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Delicious by its own and AMAZING with a slice of Danish rye bread, this Frittata Cavolo is super easy to cook and loaded with healthy stuff. I love this recipe because it tastes almost too good to be true, but also because it actually was “the perfect food” for me during my healing journey.
Find out all the secrets to cooking this amazing Italian dish, plus a very short story about my healing journey. Let’s get started!
You will love this amazing frittata cavolo
Before moving on to my little frittata-story, I want to share with you more reasons why you should try this recipe. This frittata is:
Delicious & Nutritious
A recipe to die for
Smells amazing
It’s sweet, spicy and salty
& Tastes like the best pizza you’ve ever had
Topped with the most delicious cheese crust
Loaded with healthy fats
Packed with vegetables
Perfect as breakfast, lunch or dinner
& One of most satisfying recipe I’ve ever tasted
This frittata was my recipe for natural healing
This simple Frittata Cavolo recipe changed my life in a way that I could never have imagined …. You see, when I started my healing journey back in 2015-2016, I was eating this amazing dish every single morning (and sometimes in the evening too). It was one of the few things that I could eat without making me sick.
During my healing process, I became so fund of this recipe and I came-up with a few variations that allowed me to eat my frittata every single day. I used to love this recipe (and still do) and so does my wife. In fact, even today this frittata is a favorite in our little family, and a recipe that brings back powerful memories.
Looking back, I can recognize that my healing journey was about changing my mind in a way that allowed my body to transform, and later to completely heal.
Cooking healthy recipes packed with real food ingredients, low in carbs and packed with gut friendly fiber was definitely the first step in my healing journey (and maybe the most important step of all). It gave me the motivation and the strength to move forward, and it taught me that food absolutely matters.
During that period of deep healing, of mind and body transformation, this simple recipe was a constant that I could revert back to, over and over again. It worked amazing for me and I hope that you will love it too.
Frittata Cavolo “not so secret” ingredients
This frittata cavolo is somehow a unique recipe, in the sense that it’s made-up of 3 different layers.
We start with the base layer which is made of chopped cabbage, followed by the middle layer (made of eggs and vegetables), and we complete the recipe with a delicious cheese layer (and a few other extras).
These are the ingredients that you’ll be using to make this delicious-amazing-nutritious frittata cavolo:
Base Layer
- White Cabbage or Pointed Cabbage
Middle Layer
- Eggs (use organic eggs from chickens grown in a responsible way)
- Bell Pepper
- Leeks
- White or Brown Mushrooms (Portobello are also amazing)
- Black Pepper (optional)
- Chili or Jalapeño (optional)
- Herbs: dill, parsley or basil (fresh or dried, use at least one)
- Salt
Top Layer
- Parmesan or Cheddar Cheese
- Olives
- Leeks (a few slices)
- Tomato (optional)
Here’s how to prepare this Frittata
- Start by adding chopped cabbage into an oven ready dish. Use as much cabbage as needed to cover at least half the height of the dish (see images above).
- Next, prepare beaten eggs with salt, spices and vegetables. Be creative and experiment with your favorite veggies. For this recipe I used red peppers, mushrooms and leeks.
- Note – Always include at least one of the following herbs: parsley, dill or basil. These herbs will enhance both the smell and the taste of the frittata.
- Pour beaten eggs (with veggies and spices) on top of the cabbage layer. The eggs will soak into the cabbage layer but the veggies will pretty much remain at the top.
- For the top layer use grated parmesan or cheddar cheese (as much as you feel like).
- Finish by decorating with green olives, maybe fresh basil, maybe tomato slices, … your choice of extras!
- Bake in the oven for about 40 min at 180-200 Celsius or until the cheese has developed a solid yellow-orange crust.
- Remove from the oven when done. Serve fresh or store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Enjoy without guilt!
Cooking Tips
Type of dish to use. You should use a heat resistant medium size tray, either heat resistant glass (Pyrex) or ceramic. In terms of size, your dish should accommodate the number of eggs used in the recipe. I discovered that it’s better to use a smaller dish than to use a bigger one, this way your frittata will turn out even more “juicy”.
How much cabbage? Cabbage acts as the first layer of your frittata and will keep the eggs from sticking to the bottom. You should use as much as it’s needed to cover the bottom of your dish and at least half the height.
How about cheese? You can use either grated parmesan cheese or cheddar cheese, or even both. I like using either Parmigiano Reggiano (which has a stronger taste) or Grana Padano (which is more neutral). As for cheddar cheese, I always choose true aged English cheddar. For best results try using freshly grated cheese as this improves the flavor a lot.
Leeks is important! Leeks is one of the most important ingredients because it balances the eggs and cheese, and in the same time adds a special aroma to the entire recipe.
Cooking notes. Since we are cooking this frittata in the oven, the eggs will expand during the cooking process. Depending on the size of your dish, sometimes you’ll see a bit of hot cheese dripping out of the tray and into the oven. If that happens, take a minute to clean the oven and continue to cook using a slightly lower cooking temperature.
How to serve this Frittata Cavolo
This recipe can be served as is but, speaking for myself, I like it better with a slice of Danish rye bread (Dansk Rugbrød) or another sourdough type of bread.
I love the sour taste of a true sourdough bread which is always low in gluten and naturally fermented. Its taste will perfectly compliment this sweet, salty and spicy frittata like few things can.
Besides a slice of freshly made bread, this recipe can be enhanced with things like:
- Fresh tomatoes and cucumber salad
- Pickled cucumbers
- Your favorite sauce (keep it healthy)
- Sour cream on top
- Jalapeño or Chili pepper
- Try 1-2 slices of true sourdough bread
I’m so happy to share this recipe with you and I truly hope that it will give you the same positive energy that it gave me. Plus it makes a great all-day delicious meal that I’m pretty sure you’ll love.
If you make this recipe, let me know so I can follow-up with you. I’m curious to see how it turned out for you, if you liked it or what could be improved.
Share a photo on Social Media and tag it @refreshmyhealth and I will follow you back. I’d also appreciate if you can come back and leave me a short review.
Sharing is caring, you know! Spread the love by sharing this post to someone you know will appreciate it.
🇮🇹 FRITTATA CAVOLO 🇮🇹
Equipment
- Bowl
- Heat Resistant Tray
Ingredients
Base Layer
- 200-250 g white cabbage or pointed cabbage (chopped)
Middle Layer
- 6 medium eggs
- 1/3 medium bell pepper (cubed)
- 5 cm leeks (chopped)
- 3-4 white or brown mushrooms (cut big)
- black pepper (ground, as needed)
- jalapeño (optional, as needed)
- herbs: dill, parsley or basil (fresh or dried, use at least one)
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
Top Layer
- 80-100 g parmesan or cheddar cheese (grated, as much as needed)
- 3-4 slices leeks
- 4-5 olives (cut in half)
- 1 tomato (optional, slices)
Instructions
Step1 - Base Layer
- Start by adding chopped cabbage into an oven ready dish. Use as much cabbage as is needed to cover at least half the height of the dish (see images from article).
Step 2 - Middle Layer
- Add sliced red pepper, mushrooms and leeks to a bowl. Also include salt and at least one of the following herbs: parsley, dill or basil.
- Crack eggs into the same bowl and beat them using a fork.
- Note - Alternatively, you could beat the eggs in a separate bowl and combine them with the veggies and spices afterwards.
- Last step, pour beaten eggs (with veggies, salt and spices) over the first layer (the cabbage layer). The eggs will soak into the cabbage but the veggies will pretty much stay at the top.
Step 3 - Top Layer
- For the top layer use grated parmesan or cheddar cheese (as much as you need to cover everything). I used the kind named Parmigiano Reggiano but other times I may use aged English Cheddar.
- Finish by decorating with green olives, fresh dill, or maybe a few tomato slices. It’s up to you to choose what kind of extras you’ll be using here.
How to Cook this Frittata
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 min at 180-200 Celsius, or until the cheese layer at the top will develop into a solid yellow-orange crust.
- Inspect it from time to time, making sure not to burn the frittata too much on the sides or on top. You’ll know it’s ready when your kitchen will start smelling like an Italian pizza house (you’ll see what I’m talking about!).
- DONE! Enjoy this delicious frittata fresh and hot, or store in the fridge for next day.
This is the frittata that I’ve been looking for! No really, it’s the only frittata that my husband seems to like.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, Marcel!
Thank you Catherine!
your message is highly appreciated 🙂
Best,
Marcel @ Refresh My Health
WOW! It was soo good. Hot, fresh, spicy, cheesy, HEALTHY!
Thank you Marcel for sharing this recipe with us. This one’s a keeper!
Best,
Ciselle
Hi Giselle,
Love your comment and I hope you’ll try other recipes as well.
Best,
Marcel
AMAZING! This frittata was so Primal and Keto. Perfect as breakfast or lunch!
Cheers,
James!
Mine did not rise as you said the eggs would. Noticed there was a bit of water. But still tasted great. Would like to try this again. Hopefully with better results. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Jenny,
I’m not sure what could have gone wrong.
Maybe you needed to cook it a little bit longer due to using maybe too many eggs or eggs that were bigger.
Or you could make a smaller version of this in a smaller dish, this way the eggs will be cooked evenly (use something like a round dish or a square dish from IKEA).
Hope this helps!
Marcel
I’m going to try this soon. I have one question: what’s the difference between Himalayan salt and regular salt? I have regular salt on hand, but will buy the Himalayan, if necessary.
Hi Laura,
Himalayan salt has more minerals compared to refined white salt, and usually comes without additives or stabilizers.
I like to cook with salt that is unrefined and that comes without additives, but you can definitely use any type of salt you have in house.
Himalayan salt also has a bit of a different flavor to it, but otherwise it’s just salt 🙂
If you can, use salt without additives and as unprocessed as possible. As I’ve said, Himalayan salt is one of the most unrefined salts available.
Regards,
Marcel
I ended up buying pink Himalayan salt; I’m so glad I did. I love this recipe…so yummy!
Hi Laura and Happy New Year!
WOW! I am thrilled that you enjoy this recipe … thanks for your comment!
Cheers,
Marcel
Delicious recipe that my family enjoyed very much. My frittata ended-up being a bit salty (maybe I used too much parmesan cheese together with salt) but overall it was amazing. The top crust was delish and the kitchen smelled like an Italian pizza place 🙂 WOW!
I really like the texture and taste of this Cabbage Frittata.
It’s becoming one of my favorite breakfast recipes which is really spectacular, considering that I supposably don’t like cabbage!