Caramelized Onion Frittata

In my dream world, I would have hours to plan meals, slowly marinate, roast, or braise dishes, and leisurely time to enjoy said food.  In reality, sometimes we have to manage to get food on the table between work, the gym, volunteer responsibilities, going for a hike, and collapsing into bed.  If you need a healthy meal in your stomach stat, the frittata is on your side.

A frittata is like a quiche without that bothersome crust.  It's like an omelette on steroids.  You can pack whatever you want in there, and it will always be beautiful and delicious.  It's happy to be your breakfast, perfectly fine with being your lunch, and makes a wonderful dinner.  The best part about cooking a frittata is those last five minutes.  You slide that sucker under the broiler, and it puffs up, like it's enormously proud to receive the honor of feeding you.  Well, that's the second best part.  The best part is that the whole thing is on the table is less time than it takes to poke around and see what leftovers you can reheat.

Caramelized onions bring any dish to another level.  True caramelized onions have been cooked for an hour or more, but you can get a pretty good approximation in shorter amount of time.  But if you want to have them on hand at all times, make a big batch over the weekend, and portion them into sandwich bags in the freezer.  Just pull one out and and saute whenever you please.

I like to keep a frittata in my back pocket for days when time is short but the desire for take-out or leftovers is small.  It's certainly better than the bowl of cereal to which we have all fallen victim at one time or another. It's time to reclaim dinner.

Caramelized Onion Frittata
Serves 3-6

1 T butter
1 t olive oil
3 onions, thinly sliced
8 eggs
3/4 c milk
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 T thyme leaves, minced
salt and pepper
other vegetables, optional

Melt butter in a cast iron skillet over high heat.  Add oil.  Add onions all at once.  Cook onions down for 10-15 minutes, or until soft.  You may continue caramelizing for up to an hour.  Add other vegetables before continuing if you are using them.  (I used one green pepper; broccoli, summer squash, or other vegetables would be nice, too.)

Whisk eggs with milk and salt and pepper.  Pour over onions in skillet.  Sprinkle top with cheese and thyme.  Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until almost set.  Preheat broiler on high.

To finish cooking, place the frittata under your broiler for 1 minute.  Cut into wedges and serve with toast.