This recipe is inspired by one for individual potato-bacon frittatas that was in the December issue of Cooking Light (recipe link goes elsewhere, since the one on CL is behind a registration). It’s a great thing to make on the weekend so you can have an easy protein fix for breakfast during the week.

Of course, in my quest for easy healthy food, I came up with a version that I think is easier and healthier. I decided to call them leftover frittatas, since what I usually do is go through the fridge and saute up whatever I can find. My favorite combination is garlic, onion, mushrooms, spinach, and roasted red pepper. I’ve also used leftover salmon or turkey if I have a little of that too.

In order to make it really easy, I do the Rachael Ray thing and don’t measure. If I wind up with leftovers after I’ve made my frittatas, I just keep it for either a veggie side dish (which goes nicely with couscous) or use it as a chunky sauce for fish or chicken.

I haven’t used cheese in mine yet since I don’t normally keep it on hand, but it would probably be great added to the filling at the very end.

The first time I made these I used a dozen whole eggs, but I thought it worthwhile to lighten it up. You could probably make this completely with egg substitute, but I think the half and half approach works better (there are useful nutrients in egg yolks, and you can now get eggs with omega-3s).

I make these in one of those newfangled silicone muffin pans (mine is the large muffin size, not the traditional cupcake size). This method should work fine with regular muffin pans, and you can probably use cupcake wrappers to make them easy to remove.

Makes six servings (serving size is one large frittata or two small ones). These should freeze well, though I haven’t tried yet!

Leftover frittatas

6 whole eggs
1 1/4 c egg substitute
1 1/2 c filling, sauteed to remove moisture

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook the filling of your choice in a saute pan until any moisture is gone.

Beat the eggs and egg substitute together, add salt and pepper depending on your taste.

If necessary, grease the muffin pans with olive oil. Put about 1/4 c of filling mixture into each muffin cup if using large muffin pans, 2 T of mixture for smaller/traditional pans.

Pour the egg mixture over the filling evenly (to about 1/3″ from the top).

Bake until set, approximately 40 minutes for the large frittatas and 20 minutes for the small. They will puff up at the end. Note: if you will be reheating these, take them out on the “almost done” side.

Remove from muffin pans after they’ve cooled a bit. Enjoy!