Brunch is one of the best meals to serve to a partially vegetarian crowd with minimal modification on your part. Nothing ruins my perfect, silky pureed soup more than having to substitute chicken broth with veggie broth. And yes, this may surprise you, as my love for bacon and meat is so strong, but I do not discriminate against friends that choose not to embrace meat.  I just segregate them into brunch parties. Just kidding. I plan to come up with some more veggie friendly dinner party ideas like souffles and casseroles.

This recipe is part of Kate’s summer brunch menu. She is a vegetarian so this was served with her vegetarian brunch meal (except for the bacon). If you want more protein, try adding ham or Canadian bacon to the frittata in the sauté stage.

Portobello and Sun-dried tomato frittata:

10 extra-large eggs

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 ½ cups aged white cheddar cheese grated

1 medium white onion sliced thinly

½ cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes

1 large portobello mushroom cut in half sliced thinly

¼ cup torn basil leaves

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat eggs, cream and one cup of the cheddar cheese together.

Put butter in a sprayed stainless steel pan or similar ovenproof pan that gets even heat. Sauté garlic, and onions for 2 minutes, add Portobello mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. When the onions and mushrooms are softened, add the eggs. Do not stir. Gently pull the sides away from the pan with a spatula to allow the uncooked egg to fill the gaps. When the sides begin to pull away from the pan, sprinkle the rest of the cheddar cheese and basil leaves on top. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the egg is set and fully cooked.

Serve in the pan that it was cooked in!