Pimento Cheese Frittata

By Vallery Lomas

Updated September 9, 2020

  • Sang An for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(887)
Comments
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The South likes to claim pimento cheese as its own, but its origins can actually be traced back to New York, the home of cream cheese, which makes up the spread’s foundation. Cheddar and mayonnaise were later additions. This frittata is a hodgepodge of creamy and spicy, celebrating the flavors and textures of pimento cheese. The fresh herbs add vibrance, and the sharp Cheddar can stand up to the spiciness of the various peppers. The chunks of cream cheese add velvety bits to each bite.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into 16 pieces

  • 6 large eggs

  • ¼ cup heavy cream

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes

  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced

  • ½ medium bell pepper (preferably red), trimmed, seeded and diced

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 jalapeño, diced

  • 1 (4-ounce) jar pimiento peppers, diced

  • 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

6 grams carbs; 317 milligrams cholesterol; 285 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 23 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 414 milligrams sodium; 13 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the cream cheese pieces in the freezer.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, red-pepper flakes and black pepper until combined.

  3. Step 3

    Add the olive oil, onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeño to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and sauté over medium heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the pimiento peppers, reserving their liquid. Turn off the heat. Add the reserved pimiento liquid (about ⅓ cup) to the eggs and whisk to combine.

  4. Step 4

    Spread the cooked vegetables in an even layer in the skillet. Sprinkle the Cheddar, chives and chilled cream cheese over the vegetables. Pour the egg mixture on top.

  5. Step 5

    Bake until the eggs are set, 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly before serving warm or at room temperature.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
887 user ratings
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Comments

Susanna

I make a frittata almost every week and I’m buying the ingredients for this combination of flavors. Out of experience, I plan to do a few things differently (gasp!). First, I will use 10 eggs rather than six for my 10 inch pan. I find that a nice fluffy frittata requires one egg for each diameter inch of the pan. Second, I will also use half-n-half rather than heavy cream-gives a better texture. Third, I will mix the cheddar and chives into the eggs before pouring over peppers and cream cheese.

Kat

This is very close to my southern mom’s best breakfast casserole recipe (from her mother’s church cookbook). We always whip the egg whites in a blender for extra fluff to counteract the heavy ingredients. New Yorkers always want to take credit for everything. Tomatoes didn’t originate in Europe - does that mean tomato recipes aren’t Italian? Pimiento cheese is a southern staple, period.

Jackie

As a note about pimento cheese: most of the recipes I have from here in the South do not include cream cheese for making pimento cheese. Homemade mayonnaise gives it the richness and there are endless additions we use.

Anne

This was delicious and we prepared it exactly as written. The only and important note is that we baked it in the over 400 for closer to 17-18 minutes. This was also true for the Quiche Lorraine recipe written by Pierre Franey and also published in the NYT. The baking times are much longer than the NYT directions indicate.

Laurie

I made this and it could use more than 6 eggs to fill the 10" frypan but other than that it was good.

Anita

Has anyone used actual pre-made Pimento Cheese instead of cream cheese and shredded cheddar? Wondering how that would work?

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