could expand their worth by throwing in the cooked pasta, veggies and herbs. I took a risk, and was very excited by the balanced savory flavor and heartiness the frittata offered. This dish would really be great for any meal of the day. Definitely an addition to my brunch menu next time I have company. Plus, clean up was a breeze. Mix everything in one bowl, cook it all in a single skillet and serve. Quick, affordable and delicious. What more could you ask for?

Ingredients:

3 eggs

A little less than 1 cup pastina

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cups peas

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon chives

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

Your favorite tomato sauce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and boil pastina according to directions. Lightly scramble eggs and mix in 1/4 parmesan cheese, onion, peas, chives, garlic salt and pepper.

Fold in pastina until incorporated.

Spray a skillet with olive oil. Pour in egg mixture and spread it with a spatula to fill the pan. Cook a few minutes until edges are set and middle is still slightly runny.