I have never had a successful time with cast iron skillets and eggs. No matter how much oil or butter I put down, the eggs still always stuck and fell apart. This time, I found the perfect method. The trick is to heat the pan in advance so that it’s really hot before you coat it with oil. I pre-heated my pan for 4-5 minutes and then coated it; the eggs and veggies came off easily.

This was my first attempt at making frittatas—a pretty big success in my books! No burning or sticking, so I’m happy. I threw in whatever veggies I had in my fridge, along with some cheese and pesto. If you’re looking to make a variation of this, I say go for it! Just cook whatever ingredients you’re using accordingly and then you’re good to cover it in egg and bake it.

Using shredded potato and tofu gives it a really nice texture because they’re more solid ingredients; makes for a nice base. The rest of the veggies are great for flavour, and the pesto just ties everything together. This recipe is especially nice on weekends so you have time to sit down and enjoy your breakfast, then reap the benefits of the protein-boosted meal.

Ingredients

Serves 4 (or 2 very hungry people)

• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 small potato, peeled and shredded
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup firm tofu, shredded
• Dash of soy sauce
• 5-6 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning
• Pinch of chipotle paprika (optional)
• Dash of hot sauce
• 1 tbsp. parmesan, finely shredded
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp. pesto (I used kale-oregano)

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until extremely hot. Very carefully, pour the vegetable oil onto a paper towel and coat the pan entirely. Add onion and potato, and stir until slightly browned–roughly 3 minutes. Add in garlic and bell pepper; mix and stir for another 3-4 minutes until softened.

Toss in shredded tofu, drizzle soy sauce over mixture, and add in tomatoes. Coat mixture in salt, pepper, cajun seasoning, chipotle paprika and hot sauce. Cook mixture for a couple of minutes until all of the vegetables have all softened and are well coated in spices. With a spatula, lightly even out the vegetable and tofu mixture so that it evenly covers the pan.

Sprinkle parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella oven the pan evenly. Turn pan down to low and allow cheese to melt, roughly 1 minute. Pour eggs over the mixture so that it mostly covers everything, then sprinkle remaining cheese on the egg. Carefully dab 1/2 tsp. of pesto in each quarter of the pan so that each slice will have some.

Place the cast iron pan in the oven, and bake for roughly 15-20 minutes until the tops of the eggs are lightly golden, and the middle of the frittata is cooked all the way through. Test the middle by making a tiny slit with a knife in the middle of the eggs; if no runny egg comes out, it’s ready. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes—serve immediately and enjoy!