Pumpkin Frittata with Ricotta Cheese

Pumpkin Frittata! Roast Pumpkin pieces with ricotta cheese, spinach, eggs, cream and cheese topped with pine nuts make this a frittata packed with flavour!

Quick info: This is a vegetarian recipe!

This Pumpkin Frittata with Ricotta Cheese is so quick and easy!

Roast Pumpkin pieces with fresh ricotta cheese, spinach, eggs, cream and cheese topped with pine nuts make this a frittata packed with flavour!

Frittata’s are a simple healthy option and work well for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you haven’t made one before, you are missing out and I encourage you to try them as they are both easy and delicious!

This pumpkin frittata is seriously so tasty!! It has a smooth egg mix that compliments the roast pumpkin, spinach and ricotta. Top it with pine nuts to add texture and variety.

This is a vegetarian recipe that works well for lunch and dinner and can be made ahead of time!

Pumpkin Frittata step by step

I was intending on using my pumpkin or butternut squash as my American friends would say for 2 recipes. So, I bought a whole one, cut it in half, used half for my pumpkin frittata and half for another recipe.

Then I added a combination of olive oil, salt and pepper to roast the pumpkin in the oven.

After the pumpkin is cooked, the fun begins as you layer your ingredients in your skillet.

For this recipe, we used:

• pumpkin
• spinach
• ricotta
• mozarella cheese
• eggs
• cream
• pine nuts

So it is an easy task to build the frittata through layers of the ingredients.

For the ricotto, take a tea spoon and dollop it in small amounts spread across the layers of pumpkin and spinach.

Then pour in the egg mix and mozarella.

Lastly, top with pine-nuts and pop into the oven to bake.

One pot dinners

I really want you to know with this recipe you can do it in one pot! That means less cleaning up and everyone loves that!

If you don’t have a skillet, you can use a regular baking dish. This means you will need to roast the pumpkin in the oven before baking the frittata.

Skillets are handy as they can be used for both the stove top and in the oven, but not everyone has one and there are other options than running out and buying one just for one recipe.

How about I answer your questions as we take a closer look at the recipe!  (Read on, friends). 

What is the difference between an omelette and a frittata?

An omelette consists of an egg mix with a variety of toppings. Most commonly they are cooked on the stove top in a fry pan or skillet. They are usually served either flipped in half or rolled into a scroll.

Omelettes are easy to make and are very versatile as their ingredients can be almost anything you can think of!

Frittata’s are different to omelettes and more closely aligned to quiches. Where an omelette is generally quite thin or the size of a pancake, a frittata has a much closer appearance to a quiche. The main difference between a frittata and a quiche is that a quiche has a crust or base to it  (generally made from pastry) and a frittata does not.

The same similarity between omelettes, frittata’s and quiches are that they are almost always savoury dishes.  It is entirely possible to have a spinach and feta omlette, frittata or quiche. They are largely the same ingredients, with slight differences in appearance.

What should I serve with frittata?

You might remember that I talked about serving options in the Creamy Garlic Wine Chicken Thighs recipe. There is 2 things to consider. The 1st is what should I put in the frittata and the answer is there is so many options, you can’t go wrong.

The 2nd part of the question is what to serve with the pumpkin frittata or better said what to put on the plate with the pumpkin frittata.

You are unlimited in fillings and toppings for your frittata. There is literally so many choices!

Some popular ones are:

• Bacon
• Zucchini
• Tomato
• Spinach
• Feta
• Ricotta Cheese
• Vegetables

Once you understand and master the egg mix, you are able to vary it each time you make it or stick to an old faithful like this pumpkin frittata. 

Rice or salad are good side dishes to a frittata, but usually if it is for lunch, I serve it on its own. As long as you get the texture and flavour combination right, you won’t need anything else at the same time!

Frittatas can be a meal in one!

How to bake a frittata?

Frittatas are generally cooked in the oven. Many people choose to start them on the stove top and finish them in the oven. To do this, you will need a skillet. They are usually cast iron and let you use the same pan for on top of the stove and in the oven!

What I usually do with my frittata recipes is to roast any vegetables (in this case, pumpkin) in the oven 1st. Then I add the other ingredients I want in the frittata, pour the egg mix in, pop it in the oven and leave it to cook.

Due to the thickness of the frittata, it is best cooked in the oven as it takes a lot longer to cook than an omelette.

Once your frittata is on the oven, you can set the timer and leave it to cook until it is ready.

Can you eat frittata cold?

You can definitely try your frittata cold or hot, but my personal preference is always for heating it before eating it.

You can have frittatas for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Choose ingredients that you crave at that time of the day!

It won’t take long at all to reheat individual servings of your frittata in the microwave for lunches. You can even reheat it in the oven if you wish, ensuring you consume all of what you have reheated the 2nd time (skip reheating twice and having leftovers, it is better to only reheat what you will eat).

How to make Frittata?

If you have never made a frittata before, you will be suprised at how easy the process is! Once you understand how to make them, you will want to make them all the time!

I love them as they are healthy and delicious. You can create so many different combinations and use either fresh or leftover vegetables.

As much as I love a pastry base like on quiches, I prefer frittatas as being crust less they are generally better for you and so filling!

There is a high chance that you will have most of the ingredients already in your fridge to make a frittata so you don’t even need to do an extra grocery shop.

For busy nights, keep a frittata in mind. With very little hard work and not a lot of prep time, you can have a veggie packed dinner on the table!

Quick meals on the table

When you don’t have time to spend in the kitchen (and I totally understand that), you will want to have a few good quick and easy recipes up your sleeve.

Here are some you can find on the blog:

• Tomato Spaghetti (recipe is here)
• Fiesta Tuna Pasta Bake (recipe is here)
• Beef Bean Pasta Bake (recipe is here)
• Tuna Spaghetti (recipe is here)

About the recipe:

• The pumpkin frittata is best served hot
• This is a vegetarian dish
• You roast the pumpkin before it goes into the frittata
• The recipe is a one pot, one pan dish
• This is a quick and easy recipe

Your quick questions answered:

1. You can freeze the frittata after cooking (not before)
2. This is a vegetarian recipe
3. You can use greek yoghurt instead of cream if you prefer (lower calories)
4. Add sweet potato for a change
5. Option to add rocket or other greens
6. This is an EASY recipe to follow

Left over frittata is perfect the next day for school or work lunches!

Further inspiration

I have made a few frittatas in my day and I wanted to show you other options:

You might like to try one of these recipes:

• Broccoli Bacon Cream Cheese Frittata (recipe is here)
• Mini Mushroom Frittatas (recipe is here)
• Broccoli Bacon Feta Frittata (recipe is here)
• Tomato and Feta frittata (recipe is here)

Frittatas don’t have to be round. You can make them square, rectangular or in muffin tins also. If you have a look at the above recommendations, you will see that there is a number of ways you can make these.

Be creative with your ingredients and method and you won’t get bored of these healthy frittata recipes!

For example, you could try:

• Adding bacon
• Adding zucchini
• Using brie cheese
• Frittata with meat
• Basil frittata

How about being super creative and making an Italian Frittata with ricotta cheese, tomato, Italian herbs and ground beef! (YUMMMMM!)

Pumpkin Frittata with ricotta cheese

Roast Pumpkin pieces with fresh ricotta cheese, spinach, eggs, cream and cheese topped with pine nuts make a frittata packed with flavour!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Australian, International

Keyword: eggs, pumpkin frittata, vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 277kcal

Author: Adrianne

Ingredients

Pumpkin Frittata

• 500 grams pumpkin butternut or squash
• 1 tbsp olive oil Note 1
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 6 eggs free range
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Instructions

Pumpkin Frittata

• Preheat oven to 200°c/400°F, gas 6
  
  
• Peel, cut and remove seeds from pumpkin. In a small bowl add olive oil, salt and pepper. Spray base of skillet with cooking oil, add pumpkin pieces and use a pastry brush to coat with oil mix.
• Place pumpkin in oven for 15 mins or until pieces are just able to be pierced with a skewer but not too tender. Note 2
• Use this time to crack your eggs into a mixing jug, add your cream and dried thyme and use a hand held mixer to combine to a smooth consistency.
• Once pumpkin is cooked, remove from oven, spread spinach leaves over it in a layer. Scoop ricotta on top in dollops. Add mozarella cheese as a thin layer.
• Pour egg mix over ingredients
• Top with pine nuts
• Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until there is no wobble in the middle of the frittata

Notes

• Note 1: usually when I roast pumpkin I add a dried herb such as rosemary or cinnamon. For this frittata I didn't want to overdo any of the flavours or ingredients. If you wish, by all means, you can add a herb to the oil, salt and pepper, before roasting. We do use a little thyme in the egg mix, so there will be plenty of flavour, don't worry.
• Note 2: you can cook the pumpkin on the stove top instead of the oven if you wish. Choose whichever method you prefer. 

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 209mg | Sodium: 538mg | Potassium: 449mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 8245IU | Vitamin C: 9.2mg | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 2mg

On the same page

When I shared my Chicken Thighs with Creamy Garlic Wine Sauce, I also shared some recipes of my fellow Aussie Bloggers whose recipes answered some of the questions we talked about in the post.

I thought we would do the same with our Pumpkin Frittata, but I specifically wanted to show you the differences between a quiche and a frittata. Everyone knows what an omlette looks like, but the differences between a quiche and a frittata are harder to spot.

Let’s look at a Quiche Recipe to clarify:

Feta Asparagus Quiche by Sylvie Gruber

We have talked about the main difference between a frittata and a quiche being that a quiche has a base on it. If you head on over to The Foodie Journey my friend Sylvie, has a recipe for a Feta Asparagus Quiche. Her recipe will give you a really good idea and mental picture of the differences between quiches and frittatas. You can see that her Quiche has a pastry base on it. That recipe is a really good example of how a frittata like the one are making here looks very similar to a quiche but is crust less. (And how good does that Asparagus Quiche look, super delicious if you ask me! )

More, more, more

You can find all Vegetarian/Vegan recipes on the blog here. (Click the word ‘here’). 

Let me see!!

It makes me happy to hear when readers have made my recipes, I would LOVE to see your creations. Please use #sweetcaramelsunday if you post pics, so I can witness your cooking masterpieces!

I never met a frittata I didn’t like, haha!!

If you have questions about any of the recipes, please let me know, I am happy to help 🙂

Adrianne xx

My favourite 3 vegetarian recipes on the blog are:

1. Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese (recipe is here)
2. Turmeric Cauliflower Steaks(recipe is here)
3. Turmeric Energy Balls (recipe is here)

My favourite recipe using lemon curd on the blog is:

• Blueberry Lemon Curd Tart (recipe is here)

Save for later!