Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells
Pasta shells filled with spinach and ricotta beneath a tomato sauce.
About 55 min · 540 kcal · 30 g protein per serving
Vegetarian
Courgette and Gruyère frittata
A slow-cooked frittata of courgette, Gruyère and thyme.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 20 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm the centre reaches 71°C after 8 to 10 minutes on low plus a grill finish
- Photograph the finished frittata
- Time
- About 32 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 440 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 30 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains eggs, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- Gruyère. Traditional Gruyère is made with animal rennet, so it is not vegetarian.
Cooking steps
Slice the courgette into thin rounds. Cook them in the oil in a 20 cm non-stick ovenproof pan over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are lightly golden and the pan is dry.
Beat the eggs with the thyme and two thirds of the grated Gruyère.
Pour the eggs over the courgette, turn the heat to low and cook undisturbed for 8 to 10 minutes, until set almost to the top.
Scatter over the remaining cheese and finish under a hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes.
Cooked when: 71°C / 160°F in the centre. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
Let it stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with the sliced tomatoes dressed in the lemon juice.
The useful detail
Cook the courgette until the pan is dry before the eggs go in. Courgette is mostly water, and any left behind weeps out under the set eggs and pools in the bottom of the pan.
Make it work for you
One serving is Half the frittata with half the tomatoes. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Cheddar instead of Gruyère
Sharper and oilier when melted.
Per serving: about 5 kcal less, about 2 g less protein, about the same fat.
Vegetarian hard cheese instead of Gruyère
Drier and saltier. Traditional Gruyère is made with animal rennet.
Per serving: about 5 kcal less, about 2 g more protein, about 2 g less fat.
Spinach instead of courgette
Softer. Wilt and squeeze it dry rather than frying it.
Per serving: about 10 kcal more, about 2 g more protein, about the same fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A dish where six eggs across two servings make it a main course rather than a side, with the cheese for flavour rather than bulk.
| Energy | 440 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 30 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| of which saturates | 11 g |
| Carbohydrate | 9 g |
| of which sugars | 7 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
| Sodium | 440 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| courgette | 300 g | FDC 169291Squash, summer, zucchini, includes skin, raw | 51 kcal | 3.6 g |
| olive oil | 14 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 121 kcal | 0.0 g |
| eggs | 300 g | FDC 171287Egg, whole, raw, fresh | 429 kcal | 37.7 g |
| fresh thyme leaves | 1 g | FDC 173470Thyme, freshA teaspoon of thyme leaves weighs 0.8 g, under 1 kcal on FoodData Central 173470. That record has no sugars value, so the leaves are listed here rather than counted, which keeps the recipe's sugars calculable. | · | · |
| Gruyère | 60 g | FDC 171242Cheese, gruyere | 248 kcal | 17.9 g |
| tomatoes | 150 g | FDC 170457Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average | 27 kcal | 1.3 g |
| lemon juice | 15 g | FDC 167747Lemon juice, raw | 3 kcal | 0.1 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 879 kcal | 60.6 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Ingredients marked “Not calculated” are excluded and could add at most 1 kcal to the whole recipe. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. Frittata is as good cold as hot, and better the next day at room temperature.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Mushroom and lentil cottage pie
A savoury mushroom-lentil filling with a soft potato topping.
About 1 hr · 360 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian