Shrink-My-Ass-Month: Spaghetti Frittata

Roughly twice a year, my husband decides that he's fat. This tickles me for two reasons: One, he's not fat. Ever. Two, he's a bigger girl than I am, because I only decide that I'm fat roughly once a year.

Whenever hubs decides that he needs to go on le regime, I heckle him mercilessly for a day or two and then agree to help him manage his food.

This is a little more high maintenance than it seems. Dinner is no problem--I mean, I'm cooking it anyways. But le regime requires that hubs takes breakfast, lunch and a healthy snack to work, because he's too busy to go out for lunch and the hospital food is...well, you know.

Lunch I can handle. I pack a healthy wrap or the leftovers from last night's nutritious dinner or, if I'm desperately pressed for time, one of those Kashi frozen meals. Add fruit and a leeetle nibble of dark chocolate, and we're done.

Breakfast is a trickier affair. Hubs will eat cereal maybe once a week. He hates yogurt. And oatmeal. Doesn't much care for peanut butter. Fruit is a once a day affair, at lunch. Le regime needs to be protein packed, so this usually means eggs. But not hard boiled; he doesn't like them that way. Readers, meet Mr. High Maintenance!

While I'm willing to do this for him (but only twice a year), breakfast is an ass-pain for me to figure out. Because, if your mornings look anything like mine, you know that mornings are whacked-out, ugly, whirlwind Freakshows.

Solution? The humble frittata. I can make a large, healthy, eggy frittata early in the week, cut it into wedges, wrap up each wedge and hubs is good to go for several days. Plus, frittatas are equally good hot or cold, so if he's nowhere near a microwave, it's still fine.

As luck would have it, hubs has started on le regime at the same time I'm running Shrink-My-Ass-Month. That simplifies things, at least.

I was intrigued with this recipe because unlike regular frittatas, which often feature potatoes, this features whole-wheat spaghetti. Pasta and eggs? Well, now that I think of it, they work fine together in Spaghetti Carbonara, so why not?

This recipe came out beautifully and tastes delicious. And breakfast is one less thing I have to think about it when the Freakshow starts at the crack of dawn.



Spaghetti Frittata
serves 4
from Ellie Krieger's So Easy

5 large eggs
5 large egg whites
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped or sliced thinly into half-moons
5 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed), reconstituted in boiling water for 10 minutes, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked whole-wheat spaghetti (4 oz. dry spaghetti), tossed with 1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg whites.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Add the spaghetti to the pan and stir to combine. Pour the eggs evenly over the spaghetti and vegetables. Lower the heat to medium low and cook until the eggs are set on the edges but not in the middle, 6 to 8 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the top of the frittata with cheese and place under the broiler. Cook until the top is set and golden, about 2-3 minutes; be careful not to overcook or the eggs will become tough. Cut into wedges.

Serve to your high-maintenance, vain, girly-man husband. Who is totally worth the effort.