Lunch in a Box: Veggie Drawer Frittata

Everyone has those nights where they don't feel like cooking dinner. You get home from work, you're tired, and the last thing you want to do is spend an hour (or more) throwing something good together. But you also don't want to spend money on a dinner out, or risk eating something that doesn't fit into your "I eat really well during the week so I can splurge on Saturday" mentality. Or maybe that's just me. Regardless....on nights like that, I clean out the veggie drawer, pull out eggs that I always have handy (really, you should always have eggs in your fridge), and whip up a Veggie Drawer Frittata. Dinner (and leftovers for lunch) done in about 30 minutes.

The beauty of this dish is that you make minimal mess (I usually dirty up a cutting board, small bowl, and a skillet). You can cook it completely on the stove top if you want, and it's a great way to use up things in your fridge that might otherwise be wasted.

My winning combo is usually this: eggs+chopped veggies+herbs+cheese (only if I have some on hand)= one delicious, and reasonably healthy, dinner. It's hard to write a "recipe" because really it all depends on what I have. But I'll include how I fixed ours last night, and any options for substituting.

Veggie Drawer Frittata
(feeds 2 for dinner, plus leftovers- increase ingredients if you're feeding more)

6 eggs, mixed with about 1/4 cup water or milk and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cup chopped veggies (I used 1/4 red onion, a huge handful of chopped spinach and red and yellow bell peppers
1/4 log of goat cheese
1-2 T fresh chopped herbs (anything that you grow is fine- we had some nice basil to use)
1 tsp oil

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, and sauté veggies. I like to cook harder veggies like onions and peppers first, before adding in ingredients like spinach.

Once veggies are mostly cooked, reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in egg mixture, stirring slowly while the bottom starts to firm up. Add in crumbled cheese and fresh herbs on top, then walk away. It should not take more than 10 minutes for the eggs to cook through, but I like to pull mine off the stove and finish in the oven at 350 until the top is slightly browned. Just be sure to cook it long enough so that it doesn't jiggle in the center.

When it's done, serve with a simple salad, fruit salad, or nothing at all. It's pretty hearty on its own. Then use the leftovers to pack yourself a fun little lunch! I added bell pepper sticks and a vadouvan yogurt dipping sauce, with a mandarin for dessert. It's even great eaten cold.