Squash
by: Melina Hammer
October18,2022
5
16 Ratings
- Prep time 15 minutes
- Cook time 35 minutes
- Serves 4
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
I don’t usually think “ooh yes I want a frittata” because nearly always, the results feel dense and uninspired. Very happily, I can no longer say that: Enter a frittata you’ll want to make any day of the week, throughout the whole year. I adapted a recipe I’ve long loved, a sort of baked custard that appears in my book, A Year at Catbird Cottage. Brought hot from the oven, it is a dazzling, puffy, and golden surface, chock-full of fillings. No matter what ingredients I incorporate, it’s always a hit. This autumn-themed bake is delicious and a cinch to make. Use any winter squash if you cannot find honeynut, and follow the same instructions below. Serve this frittata alongside a zippy salad, and you have a real feast.
—Melina Hammer
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 1-2 very small squash (about 1 pound), such as honeynut, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeds and any stringy bits scooped out, and sliced into ¼-inch wedges
- 1 small red onion, peeled, ends trimmed, and sliced through the root into 6 wedges
- Extra virgin olive oil, for roasting
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Flaky salt, to taste
- 5 tablespoonsall-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoonfreshly grated nutmeg
- Zest from 1 Meyer lemon
- 2/3 cupwhole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoonssalted butter, plus 1 tsp, cubed
- 6 ouncesgoat cheese, broken into chunks
- 7-9 fresh sage leaves
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with racks in middle and lower third. Place a heavy 9” enameled skillet or Pyrex baking dish on the lower oven rack.
- Toss the squash and onion wedges in a generous drizzle of olive oil and arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan. Season with salt and roast on the middle oven rack, for 15-20 minutes or until golden in parts and softened. Cool on a wire rack.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, lemon zest, and milk. Add the eggs and beat vigorously until frothy.
- Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and add 2 tablespoons butter. It should sizzle immediately on contact. Swirl the butter around the pan and along the sides to coat, then carefully but swiftly pour the egg mixture into the pan. Fan the squash slices and nestle the red onion wedges into the batter. It’s okay if they slide around as you place them. Arrange the goat cheese chunks and sage leaves over the top. Use the remaining cubed butter to dot sage leaves. Season with black pepper and bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until puffed, golden at the edges, just set, and fragrant. Let cool slightly, then slice into wedges and serve.
Tags:
- Frittata
- American
- Squash
- Brunch
See what other Food52ers are saying.
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Margo Smith
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AntoniaJames
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Melina Hammer
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Melina is the author of 'A Year at Catbird Cottage' with Ten Speed Press. She grows an heirloom and pollinator garden and forages wild foods at her namesake Hudson Valley getaway, Catbird Cottage. Melina loves serving curated menus for guests from near and far seeking community amidst the hummingbirds, grosbeaks, finches, and the robust flavors of the seasons.
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16 Reviews
NXL October 22, 2023
Love the flavors in this. I would call it a Dutch Baby Pancake rather than fritatta, though. Couldn't find fresh sage, so I added dried sage to the hot skillet with the butter. Great aroma! I used half of an acorn squash and 4 ounces of cheese. This is going into my favorites list!
Shine March 11, 2023
I had homegrown roasted honeynut squash in the freezer so it was pretty quick to make. I didn’t have goat cheese so used feta, otherwise made it as is and it was outstanding! Made it in my cast iron skillet. I will make this regularly, still more squash left!
Margo S. February 12, 2023
Excellent recipe. Very light and delicious. I had a kabocha squash, which worked great. Also subbed cheese we had on hand (aged cheddar) for the goat- feta would also be good. This recipe is so adaptable to various vegetable and herb combos. We had it for dinner with a salad, but it would also make a great brunch.
Rut January 31, 2023
Sooo delicious! I made this with a koginut squash, otherwise as written. It is a divine combination of flavors, and gave me the sense of eating a sort of sweet and savory French toast. Wonderful.
Melina H. January 31, 2023
Thank you so much for sharing how it went for you. I agree, a divine combination of flavors! I should add it to my weekend menu again...
Subscription3 December 23, 2022
My family loved this dish. Will definitely make again. Would like more of the sage flavor next time, so may try one of the other reviewer’s suggestions.
AntoniaJames November 21, 2022
I made this again, with the following tweak that made it even better. I chopped the sage (I use more than called for) and dropped it into the sizzling butter, spreading it around the bottom of the my oval gratin pan before adding the other ingredients. This blooms the flavor of the sage a bit, while ensuring just the right amount of sage in every bite. I also add a touch of thyme. I'll be making this all winter.
This recipe is a keeper. ;o)
sizarah November 17, 2022
This was super delicious, and will be in the regular fall rotation. I just used a regular cast iron skillet which worked great. I also whisked in a couple shakes of herbes de provence into the egg mixture. I used 1 additional egg and a splash more milk and flour since the squash seemed like a lot of volume. This was easy to make and super flavorful.
Melina H. November 18, 2022
All lovely things here! It's great to see how versatile and forgiving this recipe is. Great idea with the HDP. I just made it again today and added clusters of hen of the woods mushrooms with the other elements. So sooo good.
Karen S. November 8, 2022
Just looking at this recipe had me craving it. I made it as written although I didn’t have goat cheese so substituted Boursin. OMG it was amazing!
Melina H. November 8, 2022
Smart swap! That sounds to-die-for. I made it again today and added cured salmon (and only had brie+feta on-hand, so used them) and it was SO GOOD. So happy you loved it :D
Adrienne W. November 6, 2022
Made this recipe this morning and it was fantastic! My husband asked if it could become “our frittata recipe”. We used acorn squash as that’s what we had but it was still delicious and sweet. I used slightly less goat cheese and broke them into what I think are smaller pieces than the image but they were still in chunks. I did add one more egg to the recipe for more bulk but didn’t change anything else and I didn’t adjust the flour or milk. Will make again.
Melina H. November 6, 2022
How nice to hear! It's a good one - really great to see so many people making the recipe and loving it. Thanks for the info on having used acorn squash - I made it again today and swapped purple sweet potato for the squash, and a combo of brie+feta in place of the goat cheese - it turned out so good.
AntoniaJames October 21, 2022
One more note: I used honeynut squash, the first time I've tried it. The smallish squash was the perfect size for this, but roasted, I found it a bit too sweet. Next time, even when using butternut squash, I'll sprinkle the roasted slices with sherry vinegar right when they come out of the oven after roasting. ;o)
AntoniaJames October 21, 2022
Excellent. A keeper, to be sure. I used feta instead of goat cheese and about a dozen sage leaves of various sizes, just picked from my garden, coarsely chopped. I used a longish oval Le Creuset gratin dish, which worked well and made this even more beautiful. So easy to make, too. I served it with this quinoa salad https://food52.com/recipes/31742-quinoa-with-roasted-beets-and-pear, minus the feta, plus added chopped blanched beet greens and used a crisp, tart apple instead of a pear, and a sharp mustardy vinaigrette all over it - welcome, with the richness of the main dish. Pair with hard cider for a crazy good fall dinner, easily made on a weeknight with cooked quinoa and beets on hand. ;o)
Melina H. October 21, 2022
Terrific, thanks for the feedback! I can just imagine that beautiful surface in your oval pan...
