Breakfast · Lunch
Serena's
Vegetable Frittata.
Sweet potato, spinach, Greek feta and garden herbs baked into a golden frittata. This recipe serves two. Double every ingredient and use a larger dish if you are feeding a family or want breakfasts sorted for the week.
- Energy
- 1,190 kJ (285 kcal)
- Protein
- 17 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Carbohydrate
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Net carbs
- 14 g
How to make it.
- 01
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Rub a small baking dish, about 20 cm, with the olive oil.
- 02
Peel the sweet potato and slice it into thin rounds, 3 to 4 mm. Layer the rounds over the base of the dish, overlapping slightly.
- 03
Whisk the eggs with a good pinch of salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of water.
- 04
Scatter the spinach, feta and herbs over the sweet potato.
- 05
Pour the egg mixture over the top and tap the dish lightly on the bench so it settles evenly.
- 06
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until set in the centre and golden on top. Rest for 5 minutes, then cut in half and serve.
Why this meal works.
Eggs are one of the most complete proteins you can eat, and four of them split between two people gives you 17 grams of protein per serve before you have even thought about lunch. Starting the day with protein is one of the simplest changes I make with clients who want to lose fat, because it settles appetite for hours and takes the 11 am biscuit off the table.
Protein is also what protects your muscle while you lose weight. Your body will happily burn muscle for fuel if you underfeed it, and that is the last thing we want for women in their forties, fifties and beyond, when muscle is already harder to hold on to. This frittata makes sure the tissue you lose is fat.
The sweet potato is a slow carbohydrate wrapped in fibre and potassium, and the fat from the eggs and feta slows it down further, so your blood sugar rises in a steady curve rather than a spike. A steady morning means your body stays in rest and digest mode instead of reading a sugar crash as stress.
It is also a real whole food breakfast with nothing from a packet, which is exactly how the Mediterranean does mornings. One dish, no fuss, and it tastes just as good cold from the fridge the next day.
Micronutrients on the plate.
- Choline from the egg yolks, which supports brain health, memory and liver function and is something most women do not get enough of.
- Vitamin A as beta carotene from the sweet potato for skin, eyes and immunity.
- Folate, iron and vitamin K from the spinach.
- Calcium and vitamin B12 from the eggs and feta.
- Potassium from the sweet potato to support blood pressure and healthy fluid levels.
Make it yours.
- Feeding four? Double everything and bake in a 20 by 30 cm dish for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Dairy free? Leave the feta out and add a handful of halved cherry tomatoes and a few olives for the salty note.
- Want more protein? Add an extra egg per person or a tin of drained tuna on the side.
- Swap spinach for silverbeet, kale or leftover roasted vegetables.
- Keeps for three days in the fridge and makes a very good packed lunch with a green salad.
Breakfast that carries you through the morning, from a kitchen that does not overcomplicate things. Buon appetito.
Enjoy!
With love, Serena ×