Testing the Limits of the Trusty Frittata

This chickpea "frittata," covered with charred red cabbage, is excellent on its own right

I added cheese to this one, but it really doesn’t need it.

I eat a lot of frittatas. (Here’s a recipe for one I shared a few months ago.) They’ve long been a favorite breakfast for being so savory, filling, and easy to pack up for transport. And at lunch and dinner, too, a nice wedge is often perfect, needing little more than a salad to feel complete as a meal. On top of that, they’re such a welcoming vessel for leftovers, scraps, and random foodstuffs — oh, and so versatile! Make a small one in an omelet pan. Make a big one on a sheet pan. Make them on the stovetop. Make them in the oven. Put your extra egg yolks in them. Or your extra egg whites. Or use all egg whites. I love frittatas, and I could go on.

While in my approach there aren’t too many rules, one I tend to follow is that a frittata is an egg dish. But every now and then, I wonder what an eggless, plant-based frittata would look like.

As other cooks already figured out, chickpea flour is a pretty good way to go. There seems to be some precedent in the farinata (of Italy) or socca (of France), or even to some degree in Indian besan-based savory pancakes, or similar dishes from places where chickpea flour is more of a staple ingredient. These are all typically thin pancakes made from a batter of chickpea flour, water, and salt, and either cooked in a very hot oven (with a liberal slick of olive oil, for socca/farinata) or on the stovetop in a skillet (besan chilla). Cooked, the mixture firms up to a slicable consistency of something like set polenta, but with a flaky, delectable crust.

Cooked chickpea batter does have something of an eggy quality, but as with anything in the world of food alternatives, it really comes down to your expectations. Bite in thinking of rich, custardy eggs and you’ll probably be disappointed. Bite in thinking of a delightfully salty and crispy-tender street food snack of the Italian and French Rivera and you’ll probably be pretty pleased.

I included a Socca/Farinata recipe in Snacks for Dinner, which features a handful of chicory leaves scattered across the top before going into the oven — and for this eggless take on a frittata, I started there, but added about 50% more batter to the pan to make it thicker, and more frittata-adjacent. I’ve also piled a mound of salty-sweet, charred red cabbage on top, which is substantial and so full of flavor. In one test of the recipe (the one I ended up shooting), I even scattered cubes of sharp cheddar over it just before putting the pan in the oven. This was fun, but I really don’t think the cheese adds that much.

That said, like a regular frittata, this is flexible for riffing. Change up the toppings. Scale it up or down. Serve it at lunch or dinner. Try it on a sheet pan. If you want, you could even put an egg on top.

Do you make an eggless frittata? I’d love to hear about it.

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Chickpea Frittata with Charred Red Cabbage