The Whole30 Recipe That I Still Make Every Single Sunday

One of the things I took away from trying the Whole30 diet a few years ago was the importance of breakfast — specifically eggs. I was constantly searching for easy, make-ahead egg recipes for the busy mornings when there just wasn’t enough time to make breakfast from scratch.

Although I’m not on Whole30 anymore, there are a few recipes that I still make from that time on a regular basis. In fact, there’s one recipe I make every single Sunday night for the week ahead: a frittata. It’s cheap, cooks in a flash, lets me use up any leftover produce or protein in the fridge, and gets my whole family off to a great start for the week ahead.

During Whole30, my husband and I discovered how great frittatas were. Since he eats breakfast at the office and I have my hands full getting our daughter ready for school, we made frittatas since they were easy to fill with protein and vegetables, were portable, and were quick to heat and eat. The other nice thing was that we could vary the ingredients so we didn’t get bored with breakfast.

Although we don’t follow Whole30 anymore, we started making frittatas again recently to keep us from automatically reaching for cereal or toast in the morning. A routine quickly followed, where I now look through the refrigerator every Sunday night as I’m cooking dinner, pull out our leftovers and things that need to be used up, and throw them into a frittata for weekday breakfasts.

I hate throwing out food, so it’s really satisfying to use up all the little bits and pieces from the week and turn it into something delicious and easy for my family. Because I’ve made it so many times, I can make one quickly and efficiently even while cooking dinner at the same time.

At this point, I have a basic formula memorized so I don’t need to do any measuring when making these family frittatas.

1 to 2 cups chopped-up leftover proteins and veggies +

8 large eggs + salt

I heat up our 10-inch nonstick frying pan with a little olive oil, then cook the proteins and veggies for a few minutes to warm them through. After that, I pour in 8 whisked eggs seasoned with salt, and then throw the pan into a 400°F oven until the eggs are set, which usually takes 12 to 15 minutes. After it’s cooled off, I cut it into 8 wedges and pack it away in the refrigerator. We usually eat two wedges per person for breakfast, so one frittata makes four meals that each have a base of two eggs.

Last week’s frittata had sautéed mushrooms, roasted zucchini, two chicken sausages from Trader Joe’s, and some scallions that needed to be used up. We had more leftover food than usual, so this was quite a hearty frittata! If I have the time, I warm up the wedges in our toaster oven, but otherwise it just takes about a minute in the microwave to warm through.

Even if you’re not participating in Whole30, I highly recommend frittatas as a time- and money-saving breakfast. You can also add cheese, herbs, or whatever you like if you start with my basic formula and riff from there. If you make one like I do on Sunday, you’re off to a great start for the week ahead.