Potato Frittata (Tortilla de Patatas)

December 05, 2011

Potato Frittata

Frittata is a traditional rustic Italian omelette, very easy to prepare and typically made by mixing eggs with leftovers from the day before and either frying or baking it in a skillet until firm (the name comes from fritto = fried). The Spanish tortilla is very similar, but it generally contains only potatoes and onions. Both omelettes are staple dishes in home cooking, although there are many restaurants that offer them.

I used tofu in this recipe and because it doesn't have the same coagulating properties of eggs I preferred the baking method. The preparation time depends on what you put it in. You can choose meat or fish alternatives for a richer, more filling result. Broccoli adds a great taste and texture to this dish. Baking/frying in a skillet involves flipping over the frittata when done. To make things easier, use a ceramic or glass casserole.

If you like peppers as much as I do, you will love this recipe. Otherwise you may tweak it according to your preferences.

What you need...
  • 3 bell peppers (red, yellow, green), roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch scallions (spring onions), chopped (or use chives)
  • 1 medium leek, halved and chopped
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled until a little soft and cut into cubes
  • 1/2 block regular tofu (drain and wrap in a few paper towels, put on a plate and place a heavy item on top to help get rid of excess water - I fill a small pan with water and place on top of it)
  • 1/2 pack (175 g) firm silken tofu
  • 1 large tomato, quartered, seeds removed, then cut into big pieces
  • soy milk
  • olive oil
  • turmeric
  • 1 tsp tahini
  • salt
  • black and white pepper
  • dry oregano
  • dry basil
  • dry parsley
  • splash of red wine
  • dried grated non-dairy cheddar cheese

Potato Frittata

How to...
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • Sauté the peppers in 1 Tb olive oil on medium heat until they start to soften up. Add the scallions and leek, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and stir occasionally until soft. Add a splash of red wine and cook for a further few minutes until all the liquid evaporates (raise the heat if necessary so the veggies don't boil). Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
  • Blend the tofu together until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add a pinch of turmeric, salt to taste, 1 Tb olive oil, tahini and a little soy milk. The result should be a thick but runny paste.
  • Mix tofu with the vegetables and add the potatoes.
  • Cover the bottom of a 20 cm (8") loose-bottom pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with vegan butter or oil (butter keeps it from browning). Transfer everything to the pan.
  • Make cheese sauce: mix 1/3 cup soy milk with some dried grated cheddar cheese to make a thick paste, then spread it around the top of the frittata, leaving more in some places (alternatively use vegan cheddar or mozzarella).
  • Arrange the tomato pieces on top, sprinkle some dried parsley and bake for 45-50 minutes until firm.
  • Remove onto a wire rack and let it cool down till just warm. Carefully remove from the pan onto a plate, slice and serve.

Frittata is excellent for picnics and packed meals, it is equally delicious served warm or cold, and it can be eaten as a main course or just a snack.

I would love to know what your favourite fillings are for this dish.

Enjoy!


A lot of time, effort and passion goes into each recipe I post. My greatest satisfaction comes from your feedback. If you made this recipe, then please take a minute of your time to leave me a comment. And if you like it, please share it so that others have access to it as well. Thank you all in advance!

14 comments:

BK Max

Yum !

Vegan Magic

It sure is:) Thank you very much for your comment:)

Anonymous

would you recommend a springform pan for this?

Vegan Magic

Hi there, thanks for asking. It would work if the bottom of the pan tightly fits inside the ring. Of course, the easiest way is to bake this in a casserole. Do let me know how it comes out if you give it a try:)

Unknown

Looks awesome, curious though, you mention using both "Cheese and butter" I thought these were vegan recipes.

Vegan Magic

Russell, thank you so much for the comment, I'm very happy that you like the frittata. To clear things up, I am vegan and the blog is strictly about vegan recipes. I have used non-dairy cheese and butter many times and they work just as well as the dairy versions. I keep forgetting that they are in fact not available everywhere in the world and that many people are not aware that there are vegan alternatives to many dairy products. I'm sorry about this. I have updated the post, to avoid confusion in the future. I appreciate your pointing this out:) Thanks so much for stopping by.

Melissa B.

This is a great recipe! We have been using it for our "frittata day" breakfast once a week, and it has been a hit. Thanks for posting!

Vegan Magic

Melissa, I am thrilled to know that. Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try and for the feedback:)

Unknown

Just made for dinner tonight. It was delicious. My only change--I used ground cashews instead of the cheese. Worked great. Thanks for sharing!

Vegan Magic

Terri, thanks so much for sharing your experience with this recipe. I'm very happy to know you were successful with the replacement. I've only recently started experimenting with cashews and so far I've loved the change.

Unknown

Greetings, I recently made this recipe as a show of support for my cousin and his girlfriend who recently switched to a vegan diet. It turned out great, although I tried adding a habanero pepper for some background heat and it didn't show in the finished product. My head chef at school said it might be the tofu base. On a side note, I feel that the yellow bell pepper didn't add much presentation wise. Next time I plan to use an orange, or, if I'm daring, purple variety. The filling veggies I used were broccolini and spinach leafs. I love the blog and look forward to future posts

Vegan Magic

Phillip, thank you very much for making this recipe, I hope they enjoyed it and appreciated your effort. Indeed it could use more flavouring and I'd love to try spinach in the filling as well. Thanks so much for letting me know how it all turned out, I hope you enjoy the upcoming recipes as well.

Anonymous

Can I prepare this the night before and bake in the morning?

Vegan Magic

Hi! You can prepare the vegetables and the sauces separately, then mix them in the morning before baking. I hope you enjoy the frittata. Thank you for stopping by.

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