Many asparagus recipes call for discarding the spring vegetable’s woody stems—but not this asparagus frittata recipe. In this no-flip egg dish from chef and food waste activist Ismail Samad, those tough ends are sliced thinly and cooked with onions and garlic until tender. This quick sauté not only reduces kitchen waste, it also stretches peak season produce farther.
This recipe calls for Gruyère and arugula to bulk up the bunch of asparagus, but any meltable cheese and tender salad greens will work well. To reduce food waste in your own kitchen, you can make other swaps to use up things you already have on hand: a leek for the red onion, a shallot in place of the garlic, or crumbled feta or goat cheese for the shredded stuff. By using up the veggies and other ingredients you have lingering in your pantry, you’ll up your weeknight dinner (or brunch) game and lower your carbon footprint.
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What you’ll need
Cast Iron Skillet
$30 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Silicone Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Ingredients
6–8 servings
10
½
2
2
1
3
1
2
1
1
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Whisk eggs and cream in a medium bowl until no streaks remain. Stir in Gruyère and arugula; set aside.
Step 2
Separate woody ends from asparagus spears; thinly slice ends and set aside.
Step 3
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large cast-iron or ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook asparagus spears, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender and blistered in spots, 5–8 minutes. Season with salt and transfer to a plate.
Step 4
Add 1 Tbsp. oil to same skillet. Cook red onion, garlic, oregano, and reserved asparagus ends, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Step 5
Swirl remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet and wait 30 seconds before pouring in reserved egg mixture. Arrange asparagus spears in a single layer on top. Cook, undisturbed, until egg mixture is set at the edges, about 3 minutes.
Step 6
Transfer skillet to oven and bake frittata until puffed slightly and center is just set, 15–17 minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes.
Step 7
Just before serving, scatter chives over frittata and season with more pepper.
Do Ahead: Frittata can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool completely; wrap in foil and chill, or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat in a 300° oven until warmed through, 30–40 minutes.
Leave a Review
Reviews (21)
Back to TopI like it
Anonymous
Bronx, NY
6/17/2023
Sounds wonderful - am I missing something? What does one do with the red onion/garlic/oregano/reserved asparagus ends mixture? Perhaps it's just left in the pan while starting Step 5?
Anonymous
Washington, DC
10/6/2022
Really delicious. I used a mix of eggs and egg whites, just to make it a tad healthier, and used basil as well as arugula, because had both. My only criticism is that it was hard to cut the asparagus in the completed fritatta, and because I used a non-stick pan, I didn't want to use a knife. Next time - and there will be a next time - I may cut the spears before baking it, sacrificing some of the aesthetics.
anesthetics.
Los Angeles
7/27/2022
This is absolutely delicious! It was easy to make with everything we usually have in the refrigerator. My 91 year old mother had 2nds! I've never been disappointed with bon Appétit recipes!!
Anne
Southern California
7/9/2022
Great meal and a very nice presentation. What a nice way to highlight some of the early garden bounty. I mostly followed the recipe as given, the changes I made were blistering some cherry tomatoes with the onions and adding some fresh basil with the arugula. I did NOT add back the tough asparagus ends but I typically only cut a very small part off the end anyhow. I also subbed cream cheese and whole milk for the gruyere cheese and cream, only because it was what I had. I love the way the arugula cooked down with the egg mixture, it added a very nice almost spicy sweet flavor. I had to cook it just a few minutes longer to set it, probably because of the subs I made, but it came out most excellent. I will be making this one again. Recommended.
Anonymous
Central Virginia
5/1/2022
Don't really feel like cooking dinner tonight so I will make this. Of course I always add myself to the dish and I'm a little bit spicy. LoL 🤣
Kathy
Bozeman Montana
4/28/2022
I’m trying this with a smaller pan. Largest cast iron I have is 10”. It smells Wonderful, and we can’t wait till it’s done. Hoping it cooks thru with the Thicker frittata.
Alyssa D
4/25/2022