My mom is the queen of April Fool’s. And that doesn’t just mean making sausage frittatas that taste like pizza.
Sometimes I think we might as well skip the Mother’s Day festivities, since she already gets so much joy at our expense the month prior. I’ve inheriting this sadistic love of pranks to some extent, along with my father’s perverse love of watching people trip. He sent me this video a few weeks ago and I could just picture him sitting at his computer giggling like a 5th grader. But my mom takes sick pleasure at someone else’s expense to a whole other level on April Fool’s Day.
One year she told me that the closet in my childhood bedroom had flooded and all my clothes were covered in mold, so would probably be ruined. Enough time elapsed before I realized it was April 1st for me to have a full meltdown. My mother has learned to wait long enough for tears to materialize before putting us out of our misery.Another year, my dad spent the entire day thinking that the workman on Martha’s Vineyard had accidentally bulldozed through our house. When she finally let him down, he was so furious he didn’t speak to her for several days.
I got the in-person treatment another year. And had my intercom not had video capabilities, my mother might have gotten away with something equally perverse. But I guess I’ll never know what tricks she had up her sleeve. What this did mean though was that I got to have an impromptu lunch date with my mom.
Luckily, I had been re-testing this Italian sausage frittata recipe, because mom just so happens to be the frittata queen She said that her slice tasted just like a pizza, which was exactly what I was going for (April Fools?).
Her presence also meant that there was still time to get Charlie, who thanks to our collective foolsing prowess, for a brief hour thought that he was going to be the new face of Just Salad’s promotional campaign for VIP blue bowl members. In case you were wondering, my mom laughed for three straight hours afterwards.
I’m still trying to think up what to get my mother this year. I have a few ideas, but I’m not dumb enough to link to them in this post. So for now, you’ll just have to settle for this Italian sausage frittata recipe with peppers and onions. It might not fool anyone into thinking it’s a pizza, but it’s so delicious that during the other 364 days of the year, it won’t matter.
Make sure to read on for the sausage frittata recipe, and for the new how-to video I made!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Italian Sausage Frittata Recipe with Peppers and Onions
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler.
- In a large (15-inch) oven-proof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cook the sausage over high heat, breaking it apart with your spatula into 1-inch pieces (or smaller), until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil to the skillet. Saute the onion and peppers over medium heat, scrapping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until very soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with 1/2 teaspoon salt until the yolk and whites are very well combined.
- Add the sausage back to the pan and stir to combine. Season the mixture with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and arrange the veggies in an even layer. Reduce the heat to low and pour the eggs over the sausage and vegetables, making sure the pan is evenly coated with eggs. Cook until the sides are set and there’s just a shallow layer of uncooked eggs on the top, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the oregano over the top, if using, and transfer the pan to the broiler. Cook for 2 minutes, until the top is cooked and beginning to lightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow the frittata to sit in the pan for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Cut into wedges and serve warm alongside a simple salad as breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Nutrition
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!Need help finding lifestyle changes that last? Let’s work together to find your path forward. My 4 Weeks to Wellness Course might just change your life.
I envy your mom this frittata but I’m really glad she’s not my mom.
That’s so cool that your mom has such a great sense of humor!! This frittata just looks perfect – those sausage and peppers bring me right back to my childhood.
I think so too! glad you like the frittata 🙂 Thanks Todd!
Absolutely hilarious. It kind of looks like pizza too – I like that. All the fun without the guilt… Xx
Thanks Skye! It totally looks like pizza. I’m going to have to invent a GF breakfast pizza with just egg.
If I only have a 10″ oven proof skillet, would you recommend making 3/4s of the recipe?
Hi Suzy! Thanks so much for making! You should be fine – it will just be a thicker frittata, so you might need to cook it longer and/or finish under the broiler for longer so that you get the top half set. As you can see from my 15-inch skillet, there’s still a lot of depth left, so you should be ok with the 10 inch. Just be careful pouring in the eggs! keep me posted! xo
Thanks Phoebe. I enjoy your blog very much and wish you the best on your book!
Thank you SO much suzy! Really appreciate your support!
I don’t normally comment on blogs but as I’m currently making this I couldn’t resist. It looks incredible and can’t wait to sit down and eat it!
I’ll definitely be checking out more of your recipes.
Thanks!
yay! hope it tasted good too! thanks for taking the time to leave a message – hope you will stop by again soon! xo
Well, I must add that it tasted delicious and it also lasted me a couple of days for lunch – will definitely be making this again…10/10!
hooray! thanks Nathan!
It’s a winner. My family background doesn’t have fritatta in it, but what the hey! It’s Sunday, there’s some Johnsonville sausage meat in the freezer, some crushed chili pepper in the spice rack (some oregano too), and time enough for the two of us to do it justice.
Nice going!!!
awesome! glad you enjoyed!
In the directions: #5 line 2: Add the sausage back to the pan, season with ½ teaspoon salt, and arrange the in an even layer.
What is arranged in an even layer?
Hi Paul! It just means try to make sure all the food is sitting flat in the pan, i.e. there isn’t a pile of sausage in the middle. Instead, it’s arranged neatly. If you picture the end product (a flat, even frittata), you’ll know how the add-ins need to look before adding the eggs. Hope this helps!
I made this for breakfast today and it was awesome!
So easy and quick to make and it’s delicious. Reheats very nicely!
My 11-year-old daughter and I made this together as part of our new weekly cooking club, and it was easy, delicious, and beautiful. Five of the family who tried it loved it. We didn’t notice your post had a mother/daughter theme until now! And we also love April’s Fools Day. So it all feels perfect.
awe thank you for this thoughtful note! I love that your daughter is getting into the kitchen!
This recipe is fantastic. Thank you for sharing.
Jason
glad you enjoyed!
Have you or anyone experimented with adding cheese? Making this later this week….
Just made this and I’m normally not a huge cook in the kitchen. SO easy and absolutely delicious!
I couldn’t quite tell from the recipe after cooking the sausage and peppers whether you combine them when returning them to the skillet (before adding eggs) or whether you spread the sausage first and then spread the peppers on top of the sausage. Thanks for clarifying.
Instant family favorite!!!
Hey there! I was super excited to make this Italian sausage frittata, unfortunately the instructions were unclear and my husband had to be rushed to the ER. I also substituted the Italian sausage for some French sausage ( hubby’s nationality, definitely slimmer)! Either way, I thought the red pepper was a great addition to the plate! Overall 7.5/10
Love this and always use it in my whole 30 January rotations!
It’s a good one!
It does take awhile for the eggs to set. But that’s ok with me! Also, sometimes I season my own ground pork and use that!
I made this for breakfast this morning for my husband and 2 close friends. We all loved it! I will definitely make it again. Simple and healthy. I’d love to post a picture.
I would like to make this but do not have a cast iron skillet. Is there something else you could recommend that I could use? Thank you!
Hello! How would you recommend making this ahead for a brunch? Can I let the mixture sit in the skillet in the fridge overnight and then cook in the morning?