Frittata with Zucchini, Mushrooms & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Sun-dried tomatoes bring a punch that fresh ones cannot match. Concentrated flavor in every strip, and twice the lycopene bioaccessibility once your body starts digesting them. They hit the pan with sautéed zucchini, mushrooms, and wilted spinach before seasoned eggs set everything into a frittata on low heat.
Fifteen minutes, one pan, 335 calories and 23 grams of protein from two eggs and the vegetables underneath. The 8 grams of fiber come from everywhere: mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, the tomatoes themselves.
No flipping. No oven. The lid does the work.
Sun-dried tomatoes bring a punch that fresh ones cannot match. Concentrated flavor in every strip, and twice the lycopene bioaccessibility once your body starts digesting them. They hit the pan with sautéed zucchini, mushrooms, and wilted spinach before seasoned eggs set everything into a frittata on low heat.
Fifteen minutes, one pan, 335 calories and 23 grams of protein from two eggs and the vegetables underneath. The 8 grams of fiber come from everywhere: mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, the tomatoes themselves.
No flipping. No oven. The lid does the work.
Ingredients
- onion 0.5 piece
- zucchini 1 piece
- mushrooms 4 ounce
- sun-dried tomatoes 2 piece
- olive oil 0.5 tablespoon
- spinach 2 handful
- eggs 2 piece
- paprika, ground 0.5 teaspoon
- oregano, dried 1 teaspoon
Method
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Finely chop the onion and dice the zucchini. Cut the mushrooms into pieces and the sun-dried tomatoes into strips.
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Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion for a minute. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender but firm. Add the sun-dried tomato strips and spinach to the pan.
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Meanwhile, beat the eggs with paprika, oregano and some pepper and salt.
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Add the beaten eggs to the pan and reduce the heat. Cover the pan and let it cook over low heat until the top is set, about 6 minutes.
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Serve the vegetable frittata on a plate.
Sauté the sun-dried tomato strips in the olive oil alongside the other vegetables. Sun-dried tomatoes have twice the lycopene bioaccessibility of fresh because the drying process broke down the cell walls that trap it. The olive oil in the pan provides the fat carrier lycopene needs to be absorbed.
Sun-dried tomatoes show 58% lycopene bioaccessibility compared to 28% for fresh tomatoes. The drying process breaks down cell walls and weakens the bonds between lycopene and the plant tissue matrix, making more of it available during digestion. In this frittata, two fat carriers work together: the olive oil from sautéing and the lipids in the egg yolks both help transport the released lycopene into the bloodstream.
Lycopene bioaccessibility in sun-dried vs fresh tomatoes · DOIWhy This Works
Behind this recipe
Why sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh?
Beyond flavor, sun-dried tomatoes have a measurable advantage: 58% lycopene bioaccessibility compared to 28% for fresh. The drying process breaks down cell walls that normally trap lycopene inside the tissue. The olive oil in the pan and the egg yolk lipids both act as fat carriers, helping the released lycopene reach your bloodstream.
Is 23 grams of protein enough for one meal?
Two eggs and the combined vegetables deliver 23 grams of protein, about 27% of total calories. For a 335-calorie meal, that is a solid contribution toward a day's intake.
Can I flip the frittata instead of covering it?
You can, but the covered method is more forgiving. Low heat and a lid let trapped steam set the top evenly without risking a broken frittata during the flip. If you want a browned top, slide the pan under a broiler for the last minute instead.
