Student Suppers: Bacon, Beetroot & Broccoli Frittata

The other week I made something magical for dinner. I found a recipe for a frittata on the Waitrose website made with gnocchi instead of potatoes, and the results were mind blowing. No more thinly slicing and pre-cooking or frying off potatoes to pile into the pan, and the little gnocchi nuggets create feather light, pillowy nuggets buried beneath their eggy crust. After a bit of playing around, I then figured out that Ugo gnocchi is best – or any other fresh gnocchi that doesn’t have that hard outside created by being rolled in semolina – which comes in lots of different flavours, which opened up a whole host of new possibilities. I’ll never make another frittata with regular, boring old potatoes ever again, and I don’t think you will either once you’ve given it a go!

I’ve kept quite closely to the original recipe, using gnocchi, onions, smoky bacon bits and broccoli, but roasted the broccoli for some extra crunch, and amped up the colours and flavours by using beetroot gnocchi; and doesn’t a beetroot, bacon and broccoli frittata sound just so much cooler with all those b’s? I love to serve slices warm or cold with a green salad and a vinaigrette made with strawberry balsamic vinegar (I buy this one) but were I still having to get up early to commute to an office in the mornings, I’d probably stash slices in foil to eat cold as an on-the-go breakfast, as I used to enjoy at my desk on the days I struggled to get going!

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Bacon, Beetroot & Broccoli Frittata

• Author: Rachel Phipps
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4
• Category: Lunch

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Description

If you’ve never made a frittata before with gnocchi instead of potatoes, do – I promise it will totally revolutionise how you think about my favourite, fridge-clearing brunch / lunch dish!

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Ingredients

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• 1 x 200g (7 oz) Pack Tenderstem Broccoli
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• Freshly Ground Sea Salt and Black Pepper
• 100g (3.5 oz) Smoky Bacon Pieces
• 1 Large Onion, sliced
• 6 Large Eggs
• 1 x 450g (15 oz) Bag Ugo Beetroot Gnocchi

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat the grill to 200 degrees (390 fahrenheit). Cut each length of broccoli into three equal lengths, and toss on a baking tray with the oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Grill for 10-15 minutes, until the broccoli is soft and had started to go crisp and golden. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, set the bacon in a large, cold, non-stick frying pan with a metal handle over a medium high heat and fry for a few minutes until the fat has started to come out of the bacon pieces. Add the onions, and fry for a further 5-10 minutes until the onion is soft and starting to go golden. Remove from the heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs with a generous amount of seasoning. Fold in the broccoli pieces, bacon and onion mixture, and the gnocchi, then return to the non-stick pan.
4. Set the pan over a very low heat. If the frying pan has a lid, great. If not, a baking tray will do to cook the frittata, covered for 12 minutes. The edges should be set, but the middle still slightly soft.
5. Place the pan in the oven, under the grill for a further 8 minutes until the frittata is set, and the exposed broccoli and gnocchi pieces on top have started to char.
6. Remove the frittata from the oven – making sure to use oven gloves as the handle will be hot – and slide it from the pan onto a cutting board. Allow to stand for 5 minutes to make it easier to cut before serving.

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Notes

If you can’t get beetroot gnocchi, you can always sub out any type of pre-made gnocchi that is soft on the outside, and has not been tossed in semolina as a preservative measure.

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