Reduce food waste with frittata

Reduce food waste with frittata you say….. Yes! It may seem a bit of a stretch, but nothing could be simpler 😊

I was both honoured and privileged to have had the opportunity to attend a breakfast with Dr Jane Goodall this morning. She spoke about the poor health of our environment and how we must all do something to make a difference. Odd time to be thinking about frittata and leftovers I will admit, but food waste came to mind as something I could help people address. After listening to such an inspirational woman, I’m more determined than ever to do my part…. and it’s starting right here in my kitchen… and now yours too I hope 💞


What is in your fridge right now? Did you know you can make frittata from pretty much anything and eggs? It’s true! Got some broccoli and carrots lying around? Frittata. How about capsicum, olives and red onion? Frittata. Sweet potato, goats cheese and kale? Frittata! You catch my drift I’m sure.

Frittata is on high rotation in our house. It’s quick, simple and makes a great make-ahead meal that is perfect on those days you’re pushed for time and still want something wholesome. As I’ve mentioned, it will also, and almost more importantly, save on food waste, which is great for both your grocery bill and the planet.

I was horrified to read recently that roughly 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year (BILLIONS 😵), which equates to around one-third of all food produced 😢 If we look locally to our Australian shores, we alone throw out 4 million tonnes of wasted food each year. Approximately 20% of what we buy. When you think about the resources it took to create all that food, the food shortages in many parts of the world and those that go without on a regular basis – it’s criminal! As are these other food waste facts from OzHarvest.


When I started out cooking –  a little while ago… *coughs* – I cost myself a fortune and definitely (sadly) wasted food. I was a bit of a nervous cook (👈🏻 read “perfectionist”) and if I was making a recipe I had to have exactly the ingredients that were listed in it or I would go and buy them. Forget the old “I’ll just use some of this instead of that because I have it”…. that would never do. Well not back then anyway 🙄 I’ve come a long way from those days and am now the mystery box Queen (although not a MasterChef watcher I’ll admit because watching people cook under pressure like that makes me sad. Where’s the love in that food?!).

I set myself a challenge every week to use absolutely everything we have in the fridge. I also try to meal plan to ensure we a) are not tempted to eat out too often – easy to do as city dwellers – and b) we have a plan for the food that we buy. Even so, you do find yourself with bits and pieces of things at the end of the week, which is when a reduce food waste frittata makes an appearance. And I for one am glad it does! They may not always be your prettiest creations but they will be your tastiest!

If you’re after some grab-and-go breakfast ideas or something bite-sized to get into lunch boxes that also help reduced food waste, I’ve got a great little recipe for mini omelettes/frittatas here 😊

If you have an egg allergy or intolerance, there are still other ways for you to get through the things left in your fridge each week. Big veggie bake ups, tacos, salads, fermenting all the things! ….anything at all that comes to mind. I’ve thrown some pretty interesting ingredients together only to find they’ve made the most delicious meal.

Reduce food waste with frittata


The fresh ingredients in this recipe are what I used because they were in my fridge, but replace anything here with whatever you have – just keeping to the measurements and following your heart with herbs and spices on the flavour front. I had roughly three cups of vegetables here so replace those with the same amount of the vegetables in your fridge. Enjoy your creation! 💞

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch kale
  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 7 medium-sized button or shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil and a little extra for greasing the pan
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 – 2 cloves fresh)
  • 1.5 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 8 eggs
  • 2/3 cup coconut or almond milk (I used Honest to Goodness)
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (360 Fahrenheit) and grease an 18cm x 25cm (7 x 10 inch) baking dish with olive oil
  2. In a large bowl, beat eggs coconut milk, nutritional yeast and salt/pepper then set aside
  3. Roughly chop the kale then slice the zucchini and mushrooms (not too thick)
  4. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, then add in spices for a few seconds before adding in the vegetables and garlic. Pan fry until the vegetables start to wilt and add in the chicken broth a little at a time if the vegetables start to stick beforehand. Kale and mushrooms are very thirsty, so I used the whole quarter of a cup to get them nicely wilted
  5. Transfer wilted vegetables to the baking dish then pour over the reserved egg mixture. Make sure it’s all sitting nicely in the dish (not too much up the sides and all nice and flat) then bake for 35 – 45 minutes. Just make sure it’s cooked through. It may need a little more depending on your oven
  6. Once done serve with a side of greens…. or anything else you have in the fridge! 😉

10 Comments

  1. Fun! We like frittata’s here in my household too. Believe it or not, we actually don’t have a lot of waste food. I buy what we need for the week and we eat every last morsel. So if I want to make a frittata, I have to buy what I want in it. Your frittata looks yummy. And beautiful photos as usual Gabby!!

    • Aww thank you Elaine 😊 And good on you both! Food waste is becoming an enormous issue we must address and it has to start in every little kitchen around the globe! 💞

  2. We eat what refer to as “brinner” at least once per week! We love it! Great article, Gabriella!

  3. Good cause Gabby, I put everything in my frittata, pasta and rice are my favorite. Sometimes I make extra pasta so I can have the frittata

  4. Gabriella, food waste is definitely a big issue in the developed countries. Whenever I visit my son in Montreal, my first day goes in trying to sort out his fridge. For a single person cooking, he sometimes has to buy big jars of sauces and dips. Then has to throw it away because of the expiry date. In India, they make small one time use packets or jars which should be the norm here. Food wastage at my house is unheard of as there are so many hungry mouths to feed. Nothing goes to waste in developing countries as we tend to share the food with street kids, our security guards, gardeners, house help, homes, orphanages etc. Coming to the frittata I agree you can add practically anything to it to make a wholesome breakfast or brunch. I add my vegetable curries to it!

    • It’s a huge issue Mayuri, we waste far too much while others go without. It’s such a terrible imbalance. I’ve put curry into a frittata before too! They’re some of the most delicious 😊

  5. Great read and lovely tips gabby!!
    I just started cooking more frequently. And realised i have been guilty of food wastage myself. Now all i need to do is make the most of what i have in my fridge. i dont need to feel guilty no more.
    Cheersxx

    • Thank you Jayanthi 😊 Food waste is a big issue the world over so I think if we all contribute to reducing it by doing things like this it will make a big difference 🙌🏻

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