Frittata with Ham and Asparagus
This Frittata with Ham and Asparagus is the perfect Spring meal! Ready in just 20 minutes and full of 23 grams of protein. AND you can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. See, like I said… perfection!
I originally shared this recipe on April 5, 2012. I have updated the images and some of the text today.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Asparagus and Ham Fritatta
This simple one pan frittata is an ideal way to make a savory entree for breakfast, brunch or dinner with springtime ingredients: fresh eggs, asparagus, leeks and ham. We have topped it with Gouda cheese too!
It makes a great main course for a weekend brunch or cut it into small portions to serve on a holiday breakfast buffet. My family happily gobbled it up for dinner, and I loved the left-overs for breakfast.
It is great with a simple salad of spring lettuces dressed with lemon vinaigrette or chive oil salad dressing or our Roasted Red Potato Wedges.
More Savory Brunch Dishes
Ingredients For This Recipe
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Large leek, diced and washed. Here’s how to clean leeks
- Asparagus, woody ends snapped off, cut into ½-inch pieces
- Ham: This is a great way to use leftover Easter Ham too!
- Large eggs: Beyond being a great source of protein, eggs are a good source of vitamins A and D. Not only that, they have Vitamin B, lutein and zeaxanthin.
- Shredded Gouda or sharp cheddar cheese
- Seasonings: Salt and ground pepper or white pepper plus a little nutmeg
How To Make Asparagus Fritatta
Step 1: Sautee Leek and Asparagus
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leek, asparagus and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until bright green and just starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a bowl and stir in ham. Wash and dry skillet.
Step 2: Cook Eggs
Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with the pepper and nutmeg. Return the skillet to medium-low heat and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and swirl the pan to coat with oil. Gently pour in the eggs and let cook, gently scraping the egg with a silicone spatula. Fold the cooked part of the egg back and allow runny egg to flow onto the surface of the hot skillet just until the egg starts to set up into a solid mass, 2 to 3 minutes. [The egg will still be runny on top, but continuing to stir would cause it to break into pieces at this point.]
Step 3: Add Asparagus and Ham To Eggs
Spread the asparagus mixture over the eggs and continue cooking until the sides of the egg can be pulled back from the skillet with the spatula, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 4: Melt Cheese on Top
Sprinkle cheese over the frittata. Lift an edge of the egg back and drizzle 2 tablespoons water between the egg and skillet, cover the skillet and cook until the egg is set up on top and the cheese is melted, 4 to 5 minutes.
FAQs
Leftovers can be kept on a plate or platter covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Or you can place wedges of the frittata into resealable containers. Keep refrigerated up to 3 days. Eat cold or reheat
Place a wedge on a microwave safe plate and cover with parchment or paper towel. Microwave on high power for 1 minute. Alternatively you can reheat in a non stick skillet, covered, over medium low heat with a little bit of water to keep it moist. Heat until steaming hot and the cheese starts to melt again.
Variations To Try
- Instead of ham you can use crumbled cooked bacon or cooked sausage
- Instead of leeks add in fresh chives at the end or chopped green onion or scallions
- Add a little additional seasoning to the eggs like Mrs Dash or a salt-free herb blend
- Use another cheese such as Fontina, Gruyere, Swiss or Havarti
More Asparagus Recipes
- Turn on the grill for Grilled Asparagus or try my Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise or Pesto.
- This One Pot Chicken and Rice with Spring Veggies is bursting with asparagus and peas.
- This Sesame Roasted Asparagus Salad elevates basic roasted asparagus with the addition of Asian Sesame Dressing.
- This Roasted Asparagus and Goat Cheese Salad is a vegetarian entree salad to try this spring.
- This Shaved Asparagus Salad with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts is made with raw asparagus cut into ribbons with a veggie peeler.
- This Asparagus Panzanella with a Poached Egg on top is another spring brunch entree to consider.
- Find more asparagus recipe ideas here and please check out my guide to asparagus.
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintFrittata with Ham and Asparagus
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Frittata with Ham and Asparagus is the perfect Spring meal! Ready in just 20 minutes, only 297 calories per serving, chocked full of 23 grams of protein and super kid friendly. AND you can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. See, like I said… perfection!
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large leek, diced and washed (see tip*)
- 1/2 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup diced smoked ham
- 6 large eggs
- pinch ground pepper, preferably white pepper
- Pinch nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
- 3/4 cup shredded Gouda or sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leek, asparagus and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until bright green and just starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a bowl and stir in ham. Was and dry skillet.
- Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with the pepper and nutmeg. Return the skillet to medium-low heat and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and swirl the pan to coat with oil. Gently pour in the eggs and let cook, gently scraping the egg with a silicone spatula. Fold the cooked part of the egg back and allow runny egg to flow onto the surface of the hot skillet just until the egg starts to set up into a solid mass, 2 to 3 minutes. [The egg will still be runny on top, but continuing to stir would cause it to break into pieces at this point.] Spread the asparagus mixture over the eggs and continue cooking until the sides of the egg can be pulled back from the skillet with the spatula, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the frittata. Lift an edge of the egg back and drizzle 2 tablespoons water between the egg and skillet, cover the skillet and cook until the egg is set up on top and the cheese is melted, 4 to 5 minutes.
Notes
Tip* To Clean a Leek: Cut off dark outer greens leaving just the white and light green part. Slice lengthwise, and then slice into strips crosswise. Tansfer to a bowl of cold water and swish around to get all the dirt out from between the layers. The dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl. Lift the clean leek out leaving the sand at the bottom of the bowl. Lay out on a towel to dry.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 frittata
- Calories: 297
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 639
- Fat: 21
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Carbohydrates: 6
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 23
One of our go to meals especially in the summer! Love the ham and asparagus together!
We eat eggs a lot at this time of year too. I always pick them up at the farmers’ market or farm stand. They’re such a convenient source of protein.
I love this frittata! It is easy enough to whip up on a whim and elegant enough to serve at a special brunch. Delicious!
I totally agree. And my family loved them too!
This is such a delicious day starter!! I loved it!
Glad you tried it for breakfast. Yay!
Needed a quick and easy dinner for tonight and this was perfect!! We’ll have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Sounds great!
This really is a delicious breakfast. But honestly we eat it for lunch and dinner too!
That’s so awesome!
I’m sitting here right now trying to figure out what to make for breakfast and really wishing I had this delicious frittata in my oven right now! I love a 20 minute meal that is loaded with eggs and cheese and asapragus!
Your frittata is beautiful and perfectly spring-y! We too serve up eggs for at least one meal a day! I’ve started buying them in bulk!
I love this it sounds so delicious! So fresh and a great way to get your vitamins. And I love asparagus.
You are making me miss our CSA! It hasn’t quite started up for the spring / summer.
I LOVE a frittata for a quick and easy dinner. And spring flavors a just perfect for them.
We have frittatas for dinner all the time. And the “girls” that lay our farm eggs are rocking right now. We don’t have chickens but our good friend does and keeps us in beautiful yellow-yolk eggs. ( I know you won’t mind if I just leave out the ham. ;-))
Fritattas are one of my favorite easy meals! Love this version!
I agree with you completely on starting the day with eggs. My boys are high school age and I feel good about giving them a good, healthy source of protein for breakfast! This frittata is the perfect start to the day…or to eat for dinner. 🙂
Pinned! And I have all these ingredients. Yay. Can’t wait to try this one.
Oh I’m like your kids – I could definitely just eat yogurt, granola, fruit, etc. all day long. It’s a struggle for me with protein as well. I definitely need to try this frittata! Looks so fresh (and easy!). And just gimme all the asparagus RN!
What a combo of flavors