Christine @ Good & PlatedA crustless version of the traditional Quiche Lorraine, this decadent bacon frittata is accented with caramelized onions and Swiss cheese.
There are so many reasons to have a great frittata recipe in your culinary arsenal. Not only are they delicious and a great way to upgrade the humble egg, but they are so versatile.
You can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can flavor them with a wide variety of ingredients, which makes them great for using up the random veggies in your fridge.
They are also perfect to prep ahead when you have a busy week and need something you can grab on the go – which is the main reason I’ve been on a huge frittata kick lately.
Morning’s in my house with two little kids are rushed. I don’t always have time to pull out the frying pan, but I love a good egg and bacon breakfast. Enter: this epic Bacon and Swiss Cheese Frittata.
It’s a frittata in the traditional sense of how it’s prepared: eggs first cooked in a cast iron skillet on the stove top, and finished in the oven. But in terms of ingredients and flavor it’s actually closer to a crustless Quiche Lorraine.
If you are unfamiliar with Quiche Lorraine, it’s a traditional dish from the Lorraine region of France and is an egg custard flavored with bacon and cooked in a savory pie crust. Popularized in the United States in the mid 20th century (which explains why it was occasionally something my mom made for dinner).
The combination of bacon, onion and Swiss cheese in a quiche is definitely nostalgic for me. I do love a good Quiche Lorraine. But preparing and cooking with a pie crust is a step I don’t always feel up for. And that’s how this recipe was born. All the delicious flavors of Quiche Lorraine without the hassle of a pie crust.
If you’ve never made a frittata before, this is a great place to start.
Bacon and Swiss Cheese Frittata Ingredients
- Eggs: Eggs are what make a frittata a frittata. This recipe calls for eight eggs and they bind all the other yummy ingredients together.
- Heavy Cream: A traditional Quiche Lorraine has a custardy egg filling so including some heavy cream here helps to keep the frittata fluffy and creamy.
- Bacon: Smokey, salty bacon is definitely a dominant flavor in this frittata. I love to use a nice thick cut bacon in particular as it adds great texture in each bite.
- Onion: Complementing the salty bacon are sweet and savory caramelized onions. My preference is to use a yellow onion as they tend to be sweeter than other varieties once cooked.
- Swiss or Gruyère Cheese: Though true Quiche Lorraine filling was just eggs, bacon and cream, over time cheese was added. Gruyère cheese would be considered traditional in a Quiche Lorraine, but Swiss cheese is more commonly available in grocery stores in the United States and is what I typically use.
- Parmesan: A little parmesan cheese provides an additional umami, salty complement to the eggs and heavy cream.
- Nutmeg: This feels like a secret ingredient but trust me, you don’t want to skip it. Just a small amount of nutmeg helps to enhance the other flavors of the other ingredients and also gives this frittata its traditional Quiche Lorraine taste.
Important Tools
Cast Iron Skillet: I prefer to make my frittatas in a cast iron skillet for a few reasons. First, they are well suited to both cooking on the stove top and in the oven. Second, when seasoned properly, I rarely ever have my finished frittata stick to the pan. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet handy, just be sure to use an oven safe skillet when preparing this recipe.
Recipe Tips
If you find chopping bacon annoying like I do, you have two options:
- Arrange bacon on a sheet of parchment and freeze for 10-15 minutes before chopping. Freezing makes the bacon firmer and less slippery so it’s easier to chop.
- Skip the knife and cutting board all together and use kitchen shears (my preferred option). It might be a bit messier as you need to hold the bacon in your hands as you chop, but it’s a lot easier to get a precise dice this way.
Recipe FAQs
As noted in the tips section, cast iron is my preferred method for cooking a frittata, but I have also had success using an oven safe skillet.
Absolutely! I do it all the time. Let the frittata cool completely in the cast iron skillet before slicing and storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I find reheating it for about 1 minute 30 seconds works well in my microwave.
You could, but you’ll want to add some additional cooking fat. As written this recipe doesn’t include any additional cooking fat because it utilizes the rendered bacon fat for cooking the onions. If you substitute turkey bacon, be sure to add a tablespoon of oil or butter to the pan before cooking.
Related Recipes
Looking to make this frittata as part of a complete meal? I love serving it along side a fresh green salad with my Honey Dijon Vinaigrette. It would also go great with a side of my Simple Sautéed Green Beans.
Print
Bacon and Swiss Cheese Frittata
A crustless version of the traditional Quiche Lorraine, this decadent bacon frittata is accented with caramelized onions and Swiss cheese.
- Total Time: 50
- Yield: 6 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 8 eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup Gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 5 strips thick cut bacon (about 8 oz), diced
- 1 medium yellow onion (about 1 cup), diced
Instructions
- Prepare oven: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare eggs: Whisk eggs, parmesan, gruyere/swiss, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Cook bacon: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once heated add the bacon and cook until crispy approximately 6-8 minutes and then use a slotted spoon to remove to a paper towel lined plate.
- Caramelize onions: Reduce heat to medium-low and add the onion to the cast iron skillet with the bacon grease and stir occasionally and cook until soft and slightly caramelized for approximately 10 minutes.
- Add eggs to skillet: Return the bacon to the pan and stir to evenly distribute it amongst the onions. Pour in the egg mixture and gently shake to distribute.
- Bake in oven: Carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 -20 minutes until the eggs are set and the top is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let the frittata cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Notes
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Egg Dishes
- Method: Stove and Oven
- Cuisine: French-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 283
- Sugar: 1.3 g
- Sodium: 551 mg
- Fat: 21.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.2 g
- Protein: 19.3 g
- Cholesterol: 291.6 mg
I love this so much! The recipe and instructions were easy to follow. The cast iron pan worked beautifully and the Frittata came out perfect. This will be a keeper recipe for me. Will definitely make again and again. Thanks Christine for sharing this great recipe.