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This easy Ham and Cheese Frittata is a delicious and quick, make-ahead breakfast, brunch or anytime dish! It’s a perfect use of leftover ham plus a super-versatile, make-ahead recipe that can easily be customized with whatever ingredients you have on hand.
Frittatas are essential the Italian version of a crustless quiche–an Italian omelet if you will.
An easy egg-based dish with any number of ingredients that generally include cheese and some type of cooked vegetable and meat. Frittatas are made classically with a two-step process of sautéing base ingredients and eggs on the stove, then baking in the oven to finish.
This easy ham and cheese frittata with green onion, garlic and cheddar cheese is my go-to year-round but especially after a holiday where a large baked ham was served, gracing me with lots of leftovers.
For more recipe ideas to use up that leftover ham, check out Split Pea Soup, Ham and Gruyere Quiche and Lentil and Ham Soup and Tortellini Alla Panna with Ham and Peas.
Knowing how to whip up a quick frittata with what’s on-hand is a great skill to have in your culinary wheelhouse. And, this recipe is a basic frittata technique that you can use with lots of ingredients. (Check out Recipe Variations below.)
On Friday nights during lent growing up, my mom often made all sorts of vegetarian frittata for us (with asparagus, peppers and onions, potatoes–whatever we had a lot of), along with pasta with tuna, spaghetti aglio e olio or greens and beans.
Sometimes, leftover pasta from Sunday was even made into a spaghetti frittata on Monday night!
I love that frittatas are so versatile and work for any meal! Pair it with some crusty bread or potatoes for breakfast, brothy soup for lunch and/or panzanella or a fruit salad for a light dinner and call it a complete meal. Or, turn it into a sandwich for on-the-go. It’s perfect and often served at room temperature. Mangia bene!
For more brunch ideas, check out super-easy Spinach Quiche with Swiss Cheese, Ham and Gruyere Quiche, Torta Pasqualina (Italian Easter Spinach Pie), Pastiera di Grano (Italian Easter Grain Pie) and Pizza Rustica (Italian Easter Meat and Cheese Pie).
Ingredients
To make this easy cheese and ham frittata recipe, we’ll need:
- Ham: This frittata is PERFECT with leftover diced or chopped baked ham. However, you can easily find a ham steak in the supermarket to make this anytime, leftovers or not!
- Almost any smoked or cured ham will work here, such as deli tavern, black forest, Virginia or even turkey ham.
- Eggs: The base of the frittata! Use large eggs.
- Green Onion and Garlic: Aromatics to flavor the ham frittata. Choose green onions (scallions) with firm green tops that are not limp. Use both the white and green parts of the green onion.
- You can substitute the green onions with either chives or yellow onions if you prefer. (Yellow onions will need a bit more time to cook.)
- Cheese: I used cheddar cheese here, but most cheeses will work. Some other great options are Monterey or pepper jack, gruyere, fontina, mozzarella, dill Havarti, gouda and brie.
- When it comes to shredded cheese, I am a big believer in shredding it yourself. Pre-shredded cheeses contain an anti-caking agent and are just not the same quality.
- Milk: Milk lightens the frittata a bit and makes it less dense. I use whole milk, but you can use half-and-half if you’d like it more rich.
- Butter: To sauté the onions and ham. Olive oil can is a great substitute.
How to Make Easy Ham and Cheese Frittata
- Prep and gather all ingredients. Beat the eggs. Dice or chop the ham. Chop the onions and garlic. Shred the cheese. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350°F.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl until well-combined. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat. Add all but 1 Tbsp of the green onions and all of the garlic to the pan and cook a couple minutes until softened.
- Stir in ham and cook about 1 minute.
- Turn the heat to low. Give one more stir then pour the egg mixture over the ham and spread out the ingredients evenly.
- Scatter half the cheese over the egg mixture and carefully stir it in with a fork. Then top with the remaining cheese and green onions.
- Transfer the pan to the middle rack of a 350°F preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the eggs are set and have pulled away a bit from the sides.
- PRO-TIP: Feel free to test with a toothpick or thin skewer (like a cake) if you’re unsure it’s done.
- Serve the frittata immediately in the pan, or let it cool 5 to 10 minutes and use a plate to turn it over/out if you’re confident in its non-stickiness.That’s it!
- PRO-TIP: The frittata will rise a bit while cooking and may drop a bit once settled. This is normal.
Comfort Food Recipes You’ll Enjoy
- Steakhouse Creamed Spinach with Croutons
- Creamy Crab and Spinach Dip
- Baked Artichoke Dip without Mayo
- Creamy Eggplant Soup
- Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce
- Potato and Italian Sausage Soup
- Stovetop Chicken Parm
- Creamy Crab and Mushroom Soup
- White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
- Tuscan Vegetable and Bread Soup (Ribollita)
By the way, if you’re wondering if you can freeze frittata made with ham that was previously frozen, you can! Check out my post on refreezing ham for lots of info about this.
Frequently Asked Questions
I used a seasoned 8 inch cast iron skillet to make this frittata, but any non-stick, oven safe skillet can be used. It’s most convenient and easiest to sauté the ingredients and bake the frittata in the same pan.
If you prefer to not sauté the ingredients, you can just bake everything together in a small baking dish, which would be very much like a crustless quiche technique. Just be sure to rub the bottoms and sides of the baking dish with butter or oil first.
They’re very similar and are all egg-based dishes.
A quiche (with French origins) is made with a crust, whereas an Italian frittata is crustless. Also, a quiche is made with more of a rich egg custard containing heavy cream or half-and-half, unlike a lighter frittata that is generally made with just a little milk in addition to the eggs. Also, a frittata is generally a two-step process–starting the dish on the stove and finishing it in the oven.
An omelet is a scrambled egg-based dish that’s cooked quickly over a high heat on the stovetop, then served immediately while hot. Frittatas are usually prepared in advance and served at room temperature.
A watery frittata is most likely due to excess liquid in the base ingredients (usually the vegetables). To prevent this, just be sure to gently heat/cook the veggies and all base ingredients until they are dry before adding the eggs.
It could also be due to too much milk or liquid being added to the eggs. Be sure to stick to the amounts in the recipe below.
The smoked ham adds such rich and savory depth of flavor to this frittata. By the way, here’s my favorite baked, spiral ham recipe!
Recipe Variations
This Easy Ham And Cheese Frittata recipe is a basic technique that can be used for most any type of frittata.
Frittatas are classically a quick two-step process. Sauté the base ingredients and add eggs on the stove, then transfer pan to the oven to finish. But you can make the frittata 100% on the stove if you prefer. After you add and mix the beaten eggs with the base ingredients, just turn the heat to low and cover it until done.
Likewise, if you prefer to not sauté the ingredients, you can just bake everything together in a small baking dish. This would be very much like a crustless quiche technique. Just be sure to rub the bottoms and sides of the baking dish with butter or oil first.
As for ingredients, feel free to customize this versatile recipe to your liking! Frittatas are a great way o use up lots of types of leftovers in your fridge. Here are some ideas:
- Replace the ham with bacon or cooked Italian sausage.
- Add more veggies–just make sure they’re all cooked and not watery. Mushrooms, peppers, spinach, asparagus and zucchini are favorites.
- Mix in some roasted or sautéed potatoes.
- Add fresh chopped herbs–either mixed in with the eggs or on top as a garnish (or both). Dill, basil, parsley, thyme and oregano would all be great here. I don’t suggest dried herbs for this dish.
EASY HAM AND CHESE FRITTATA TOP TIPS
- Pan: I used an 8” seasoned cast iron pan to make this frittata, but any non-stick, oven-able pan can be used. It’s most convenient and easiest to sauté the ingredients and bake the frittata in the same pan.
- Ham: This frittata is PERFECT with leftover baked ham. But, if you haven’t made a ham lately, you can definitely use deli-sliced ham and just chop it up.
- Cheese Substitutions: I used cheddar cheese here, but most cheeses will work. Some other great options are Monterey or pepper jack, gruyere, fontina, mozzarella, dill Havarti, gouda and brie.
- Leftovers: Store cooled, frittata leftovers in an covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 325° until heated through.
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Easy Ham And Cheese Frittata
Equipment
- 8” or 9” Cast Iron Pan (seasoned) or other nonstick, oven-able pan (See Notes.)
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, beaten
- ½ cup whole milk (or half and half to make it extra rich)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp butter (can use olive oil)
- 1 cup chopped green onions, (both white andgreen parts; see Notes.)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
- Heaping 1 cup diced or chopped cooked ham, fatty pieces removed (about 6 ounces)
- Heaping 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided (about 2 ounces; See Notes.)
Instructions
- Prep and gather all ingredients according to specifications above. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350℉. (Do not use the convection setting.)(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl until well-combined. Set aside.6 large eggs,, ½ cup whole milk, ¼ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat. Add all but 1 Tbsp of the green onions and all of the garlic to the pan and cook a couple minutes until softened.2 Tbsp butter, 1 cup chopped green onions,, 1-2 cloves garlic,
- Stir in ham and cook about 1 minute.Heaping 1 cup diced or chopped cooked ham,
- Turn the heat to low. Give the egg mixture one more stir then pour it in and spread out the ingredients evenly.
- Scatter half the cheese over the egg mixture and carefully stir it in with a fork. Then top with the remaining cheese and green onions.
- Transfer the pan to the middle rack of a 350℉ preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the eggs are set and have pulled away a bit from the sides. (Feel free to test with a toothpick or thin skewer (like a cake) if you’re unsure it’s done.)
- Serve the frittata immediately in the pan, or let it cool 5 to 10 minutes and use a plate to turn it over/out if you’re confident in its non-stickiness. The frittata will rise a bit while cooking and may drop a bit once settled. This is normal. Frittatas are often served at room temperature. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- I used an 8” seasoned cast iron pan to make this frittata, but any non-stick, oven-able pan can be used. It’s most convenient and easiest to sauté the ingredients and bake the frittata in the same pan.
- If you prefer to not sauté the ingredients, you can just bake everything together in a small baking dish, which would be very much like a crustless quiche technique. Just be sure to rub the bottoms and sides of the baking dish with butter or oil first.
- Frittatas are classically a quick two-step process. Sauté the base ingredients and add eggs on the stove, then transfer pan to the oven to finish. But you can make the frittata 100% on the stove if you prefer. After you add and mix the beaten eggs with the base ingredients, just turn the heat to low and cover it until done.
- You can substitute the green onions with either chives or yellow onions if you prefer. (Yellow onions will need a bit more time to cook.)
- This recipe is perfect with leftover baked ham. But, if you haven’t made a ham lately, you can definitely use deli-sliced ham and just chop it up.
- I used cheddar cheese here, but most cheeses will work. Some other great options are Monterey or pepper jack, gruyere, fontina, mozzarella, dill Havarti, gouda and brie.
- When it comes to shredded cheese, I am a big believer in shredding it yourself. Pre-shredded cheeses contain an anti-caking agent and are just not the same quality.
- Store cooled, frittata leftovers in an covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 325° until heated through.
- You can actually freeze a frittata for up to 3 months! Residual liquid in the vegetables may accumulate once it’s thawed, though. Be sure to completely cool the frittata, then wrap it either whole or in slices in a couple layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, then placed in a freezer bag or airtight container. To reheat, unwrap and place on a sheet pan in a 325°F oven for about 15 minutes or until it’s heated through.
A ham and cheese frittata sandwich is one of my favorite breakfast sandwiches!