This summery frittata features fresh zucchini, corn sliced off the cob, and pan-roasted tomatoes for a delicious weekend breakfast that's ready in a little over 30 minutes.
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I firmly believe that egg dishes are appropriate any time of day. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, and yes, dinner are all fair game for eating eggs, whether they're scrambled, poached, fried, or baked into a quiche or frittata.
🥚 What is a frittata?
A frittata is an Italian egg dish falling somewhere between an omelet and crustless quiche. It's thicker than an omelet with its custard-like texture, but not as rich as a quiche.
Heavy cream is an essential ingredient when making frittatas, and is what gives the dish its richer custard-like texture. Whole milk can be substituted for the cream, but the cooked texture will be more like an omelet than a frittata.
In comparison, cream and milk are optional when making an omelet and quiche dishes use more cream than frittatas as a ratio to the number of eggs. When making a frittata, add ½ cup cream or milk for every dozen eggs. For the much richer quiche, the typical ratio is 1 cup of cream or milk for every four eggs.
The cooking method used to make frittatas is uniquely different from omelets and quiche. Omelets are cooked entirely on the stovetop while a quiche is baked in the oven. Frittatas combine these two cooking methods by starting on the stovetop and finishing in the oven. The oven creates a slight crust on the frittata, which is another defining characteristic of frittatas.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to many dishes often lies in the ingredients. For example, some ingredients make a huge difference to the flavor and/or texture of the finished recipe. And purchasing the right ingredients can save you valuable time in the kitchen.
This list only covers ingredients that require some notes. For all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh zucchini - Purchase smaller zucchini for this recipe. Large zucchini contain more water, which makes this frittata watery and bland tasting.
- Grape tomatoes - Cherry tomatoes are fine, but any kind of tomatoes that are larger than this will be too juicy.
- Fresh corn - Do not substitute frozen or canned corn in this recipe. Both add too much moisture to the frittata.
- Dill seed - Fresh dill also works if you don't have any dill seed in your spice pantry.
- Mozzarella cheese - This is a nice mild cheese for this frittata that melts perfectly, but you can use other cheeses such as Swiss cheese or gouda cheese. For a stronger cheese flavor, use cheddar cheese.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 Recommended Equipment
Having the right equipment for recipes makes prepping much easier. If you want more fuss-free prepping and cooking, check out my updated list of favorite kitchen tools and equipment.
- Chef's knife
- Medium mixing bowl
- Frittata pan, omelet pan, or a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or other oven-safe pan
🍳 What is a frittata pan?
A frittata pan is the same thing as an omelet pan and is designed to allow you to easily flip the frittata on the stovetop. The pan design can involve two interlocking pans, as shown below, or one that's hinged. This allows you to make frittatas on the stovetop without finishing them in the oven.
If you don't have a pan like this, you can other skillets as long as they're oven-safe. This is important since you'll start the frittata on the stovetop and finish it in the oven. I prefer using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a non-stick skillet.
👩🍳 How to Make A Frittata
Detailed instructions for making the zucchini frittata recipe are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of how to make any frittata.
Step 1
Whisk the egg base. Whisk together the eggs and dairy in a medium bowl using a ratio of ½ cup of heavy cream to a dozen eggs.
Step 2
Sauté. Sauté the veggies you plan to use in your frittata in a little olive oil over medium heat. When working with veggies that have a lot of moisture in them, such as zucchini and tomatoes, sauté them long enough to cook off most of the liquid. Add any herbs and seasonings.
Step 3
Combine. Lower the heat to medium-low and pour the eggs and dairy mixture into the skillet. Tilt the skillet to evenly distribute the eggs. Sprinkle any grated cheese.
Step 4
Frittata pan method. Cook over medium-low heat until the edges of the frittata begin to set up. If using a frittata pan, interlock the pans and flip them. Remove the top pan and cook for another couple of minutes until the frittata is set up. Serve warm.
Step 5
Skillet method. If you don't have a frittata pan, once the edges of the frittata begin to set up, transfer the skillet to a 325˚F preheated oven to finish. For a traditional frittata, bake until its top is a light golden brown. If you prefer a softer frittata, cover it with foil while the frittata bakes in the oven.
🎯 Tips for Your Best Frittata
- Slice the zucchini into thin slices and pre-salt them to draw out some of their moisture before sautéing.
- Cook the tomatoes before adding the other veggies to cook off some of their moisture.
- Use heavy cream instead of whole milk for a creamier frittata.
- Baking the frittata in a 325˚F oven promotes a slower cooking of the eggs. This keeps the eggs softer and the frittata more custard-like in texture than using a higher temperature oven.
📇 More Frittata Flavor Combinations
- If you like broccoli and tomatoes together, check out this broccoli tomato frittata with sharp cheddar cheese.
- Chopped red bell peppers sautéed with onion or shallot, fresh basil, and either goat cheese or feta cheese. Other fresh herbs that work well with this combination include oregano and marjoram.
- Asparagus, fresh thyme, and Swiss cheese is another combination that works well in any egg dish, from frittatas to an asparagus quiche. I like to finish this version with finely grated Parmesan cheese.
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Zucchini Frittata with Corn and Tomatoes
Equipment
- box grater
- frittata pan or omelet pan, cast-iron skillet, or oven-safe non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini, sliced into thin slices
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
- 10 grape tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallots
- ⅓ cup fresh corn kernels cut from a cob
- 1 teaspoon dried dill seed
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 large large eggs
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus a little more for topping at the end
Instructions
- Arrange the zucchini slices on a paper towel, and lightly salt with ¼ - ½ teaspoon of salt. Set them aside while the tomatoes sauté. Pro tip: Zucchini have a very high water content, and salting them helps to draw out some of the liquid before cooking them.
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F if using a cast iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet to make this frittata.Melt the butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook them until much of their liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes. Stir in the shallots.Roll the zucchini slices in fresh paper towels and gently squeeze to remove some of the moisture. Add them to the pan with the corn kernels, dill seed, remaining salt, and pepper. Sauté for 5 - 7 minutes.Evenly spread the cooked veggies across the surface of the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Whisk the eggs and cream together in a medium mixing bowl and pour the mixture into the pan. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top.
- Frittata pan method: Cook until the sides of the frittata begin to set up and pull away from the pan. Cover the frittata with the interlocking pan and quickly flip the frittata. Remove the top pan and continue to cook for another couple of minutes, or until the frittata is cooked through.Serve warm with additional grated mozzarella cheese.
- Oven-safe skillet method: Cook until the sides of the frittata begin to set up and immediately transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Continue to cook until the frittata is set, about 15 - 20 minutes.Serve warm with additional grated mozzarella cheese.
Norma Chang
How did you get your frittata to fit into the white dish so perfectly?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I used a large, flat, thin spatula to help slide it out of the pan and into the white dish. I smoothed it over a bit with the spatula then before serving. Easier than you'd think to do.
Rita Held Cartalano
Like this one, Susan! Yumm. Did you slide the frittata into that dish, or was the one in the photo baked?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Rita! Nope, I slid it into the dish with a side, thin spatula. It slid right in, although I needed to smooth it over just a bit around the edges. Really easy. It's easier to do the transfer once it's completely cooked.
TasteFood
What a wonderful use of all the summer veggies right now!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Lynda! It's one of my favorite veggie combinations this time of year 🙂
Choc Chip Uru
Frittata looks absolutely delicious 😀
I love all the vege choices!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much CCU!!
Sasha
Looks yummy! And worth waiting for :). But BOTH recipes are going into my file. I just need to figure out where to find poblanos and tomatillos here in the frozen north! I do enough mexican-inspired cooking, I really need to source this stuff.
And as for keeping notes, there's gotta be an app for that, but I haven't found quite the right one yet....
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Ohhhh! An app! There's gotta be one. That would be a great find. I'm on a mission now. Thanks for the idea. The poblanos can likely be eliminated from the soup without much harm, but the tomatillos are a must. They add a mellow tartness to the soup that really makes the soup work.
Green Dragonette
Lovely frittatta. I usually finish mine up in the oven or under the grill. Never made one with Dill seeds though-must give that a try!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Definitely finish in the oven when using a regular pan. I did quite a bit of experimenting trying to simplify it. The dill seeds really make the difference in this. It's a surprising herb flavor that makes it all pop! Hope you give it a try 🙂
Rachel (teacher-chef.com)
Love all these fresh veggies (have them all in the house right now). I don't have fancy pans & think I'll just end up baking this in a pie dish and get almost the same effect - THANKS for your beautiful photos, greaet write-up, & suggestion for another kitchen goodie I need!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You're so welcome, and thanks for stopping by again! A pie dish will work great and just bake in the oven, or a skillet that is oven proof. Then you can start it on the stove and easily move it to the oven 🙂
themuffinmyth
Mmmmm, I love frittatas. They are totally one of my favourite meals at any time of day. This combo of veggies looks delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you try it 🙂
Hannah
So glad you made this frittata again! I love that you include fresh corn - I'm planning to make it tonight for dinner. I have feta on hand, so may use that instead of mozzarella.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Hannah! Feta will totally work! Hope you like it 🙂
Ali
I just made this sans dill seeds (I had everything else but these in the pantry). Served it with home made bread and it was such a treat. My husband ate half the frittata! Just lovely! Thanks for sharing 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Sorry for my delay in responding! I'm so glad this recipe worked so well for you (and your husband!!). Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Tracy
Do you have calories per serving for this dish?
Thanks!
surender
This zucchini Frittata recipe with roasted tomatoes and corn sounds like the perfect light summer meal!