Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s delicious! The caramelised onions bring so much flavour to the dish, and the ricotta adds definite ‘wow’ factor.
• Frittata isn’t difficult to make, but it’s fancy enough to serve to guests for brunch or a light lunch.
• You can easily adapt this recipe to suit your own preferences – see some ideas below!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like oil, salt and pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• eggs
• ricotta cheese
• onions – I used regular brown onions, but shallots, red onions, or even leeks would also be delicious.
• parmesan cheese – make sure you choose a vegetarian one, as ‘real’ parmesan is made with rennet.
• rocket (arugula) – or any similar leafy green, e.g. baby spinach or watercress.
• milk
• dried thyme
• minced garlic – I used the kind from a jar, as it saves a lot of time, and it comes perfectly minced.

Ingredient Swaps

Feel free to make this recipe your own – it’s really easy to customise.

Here are a few ways you could adapt this recipe:

• Swap the ricotta cheese for dollops of soft goat’s cheese, crumbled feta, torn pieces of brie, or any other favourite soft cheese.
• You can easily add extra veggies to the onion mixture – or swap out the onions entirely! I think Mediterranean-style veg work best for this recipe – peppers, courgette (zucchini), asparagus, etc.
• Leeks are also a great replacement for the onions in this recipe, and they can be cooked more quickly too!
• If you don’t have any rocket (arugula), any similar sort of leafy green will work – like baby spinach, pea shoots, or watercress.

Equipment

If you’d like this onion frittata to be a one pan meal, you’ll need an oven-safe frying pan. My favourite pan, which you’ll see in tons of my recipe photos, is a non-stick Circulon frying pan. I’ve owned several of these pans over the years, because every time I need a new one (which doesn’t happen often – they last for years), I don’t hesitate to get a new one the same. I use this frying pan daily, and put it in the dishwasher each time, and it’s still as good as new 2 years later.

You can find Circulon pans on Amazon UK* and Amazon US* (affiliate links).

How to Make Ricotta Frittata

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Becca’s Top Tip

It can be so easy to accidentally grab the handle of the frying pan after it’s been in the oven, burning your hand. A good tip is to always leave your oven glove resting on the handle of the pan when you put it down, so you’ll never forget to wear it!

Recipe FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A risotto baked in the oven is so much less effort than a regular stovetop risotto! Just 10-15 minutes of prep, then you can leave it to cook itself while you do something else (laundry, tidying, TV…).
• With garlicky onions, juicy roasted tomatoes, and crisp pieces of asparagus, this asparagus risotto is such a tasty way to get your veg in! Top it with some basil pesto and a few shavings of parmesan, and it’s the perfect dinner.
• Risotto is perfect for cooking in bulk, so make a huge batch and keep the leftovers for the next day (see the FAQs below for details on reheating rice).

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like oil, salt and pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• arborio rice – or any other short-grain risotto rice, e.g. carnaroli
• asparagus (because you can’t have an asparagus risotto without a bit of asparagus…)
• onion
• cherry tomatoes
• vegetarian parmesan cheese
• basil pesto – I think it’s worth splashing out on a good-quality fresh pesto, but you can use the regular jarred kind if you prefer!
• garlic
• veggie stock

Equipment

Ideally, a baked risotto needs a large pot that’s safe to use on both the stovetop and in the oven – and if it’s got a lid, that’s even better. I used my beloved Le Creuset cast iron casserole dish, which is perfect for any recipe that starts on the hob and then goes into the oven (like a mushroom bourguignon or a vegetable casserole!).

Admittedly, the Le Creuset ones are eye-wateringly expensive (mine was a gift many years ago and it’s still going strong!), but you can get similar pots from other brands for a much nicer price on Amazon, which still have great reviews.

Le Creuset: Amazon UK / Amazon US
Cheaper version (with great reviews): Amazon UK / Amazon US
(affiliate links)

Alternatively, if you don’t have a suitable pot (and you don’t want to buy a new one), you may have to use two separate pans for this recipe – a large pan or wok on the stovetop, and then a baking dish for the oven. Just transfer the rice mixture into the oven-safe dish when it’s time to bake. Be super careful, as the mixture will be hot!

How to Make Baked Risotto

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Sauté some onions and garlic in oil, then add the risotto rice, allowing it to become lightly toasted and coated in the oil.

Step 2: Add plenty of vegetable stock, and a good dollop of basil pesto.

Step 3: Bake for 20 minutes, until part-cooked. Mix well.

Step 4: Add the asparagus, tomatoes and parmesan cheese.

Step 5: Bake again until the rice is fully cooked.

Step 6: Serve topped with a little more pesto and parmesan.

Becca’s Top Tip

My pesto contained a few whole pine nuts, which was a nice addition to the risotto. If your pesto doesn’t contain these, you can always sprinkle a few pine nuts on top when serving, if you like.

Recipe FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The flavours are unreal – the white wine really lifts the creamy sauce to the next level, with no extra effort required.
• It’s super easy to make, but ends up seeming quite fancy (the best kind of meal) – perfect for serving to guests!
• The white wine sauce could be used in any number of other ways, if you don’t want pasta – you could even just make super posh mushrooms on toast!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like butter and black pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• pasta. Any shape works, long or short – I love farfalle, tagliatelle, mafalde, or spirali.
• mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms, but just choose your favourites)
• dry white wine
• onion
• garlic
• cream (single or double work fine)
• vegetable stock
• fresh parsley

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Sauté the mushrooms and onion in butter.

Step 2: Add the white wine and simmer for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol.

Step 3: Add the cream, and bring together until you have a luscious, creamy white wine sauce.

Step 4: Serve with pasta and plenty of fresh parsley.

Becca’s Top Tip

If you don’t fancy pasta, you can use the white wine mushroom sauce in other ways too – try it on baked tofu, for example!

Recipe FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Using gnocchi and tasty pizza toppings makes a really lovely change from a regular pizza or a pasta dish.
• You can customise the dish using your favourite pizza toppings – try some different combinations!
• This gnocchi recipe reheats nicely, so make enough for leftovers.
• Ooey gooey mozzarella cheese… need I say more?

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like oil and black pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• gnocchi. I use either fresh gnocchi, or the vacuum-packed stuff – either one is fine. You could even use homemade gnocchi or ricotta gnocchi!
• pizza sauce – whichever one’s your favourite!
• onion – this time I used frozen diced onion, but use fresh onion if you prefer.
• garlic
• mozzarella cheese – I find the ready-grated stuff melts the best, rather than fresh mozzarella.
• fresh chives
• your favourite pizza toppings – I used mushrooms, black olives, yellow pepper, and cherry tomatoes.

Becca’s Top Tip

You don’t have to use the pizza toppings I chose – just use whatever you like to have on pizza! My other favourite toppings include diced red onion, sweetcorn, peppers, and pineapple.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Sauté some gnocchi with some diced onion. This helps the gnocchi to become light and fluffy – you can find out more in my post ‘How to fry gnocchi (and why you should want to!)‘

Step 2: Add your favourite tomato pizza sauce. I used shop-bought sauce, but a homemade tomato sauce would also be great.

Step 3: Transfer the tomatoey gnocchi to a baking dish, and add mozzarella cheese and your favourite pizza toppings. I used yellow peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and black olives.

Step 4: Bake until the cheese is nice and gooey.

Becca’s Top Tip

If you’re in a big rush, you can skip the sautéing, and just add the gnocchi straight to the baking dish with the sauce. However, if you have time, I would definitely recommend taking the extra few minutes to fry it off a little first, as it really does lighten up the gnocchi.

Recipe FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Cheesy pasta is the best form of comfort food, but this version has a bit of extra nutrition thrown in for good measure.
• Garlic mushroom mac and cheese is a real people-pleaser – perfect to cook for friends and family.
• It’s easy to make in bulk, so you can double the recipe if you need to feed a crowd.
• Or, freeze any leftovers, and have it ready to microwave when you need a quick pick-me-up after a long day.
• Did I mention it tastes bloomin’ incredible?

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need some black pepper from your kitchen cupboard. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• pasta – macaroni is the obvious choice for mac and cheese, but any similar small pasta shape will work.
• mushrooms – I used chestnut mushrooms, but white mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, button mushrooms, etc. will all work fine. You could even use a mixture of mushroom types, for a bit of variety.
• onion
• garlic
• chives
• cheddar cheese – it’s best to grate your own, rather than using pre-grated, if possible
• milk
• flour
• butter

Becca’s Top Tip

I took the lazy route and used minced garlic from a jar, rather than mincing my own. For a recipe like this, where you want to use plenty of garlic, it’s a really easy way to avoid having to stand there peeling and chopping for ten minutes!

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Start by gently cooking the onions, garlic and mushrooms in butter. Your house will already be smelling incredible by this point!

Step 2: Push the mushrooms to the edge of the pan, and create the white sauce in the centre. If you prefer, you might find it easier to use a separate pan (I just like to save on washing up where I can!). And if you’re a white sauce novice, make sure you check out my detailed instructions about how to make a simple white sauce.

Step 3: Add some chopped chives and plenty of grated cheese, and combine to make a rich, cheesy sauce.

Step 4: Add cooked pasta.

Step 5: Transfer the mixture to a baking dish, and top with more grated cheese. Bake until crispy.

Step 6: Serve it hot with some extra veggies, if you like.

Becca’s Top Tip

The garlic mushroom mac and cheese is super rich and creamy, so I find a nice green salad on the side works perfectly to cut through the richness.

Recipe FAQs