I hated eggs when I was a kid. We usually had them one of two ways — scrambled or scrambled with cheese. When my dad made them, he stirred them haphazardly with a fork as they cooked. The result was a mushy, runny concoction that was part yellow, part white.

Once I was old enough to cook my own, I ate them fried, but I really wasn’t fond of that either. I’m sure my cook-until-rubbery technique had a lot to do with it.

Quiche changed my entire outlook on eggs. It’s fluffy and flavorful. And, it’s not that hard to make once you get past the crust. A good crust, though, does take some effort. Even if you use a ready-made one, you have to put it into a pie dish and pre-bake it so it’s not soggy.

Enter the frittata. It has the easy-to-make, fluffy deliciousness of quiche without the hassle of a crust. I can get a frittata in the oven in about five minutes.

You can put just about anything you want in a frittata. Veggies need a quick sauté before you add the eggs. Cooked chicken, ham, bacon or sausage can be diced and tossed right on in.

I adapted this recipe from The Chew. You’ll find that I “adapt” quite often because I don’t have a beautifully stocked TV kitchen.

The most important ingredient, in my opinion, is the skillet. You need a good, unmarred, nonstick skillet with an oven-safe handle. I bought a new one recently, and I was surprised by how far nonstick cookware has come since I bought pots and pans 10 years ago. Here’s how my skillet looked after use:

Spinach and Cheese Frittata
– One nonstick 10″ skillet with oven-safe handle and a rubber scraper
– 8 – 10 Eggs
– Salt and Pepper
– 1/4 – 1/3c Shredded Cheese (use your favorite)
– Olive Oil
– 3c Spinach

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees. (The Chew says to preheat the broiler, but I tend to burn things up this way, so the oven works better for me.)
2. Crack eggs in a bowl and whisk until whites and yolks are well incorporated. A few air bubbles are ok. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese.
3. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in spinach and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, just until the spinach is wilted.
4. Pour the eggs into the skillet. Stir them gently with the rubber scraper, and cook until they are starting to set around the edges but still runny in the center. Top with extra cheese and transfer to oven. Cook until eggs are completely set, which is about 10 minutes. (If you are using the broiler, this happens much faster, in about 3-5 minutes.)

Here’s a pic of the finished product. Enjoy!