Fiesta Frittata

This past weekend, I was invited to Chicago by the "Beef. It's What's For Dinner" folks. Yep, you read that right. This little blog, which started out as a way of sharing recipes with friends, has just kept growing in popularity as it helps busy parents feed their families well {even on the busiest of days}... enough so, that it caught the eye of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Now, I'd like to think that my invitation came because they too agree that I missed my calling as a cowgirl, but I think it was more based on my simple, healthful, family-friendly recipes. Hey, a girl can dream...  

So, they flew me out to Chicago for a weekend of tasting, learning, and networking with some of their Colorado contingent and 18 other rockstar bloggers. Pinch me, right? One of the weekend's activities was a culinary challenge. They split us into small groups and we had to come up with healthful takes on classically less-than-healthy recipes, like nachos, jalapeno poppers, things like that. My group was given the challenge of coming up with a breakfast casserole-type dish, that incorporated lean ground beef. Not one to usually add beef to my breakfasts, I will admit to being momentarily stumped. 

The breakfast casserole also had to incorporate:

• at least 2 servings of fruits or vegetables
• 1 serving of whole grains
• use as few pans as possible
• and have only 6 additional ingredients*, beyond the lean ground beef, our choice of cooking oil, spices, salt & pepper.

* You'll note that in the recipe below we went a little crazy (a.k.a broke the rules) and added an extra veggie to our recipe. We're kind of reckless like that.

My teammates and I perused the ingredients we could choose from...

and then we got to work!

We decided to make a protein packed Southwestern-inspired frittata. So, we sautéed the lean ground beef in a bit of grape seed oil, along with onions, colorful bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and a sprinkling of cumin, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder and a little high quality sea salt. We added one can of black beans. And because we had fresh corn at our disposal, my teammate, Amy, decided to grill it. (But if corn weren't in season, you could always use frozen corn as a substitute.)

Then we thinly sliced some whole wheat tortillas, and added those to the pan. 

That's one of the weekend's presenters, Dayle Hayes, from School Meals that Rock, oohing and ahhing over the smells in our side of the kitchen. 

After quickly sauteing all of the ingredients and whisking in our eggs, we popped the skillet into a 350 oven, and our team just relaxed while the frittata baked. {Gotta love those recipes that are so darn easy!}

And, voila! Here's my whole team (left to right: yours truly, Amy from Momma Hen's Coop, Biz from My Bizzy Kitchen, and Heather from Then Heather Said) with our Fiesta Frittata. Gorgeous, right?

Then, we tried our hands on styling the dish,

and it got the royal photographic treatment by Food Photographer, Jennifer Marx.

I know what you're thinking.... now you want the recipe, right?

Fiesta Frittata

Serves 12

This recipe may be halved, but it's a wonderful make-ahead dish that can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner, so I recommend making a big batch like this on a weekend and enjoying the rest during the busy school/work week ahead!

• 1 Tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• southwestern seasonings of choice, to taste (we used: cumin, smoked paprika, ancho chile powder and some high quality sea salt)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 whole wheat tortillas, thinly sliced
• 18 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet or fry pan, saute the onions and ground beef, over medium heat, with your choice of seasonings. Drain excess fat from the pan, if necessary. Add chopped veggies (bell peppers, tomatoes, and corn), the rinsed and drained black beans, and the tortilla strips to the pan. Continue sauteing for a few minutes, until veggies are just tender. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add whisked eggs to the pan, and stir to combine. Transfer skillet to oven and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until center of frittata is set. Serve frittata slices warm or room temp. 

Optional garnishes: fresh avocado, salsa, Greek yogurt, and/or baked tortilla chips. 

I hope that your family enjoys this new recipe! I am excited to make a batch for my family next weekend!