Mini frittatas with spinach are one of the best healthy, fast, and portable breakfast! This make-ahead frittata recipe is super freezer friendly. Just grab one out of the freezer on a busy morning, and you’re set! These are gluten free, paleo, Whole30 (if you omit the cheese), and low carb.
SOMETIMES GOOD FOOD IS UGLY. There. Now that that’s out in the open, we can move on. Otherwise, that would have distracted me for the entirety of this post.
These mini frittatas may be ugly…
…but they’re delicious, healthy and infinitely versatile (you know how I love a versatile quiche).
While we’re on the subject: what’s the difference between a frittata and a quiche? Putting aside questions of origin, the main difference that is relevant here at least, is the crust.
Sure, you could make a batch of grain free savory pie crust and painstakingly press little discs into each compartment of your muffin pan but I had neither the time nor the patience for that (plus my food processor was already packed up and I didn’t feel like tracking it down and digging it out).
No crust makes these mini frittatas freezer friendly.
More than time and effort, the real reason for the crustlessness of these mini frittatas is for freezeability. Especially with the compromised cooking situation, but even in the best of kitchen circumstances, I like to have a few quick, easy and wholesome breakfast options at my disposal, since store bought on-the-go options like bars and coffee shop oatmeal tend to be too sugary or low in protein or high in carbs or any combination of the three.
Starting my day with mostly protein and healthy fat makes me feel best throughout the day (and not ravenous for lunch at 10:30 – a bonus, because there’s is nothing sadder than finishing your lunch only to realize that it’s not even noon yet), so make-ahead, freezer-friendly, protein-and-packed mini frittatas it is!
Freezer-Friendly Mini Frittatas
Mini frittatas with spinach are one of the best healthy, fast, and portable breakfast! This make-ahead frittata recipe is super freezer friendly. Just grab one out of the freezer on a busy morning, and you're set! These are gluten free, paleo, Whole30 (if you omit the cheese), and low carb.Â
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil, or oil of choice
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions or shallots
- 2 x 10-ounce boxes frozen spinach, defrosted and drained, then roughly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese or finely chopped bacon, optional
- 1 dozen beaten eggs or egg beaters, about 2 1/4 cups total, or a combination
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously spray or grease a 12-cup standard muffin tin and set it aside.
- In a large skillet, preheat the oil, then reduce the head to medium, add the onions and let them slowly cook until softened and translucent.
- Add the spinach to the skillet, and season it with salt and pepper.
- Toss a few times to combine, and let it continue to simmer (you might have to increase the heat slightly) for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Divide the onion and spinach mixture among the 12 prepared muffin pans. If you are using cheese or crumbled bacon, sprinkle it into each compartment on top of the spinach mixture.
- Finally, add the egg. If you're particular, you can individually beat each egg and add it to each compartment. In the interest of time, I beat all the eggs together and simply divided the mixture 12 ways.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes until the mini frittatas are domed and firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving or storing.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you plan to eat them one at a time, I recommend that you store them in individual baggies, so that you don't have to defrost and refreeze the batch repeatedly.
- Nutrition information is calculated based on using real eggs (not egg beaters) and cheese, but no bacon.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 mini frittataAmount Per Serving: Calories: 184Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 194mgSodium: 297mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 12g
Becky Winkler (A Calculated Whisk) says
I don’t think they’re ugly! They look delicious. I’ve made a similar thing but never thought to freeze them. Such a great idea!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks. Becky! Yep, these freeze and defrost beautifully. I would be lost without them on weekday mornings!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
They’re so cute- I love this idea!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks, Medha!
Joan says
Thank you for this. I went searching for a freezeable frittata recipe and found this. Planning a camping trip in a VERY SMALL camper and this is perfect. I can reheat in a steamer top on a saucepan. Thank you again.
Emilie says
These look delicious! What’s your favorite way to re-heat them after they have been in the freezer?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
I typically just put 1-2 of them in the microwave on a plate, covered with another plate or paper towel (so they don’t dry out). You can defrost them overnight in the fridge, too, if you prefer!
Gwen says
BUT FOR HOW LONG? WHAT LEVEL? They look good but leaving one part of the process to trial and error on the readers’ part is frustrating.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
It depends entirely on your microwave (I assume you mean the defrosting). I’d recommend 30 second increments on high until it is warmed through.
Nicole says
Jesus Gwen.. Calm your tits.. You know, common sense goes a long way, but I’m guessing that’s too much to ask in this case?
Jeffe says
I’m Planning g an after Christmas brunch. Can you reheat in the oven?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
I haven’t done it, but I don’t see why not! I’d recommend covering them with foil so that they heat through without burning on top.
Kathi says
Thanks so much for this recipe. I have seen a lot with broccoli – which because of a bad thyroid I can’t or shouldn’t eat. This is the first one I have seen with spinach. I can’t wait to make these. Thanks again for posting this.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
That’s wonderful to hear!! I can’t eat broccoli too – so you will find a lot of spinach on this site 😉
Kim R says
This sounds good! Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks, Kim! Yes, you can use fresh but it needs to be cooked first so that it releases some moisture. Otherwise, your frittatas will get soggy!
Carla says
These look yummy, but I would think the protein content would be more than 1 gram if each one uses one egg? Going to make these though!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Definitely! There was something wrong with the nutrition calculations on this one. It is fixed! There should be about 7g protein per mini frittata.
Kim says
Do you microwave them on defrost first for a bit and then normal, or just normal all the way?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
By normal do you mean let them come to room temp? Usually, I defrost them in the microwave, but you can also put them in the fridge overnight to defrost then eat cold or warm them in the microwave.
SM says
I am wondering the process to reheat these… Do you use the defrost button on the microwave, or just the cook time? How long?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
It entirely depends on your microwave, since different machines have different power. But I usually use the regular time defrost, and do it about 30 seconds at a time until it’s defrosted and warmed through.
Nanette says
Since I’m not a huge fan of cooked spinach I would have to add cheese to offset. I’m disappointed that calorie count was not included.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Nutrition information is included in below the recipe.
Kayla says
How many carbs would this be?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
According to the auto-generated nutrition info at the bottom of the recipe, it’s 9 net carbs per serving.
Anet says
Do you pre cool the bacon?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Yep!
Deeanne Edwards says
Probably many people making these are trying to limit calories and log our meals (I got this through the Noon site). I’ll try these but would like to have nutrition info for using a mix of whole eggs and whites.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
I’d recommend plugging your ingredients into MyFitnessPal or a similar nutrition tool. Unfortunately, I can’t provide all the variations that people might need!
mary says
Hi,
Thanks for this recipe. Very delicious!
Tasted great fresh, but my frozen ones did not defrost well. The texture turned grainy. Would cooking them slightly under during the original cook time help?
I microwaved in 30 sec increments until the individual piece was warm.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Oh that’s strange! I wouldn’t recommend under-cooking (since I would be concerned about foodborne illness), but if it’s possible to defrost at a lower power level on your microwave, that might help!