Frittata with asparagus, spinach & goat cheese
Three minutes on the stovetop, then the oven takes over. This frittata loads 168g of spinach and 114g of asparagus into a baking dish, pours beaten eggs with yogurt over the top, and lets crumbled goat cheese melt into everything during a 15-minute bake.
One dish. 34g of protein, 12g of carbs, and more green vegetables than most people manage in a full day of eating.
Ingredients
- scallion 1
- garlic 1 clove
- olive oil 1.5 tbsp
- asparagus (frozen) 114 g
- spinach 168 g
- eggs 2
- yogurt, nonfat 60 ml
- goat cheese 56 g
Method
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Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
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Slice the scallion into rings and press the garlic clove.
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Heat half of the oil in a frying pan. Sauté the garlic with the scallion for a minute. Add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add the spinach and cook until it wilts.
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Grease an oven dish with the other half of the oil. Transfer the spinach and asparagus mixture into the dish.
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In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the yogurt and some pepper and salt. Pour the egg mixture into the oven dish. Crumble the goat cheese over the frittata.
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Bake the frittata for 15 minutes in the preheated oven and serve in the oven dish.
Spinach releases a lot of water as it wilts. Give the pan an extra 30 seconds after the spinach looks done — let some of that moisture cook off before transferring to the oven dish. A drier base means a firmer frittata instead of a soggy middle.
The eggs, olive oil, and goat cheese in this frittata create three separate fat sources around 282g of carotenoid-rich vegetables. A randomized crossover trial found that egg yolk lipids multiplied carotenoid absorption from co-consumed vegetables by 3 to 8 fold. Fifteen minutes of oven contact gives the fat more time to work than a quick sauté or scramble.
Kim et al., 2015 — Journal of Nutrition · DOIBehind this recipe
Can I use feta instead of goat cheese?
Yes. Feta works well here and gives the frittata a saltier, more crumbly finish. The fat content will be slightly lower (feta has less fat per gram than goat cheese), but the difference in a 56g portion is small. Both cheeses melt nicely during the 15-minute bake.
Is 45g of fat too much for one meal?
That depends on your daily target. This meal’s 45g of fat comes from olive oil, egg yolks, and goat cheese — all whole-food sources. If you’re eating 3-4 meals a day, this frittata fits most fat targets without squeezing the rest of your day. The how much fat per day claim page breaks down the math by goal.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use fresh asparagus instead of frozen?
Absolutely. Fresh asparagus will need 1-2 extra minutes in the pan (step 3) since frozen asparagus is already blanched. Snap off the woody ends before slicing. The flavor will be slightly brighter with fresh, but the nutritional difference is negligible.
