Every Sunday morning, somewhere in a damp field between Swaffham and Mildenhall, a car boot sale is taking place. You’ll find chipped mugs for a quid, VHS tapes of movies you’ve never heard of, and enough second-hand garden gnomes to stock a small museum. But the thing that really makes a car boot sale worth it isn’t the treasure hunting — it’s the thermos of coffee and the slightly greasy bacon roll from the van that’s been there since the Thatcher years.
This recipe is the vegetable-heavy, slightly more respectable version of that experience. A frittata is essentially an Italian omelette that got overconfident halfway through and decided to finish cooking in the oven. It’s the kind of dish that doesn’t care if you’re a proper cook or someone who mostly eats ready meals — it’s forgiving, it’s adaptable, and it looks like you put more effort in than you actually did. Perfect for veggie week, when the fridge is full of vegetables that need using before they go soft and vaguely philosophical.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1 red pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 courgette, sliced into half-moons
- 1 handful of baby spinach (about 50g)
- 100g mushrooms, quartered
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- 100g halloumi, cubed (optional — skip it and it’s still fine)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- Salt, black pepper, and a pinch of chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan (for sprinkling on top)
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). This is the sort of oven temperature that feels like a safe compromise between “properly hot” and “don’t set the house on fire.”
- Heat the olive oil in an oven-proof frying pan (about 22cm/9 inch) over medium-high heat. If your pan isn’t oven-proof, you’ll need to transfer everything later — which is fine, but slightly more faff.
- Add the peppers and courgette. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften and get some colour. The peppers should look a bit ragged and unapologetic.
- Toss in the mushrooms and garlic. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms have released their moisture and started browning. The garlic goes in late because garlic that burns tastes like despair, and we don’t want that.
- Add the halloumi (if using) and cook for 1 minute. It won’t melt — halloumi is the marmite of cheese, beloved by some, ignored by others. Cube it small so it distributes nicely.
- Remove from heat and stir in the spinach. It’ll wilt down to practically nothing — don’t worry, that’s normal. Add the spring onion and parsley too.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl with a good pinch of salt, pepper, and chilli flakes. Pour them over the vegetables in the pan, spreading evenly. Give the pan a gentle shake so the egg flows into the gaps.
- Cook on the hob for 2 minutes until the edges just start to set. You want the outside firm but the centre still wobbly — like a very confident jelly.
- Transfer the pan to the oven for 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top during the last 2 minutes. The frittata is done when the centre is just set but still slightly soft — it’ll firm up as it cools.
- Leave it to rest for 2-3 minutes before slicing. This is the one thing worth waiting for — cutting into a frittata immediately is like opening a present while the wrapping paper is still on. Possible, but not ideal.
Serve cut into wedges, straight from the pan with a glass of something reasonably priced. Goes well with salad, crusty bread, or the sort of conversation at a car boot sale where you argue with a complete stranger about whether a pair of 1997 trainers are worth £3.
