This simple Ham and Cheese Frittata Recipe is healthy, and delicious, and comes together in just minutes! Perfect for an easy breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch, or dinner, this low-carb frittata is the perfect way to use up leftover ham. It’s great for the gluten-free diet, and is keto-friendly as well!
This post was originally published on April 1st, 2021.
🧀 Easy Ham and Cheese Frittata Recipe
So you’ve made a ham! Yum. What do you do with all the leftovers?
Leftover ham is great for meal prep! You can use it in sandwiches, soups, and even casseroles, and of course, who doesn’t love ham and eggs? Alright, these eggs may not be green, but they are delicious.
I made this delicious frittata recipe for dinner one weeknight, but it’s also a perfect breakfast idea. I love that this easy meal was ready in just 20 minutes, and also that the food didn’t stick to the cast iron skillet making clean up so much easier!
Aside from being a great way to use up the leftover ham (I’m always looking for fun and easy ways to use up fresh ingredients), all I added to this frittata was a few basic pantry staples ingredients: milk, cheese, eggs, kale, and tomatoes. The kale can be switched out for other greens that you have on hand, and the tomatoes can be skipped if you’d prefer this dish to be even lower carb. However, with just 2.7g net carbs per serving, I’d go ahead and toss those tomatoes in!
This ham frittata recipe is not only one of the easiest keto recipes the whole family will enjoy, but it’s also gluten-free and perfect for a healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a post-holiday brunch to get started on those leftovers!
🗝️ Key ingredients & Substitutions
- Ham: I added leftover ham steak to this recipe. It’s chunky and delicious, and if you pan-fry it a little beforehand, the fat renders down perfectly. This is such a great way to take care of leftovers after Christmas and Easter! If you don’t have leftover ham on hand, thick ham from your local deli (not wafer-thin ham) is what you want to buy.
- Cheese: You can really use whatever shredded cheese you prefer. I opted for a mild cheddar cheese (although we hands-down prefer sharp & mature) as it melts so well. Gruyere cheese, Swiss cheese, goat cheese, parmesan cheese, or gouda would also taste amazing. Adventurous? Try adding some blue cheese as well, like a Shropshire Blue or Roquefort.
- Milk or cream: I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk or even heavy cream would be great in this easy frittata recipe.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are a great thing to add to this recipe. For me, it’s the best part! You can substitute diced plum tomato if desired. Tomatoes still keep this recipe keto-friendly while adding plenty of flavor. You can use any kind of tomato, or skip them entirely.
- Kale: I wanted to throw in some greens for good measure, and kale is perfect for this recipe, however, if you have fresh spinach on hand instead, a spinach frittata will be tasty as well.
🥣 How do you make a frittata?
1. Begin by adding olive oil to a skillet on the stove top over medium heat, followed by diced ham. This can be store-bought or leftover ham, and I use a cast iron pan but any medium-sized, ovenproof skillet (preferably a non-stick pan) will be great!
2. Next, add some butter to the chopped ham in the cast-iron skillet. The butter enhances the flavor as well as keeps the meat from sticking to the pan.
3. After that, add in some kale and diced cherry tomatoes, sautéing until the kale wilts a little and the tomatoes begin to break down.
4. Now we’ll sprinkle in some cheddar cheese over the other ingredients.
5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs with milk and black pepper.
6. Pour egg mixture over the other ingredients in the oven-safe skillet, tilting so that the egg mixture is evenly spread, and place the pan into the oven on the middle shelf.
7. Bake the frittata in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the egg is set and no longer jiggles, and then remove the pan from the oven, slice, and serve!
🫙 Storage Instructions
Store this Keto Frittata in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave or the oven until warmed through. Take care not to overheat it – the egg may turn rubbery.
🌈 Variations
Here is a list of my favorite fillings that will work well in this frittata. They’re all low carb:
Cheeses:
- goat cheese
- gouda
- Gruyere
- parmesan cheese
- any kind of cheddar
- firm mozzarella cheese (not soft buffalo)
- pepper jack
- feta cheese
- blue cheese
- Roquefort
Milks (all unsweetened):
- coconut milk
- almond milk
- whole milk
- flax milk
- hemp milk
- heavy whipping cream
- soy milk
Low carb veggies:
- bell peppers
- green onions
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- brussels sprouts
- baby spinach
- red onions (not too much, try 1/4 of an onion)
- garlic cloves
Meats:
- pork sausage
- turkey sausage
- bacon
- turkey bacon
- ground beef
- ground chicken
Garnish:
- green onions or spring onion
- fresh parsley
- chives
❓ What’s the difference between an omelet and a frittata?
The main difference between a frittata and an omelet is the way they are cooked. Frittatas, like this ham and cheese frittata, are cooked on the stove first and finished in the oven. However, an omelet on the other hand is cooked only on the stovetop, is usually folded over into a semi-circle, and can be flipped.
🤔 Is this a keto frittata?
Yes! This Ham and Cheese Frittata comes to 2.7 grams of net carbs per serving, making it perfect for the keto diet. This entire keto frittata recipe comes to 16.2g net carbs so you could easily eat half if you’re feeling hungry and still be hitting your keto macro goals.
😋 More Low-Carb recipes you will love:
- THE BEST PALEO RAMEN EGGS (AJITSUKE TAMAGO)
- GREEK CRUSTLESS QUICHE – SFOUGATO
- EASY WHOLE30 CRISPY CARNITAS
- EASY ONE POT GUMBO
- THE BEST APPLE & SAGE PORK LOIN WITH CRISPY PORK CRACKLING
- LAHANODOLMADES – GREEK STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS
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📖 Recipe
Ham and Cheese Frittata Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 oz kale see note 2
- 1 cup cheddar cheese 70g (see note 4 for other cheeses)
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk or cream I used unsweetened almond milk
- ground black pepper to taste
- 200 g diced ham
- 100 g cherry tomatoes about 10 (see note 3)
- 1-2 tsp dijon mustard optional, (see note 1)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/355F.
- Place a cast-iron frying pan (or another oven-safe non-stick pan) over medium-high heat on the stove.
- Add the oil and ham, and sauté until the fat begins to render, about 5 minutes.
- Add the butter, kale and tomatoes cook for a further 5 minutes, until the kale softens, and then turn off the heat.
- Sprinkle the cheddar over the ingredients in the pan.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, and pepper in a separate bowl.
- Pour the egg mixture into the pan, tilting the pan to cover the ingredients evenly, and then place the pan into the oven on the middle shelf.
- Bake the frittata for 10 minutes, or until the egg is set and no longer jiggles.
- Remove the pan from the oven, slice and serve.
Notes
- Dijon Mustard: I didn't add this to the original recipe when testing but tried it for round two and it tastes amazing! I would add it to the egg mixture before whisking it together and pouring it into the skillet.
- Feel free to use fresh spinach instead of kale.
- Any kind of tomatoes will work!
- Other cheeses to try: goat cheese, firm mozzarella cheese, gruyere, gouda, grated parmesan cheese, feta cheese, Roquefort, or blue cheese.
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
So glad you like it! Let me know how it goes!