Gluten-Free Pasta Frittata with Kale (Dairy-Free)

To contact us Click HERE

Karina's Gluten-Free Pasta Frittata with Kale (Dairy-Free)

It's crunch time here at Casa Allrich. Moving day looms. Packing has begun. I've been sitting on the floor like a cast-off princess in a fairy tale assigned to her individuating task, combing not through haystacks or mountains of tiny grain but musty boxes of thirty-five-year-old letters, stacks of faded photographs and yellowed clippings, evidence of another life allegedly my own. I am struck most by the persistent echoes, the parallels spiked with the quirky twists of fate that led me here, to now, the line between seeking and creating blurring into a narrative that persists in your life like an ache.

We seek what we need to become. We long for the parts of ourselves we discarded out of necessity or people-pleasing acquiescence. Accommodation is a common theme in many a woman's life. Mid-life sharpens this trend into focus in subtle ways. When you begin counting seasons, and fewer summers await you, each choice you've picked up to now- and every discarded loss- becomes bittersweet and ripe with meaning.

All this contemplation and dust as we recycle the last remaining things we carry.

Our life has been whittled and sanded and simplified these last six years. An empty nest has its gifts. From the east coast to the west coast we have pared down and let go with each move (five times in six years). No original furniture remains. We own a sofa (a floor model bought in Marina Del Rey). A bed. Two desks. The truckload of books and old paintings is now a carload.

My boxes of cookbooks have shrunk from twenty to two.

Our move to Studio City is a gesture toward community (writing and film). A move closer to family (both sons- and a new daughter-in-law- live closer to Studio City than Redondo Beach). A move away from the ocean, but toward sun. From fog to heat. Our new neighborhood is a quiet, leafy one, framed in well tended white fenced gardens that rival Provincetown. We walked the block last week. Waist high lavender bushes, roses, iris and honeysuckle feed me in ways concrete and steel cannot. Small town New England is in my bones, I guess. And forever will be.

Today I offer you a recipe spun from the magic of leftover brown rice spaghetti and eggs- a creamy, light frittata. Perfect for when you're simply too tired to cook. Or you have nothing in the fridge but a carton of eggs, half a bag of kale salad and last night's leftover spaghetti in eggplant marinara.

The "cheese" I used was a vegan "mozzarella" (my current favorite is Vegan Gourmet).

The cooked brown rice pasta makes a lovely little crust for the eggs.

Gluten-Free Pasta Frittata Recipe with Kale (Dairy-Free)

I keep a bag of chopped kale salad on hand for nights when I'm too tired to cook. Kale salad can be added to eggs, pasta or a brown rice stir-fry for a super quick and healthy meal. Last night I added kale salad to leftover organic brown rice spaghetti with a bit of eggplant marinara. A perfect combo to use as a base for this fast and easy baked fritttata.

Ingredients:

Olive oil, as needed
2 heaping cups chopped kale salad greens with carrot shreds
2 cups leftover (cooked) gluten-free spaghetti pasta with some sauce
4 oz Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella, shredded
5 large organic free-range eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plain soy milk, or vegan sour cream
Dried basil and oregano, to taste
Sprinkle of ground nutmeg
Sea Salt and ground pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh chives, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Lightly oil a 9-inch glass pie plate.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the chopped kale salad. Stir until wilted a bit. Add the leftover spaghetti pasta. Stir lightly to combine. Heat through gently. Remove from heat.

Using tongs, arrange the spaghetti and kale in the bottom of the pie plate.

Scatter half the vegan mozzarella shreds over the pasta.

Beat the eggs with the soy milk or vegan sour cream until frothy. Season to taste with dried basil, oregano, nutmeg, sea salt, ground pepper and chives.

Pour the egg mixture all over the spaghetti and kale and allow the liquid to seep in. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded vegan mozzarella. Sprinkle chopped chives on the top and add a whisper of ground nutmeg, if desired.

Bake on a center rack for 35 minutes - until the frittata is set and golden in color. Check the center for doneness with a fork, if you like.

Allow the pasta frittata to cool for a few minutes before serving (this makes it much easier to slice).

This pasta frittata is also good cooled, at room temperature, for a make-ahead picnic dish.

Makes 4 hearty servings. Serves 6 as a side dish.

If you don't need to be dairy-free, use sour cream and mozzarella.

Make this easy frittata for brunch or a backyard picnic.

More gluten-free eggs + kale recipes:

Kalyn's Kitchen: Baby Kale, Mozzarella and Egg Bake
Nomadic Foodie: Poached Eggs with Kale and Red Peppers
The Perfect Pantry: Kale, Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Breakfast Casserole