Egg White Frittata with Potato

This Egg White Frittata with potato is every bit as hearty as a whole egg frittata -- you wont miss the yolks! With a cool and easy technique, this egg white frittata recipe is different from most.

A Frittata, the word for omelet in Italian, is one of my favorite easy, go-to meals for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

A frittata is essentially a crustless quiche. The eggs are typically enriched with ingredients such as meats, cheeses or vegetables -- or any combination thereof. Usually, they're started on the stove and finished in the oven. My egg white frittata however, doesn't require the oven.

Do you ever order an egg white omelet because you think it's the "light and healthy" choice? That is certainly a healthy choice -- but it doesn't have to be light.

Without the yolks, this is a twist on a traditional frittata -- only in that it's a lighter version. And with my 'secret' technique, it's just as hearty.

You can likely use whatever you happen to have on hand to make one, and they're a great way to use up leftover produce.

This recipe if full of fresh and rich ingredients -- and what really puts it over the top, are the caramelized onions.

About the Ingredients

• egg whites - Be sure to use large eggs. And if possible, it's best to use pasture-raised eggs. (And you can save the yolks to make gelato.)
• small red (or pink) potatoes - Both the color and size of small red potatoes or pink fingerlings are lovely for a frittata. Both are used in the images of the frittata. Substitutions: Most other potato varieties will work well, just be sure they are thinly sliced, bite-sized pieces. Dutch yellow potatoes are my second choice.

• fresh thyme - The thyme adds a nice earthy, subtle lemony flavor. Substitutions: Rosemary, sage, or any combination thereof.
• onion - I use yellow onions -- red and white are okay, too. Always choose onions that are heavy for their size.
• garlic - Look for firm heads of garlic without any soft spots or green shoots, which are an indication it's old and likely bitter. If there are green shoots, slice the cloves in half, lengthwise, and remove the green root with the tip of a knife. (The rest of the clove should still be good.)

The Secret Technique for the Best Egg White Frittata?

NEVER whisk or mix the egg whites in any way, shape or form! The texture of the egg whites won't feel light if you don't whisk them. And by the way, they still are light -- in the healthy sense of the word.

The result of not mixing the egg whites is that the texture is thick and smooth. They are more dense without any air incorporated into them. This is precisely what makes this egg white frittata hearty.

How to Make it

- Coat the bottom of a 10 inch, non-stick sauté pan with olive oil, and place it over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté, stirring every couple of minutes, until the onions are soft and nicely browned, about 15 minutes. Mix in the thyme and let this cook for another minute or so -- until it's very aromatic.

- Add the potatoes and sauté for a couple of minutes. Turn the heat to low, cover and let the potatoes steam until they are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. You should stir a couple of times during this process. Season this mixture generously to taste.

- Turn the heat off and remove half of the onion-potato mixture from the pan. Set it aside, and then arrange the other half, so that it neatly covers the bottom of the well-oiled pan.

- With the heat low-medium, crack the eggs, one-by-one, separating them as you go, evenly into the pan. Let the whites drop gently into the pan, capturing the yolks in the shell. This should be done carefully, to avoid getting yolk and/or shell into the pan, but quickly. Remember, don't mix the whites!

Recipe Tip: If dropping the whites into the pan as you crack them makes you uncomfortable -- you can drop all of the whites into a bowl and then slowly and evenly pour them into the pan. This will avoid getting any bits of shell in the pan, and you can make sure the eggs are good first.

- Now arrange the remaining half of the onion-potato mixture directly on top of the egg whites.

- Cook until you see that the bottom is opaque, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook just until all of the whites have solidified, about 15 minutes.

- Once the frittata is cooked, gently loosen the edges with a non-stick pan safe spatula, and slide it onto a large plate. Let it cool for a few minutes and then serve.

Recipe Tip: Definitely use a non-stick pan and a generous amount of olive oil so the frittata easily slides out and onto a plate.

Recipe Tip: You might see bubbles appear when the frittata is finished, or almost finished cooking. This is okay, they will sink down as it cools.

Variations

• Other vegetables. Much like a risotto, once you know the technique for frittata making, you can use practically any ingredients you want. In this recipe, you can switch the potatoes with broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, zucchini, and so on.
• Add cheese. You can sprinkle cheese on top if desired -- Gruyère or Swiss would be great.
• Can you make the same recipe with whole eggs? Absolutely, just use 6 large eggs.

Serving Suggestions

Frittatas are fantastic for breakfast/brunch, lunch and dinner! For dinner, I usually serve this one with a seasonal salad. This depends of course on the time of year -- for winter, a persimmon salad is lovely, for spring spring, I like it with an asparagus salad, for summer, a basil and tomato salad, and for fall, a salad with apples.

I hope you find you love egg white frittatas as much as I do.

Should you find yourself with an abundance of egg whites -- say, more than you need for this frittata -- here's a fun list of egg white recipes (all desserts)!

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