Prosciutto and Kale Frittata with Smoked Paprika

The sun peeked in through my bedroom blinds this morning awakening my soul. I love Saturday mornings. Love not having to set an alarm clock, love waking to the robins tweeting their songs marking the arrival of spring, and especially love waking next to my man for nearly twenty-nine years. Life is good. I enjoy having time to cook breakfast on Saturday mornings. It’s not like the weekdays when we’re grabbing whatever is quick just to get out the door and into work on time. During those days I like to have a quick scone (see recipe here) or banana-banana bread (see recipe here) on hand. Grab it with a cup of coffee and I’m out the door. But not this morning. This morning was a “put on the over-sized sweatshirt and slippers and brew myself a latte” kind of morning.

This morning I decided to bake up an Italian frittata. A frittata is similar to an omelette but it is not folded over. The ingredients are generally incorporated, rather than lying on top, like a traditional omelette. I wasn’t quite sure what was going in my frittata until I opened my fridge to find what kind of ingredients I could use. I had some prosciutto left over, as well as mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and kale. Hmm…kale. It’s a nasty word in some people’s dictionary! Mostly it’s the texture that gets them. They find it too rough and sometimes bitter. If you are one of those, try using it in your baking. It is full of nutrients and the roughage (which softens during cooking) is good for your digestion. I find it better in dishes such as this, than using spinach. So I’ll put on my “mom” hat and say, “Try it, you just might like it!” The one ingredient in most traditional frittata’s and quiches is thick cream. I only had whole milk on hand. I wasn’t sure if it would turn out, but it did, and with less calories. Now that’s a bonus!

Prosciutto and Kale Frittata with Smoked Paprika

White button mushrooms-rinsed

I used purple Kale, but any kale variety will do.

Chop prosciutto (a salty Italian cured ham), mushrooms, and kale (scallions would be a nice addition to this dish as well).

Incorporate with eggs, cheese, and spices and place in an oven-proof dish.

Enjoy your frittata with a bowl of fresh fruit. You may find you actually like kale!

Prosciutto and Kale Frittata with Smoked Paprika Recipe

6 large eggs

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh kale

6 slices of prosciutto, chopped

1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

1 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium size mixing bowl add eggs, milk, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir vigorously until well combined. Add prosciutto, mushrooms, kale, and parmesan cheese to egg mixture. Place in light greased pie plate or similar size baking dish. Cook 35-45 minutes or until center of egg mixture is set. Cut into eight wedges and serve warm.