This High Protein Turkey Frittata is perhaps the most packed frittata of your life? We’re not looking at a light and custardy quiche-like filling. We’re looking at a dense, hearty & healthy frittata with tons of vegetables and protein. It is the number one most frequent meal recommendation I give my clients (and the one with the most rave reviews), because this healthy turkey frittata will keep you energized all morning long!
Recipe Price: $11.20 | Per Serving: $2.80 | Makes: 4 servings
The sad days of instant oatmeal packets and orange juice breakfasts are long gone, my friends. The world has finally (surprisingly) woken up to the benefits of protein at breakfast. Of course we would love for every meal to be “perfectly balanced”, “packed with fiber” and as “colorful as the rainbow” But if I had to choose ONE meal to say f*** it all and focus on protein - it is breakfast.
You can do this with a protein shake, of course, or you can eat your weight in egg whites, which is also fine. But if you want a make ahead option that you’re not going to hate eating, that also happens to be chock full of vegetables and flavor…frittata town is the move.
Now, because I’m not really a glutton for punishment at breakfast, this baby also tastes good. We’re using lots of dried herbs to flavor some ground turkey, and bringing it all together with some tangy-salty feta, though any cheese (including vegan), will do!
Enter: A filling, protein-rich breakfast!
Zac took over making most of our breakfasts around 2017 when I was in grad school and he was working from home. Honestly, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I was a breakfast under-eater for most of my life, subsisting on toast and fruit or yogurt and granola until my hunger kicked in again at 10:00 am and I was scrounging for snacks at the office.
But this guy loves breakfast, and slowly transitioned us to something heartier and it is amazing. For the past 3-4 years or so we have had some variation of this healthy egg bake nearly every week.
If you love to change up your eggs for breakfast, this Chickpea Shakshuka and this Quinoa Breakfast Bowl are both something a bit different to keep your tastebuds excited!
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Healthy Egg Bake Recipe
- Hearty and Filling. If you're tired of eating breakfast only to turn around a couple hours later, starving, you're going to LOVE this combination of ground turkey and eggs in this high protein frittata!
- Great for Meal Prep. Not only is this egg casserole easy to make, it's also great to make ahead. It reheats easily and also transports well if you need to take it with you.
- Lots of Flexibility. There's plenty of room to change up this ground turkey breakfast dish. Use veggies you have on hand, swap out the cheese, or try it with a different type of meat.
Ingredients
Here's a look at the ingredients in this egg, cheese, and turkey frittata. There's lots of room for variation here!
- Some kind of mushrooms: Yes, my previous mushroom-averse partner now buys mushrooms each week for this frittata without a word of prompting on my part. I like shiitakes the most, but button and crimini are usually cheaper. You can also use any fancy wild mushrooms if you’d like.
- Something Red: Usually he goes for bell peppers, I sometimes like tomatoes instead.
- Dark & Green: Usually this is spinach or kale, or sometimes, leeks.
- Bulk vegetable: Zac’s go-to is zucchini here. Sometimes I need a break from zucchini and we go for frozen broccoli or peas and leeks.
- Protein: I prefer ground turkey, but Zac also likes ground pork or a pork and beef mixture.
- Dried herbs: These are essential! We want to season the meat with lots of flavor - and don’t forget - herbs & spices are mini phytonutrient powerhouses!
- Cheese: We use whatever we’ve got on hand, but feta is the go-to option because it’s fast and flavorful. We do skip the cheese when we don’t have any on hand, but it is definitely best with cheese!
- Eggs: Of course! You can't have an egg bake, aka frittata, without eggs!
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Low-FODMAP: As written, this turkey frittata is actually low-FODMAP! We do love to add half a red onion or a shallot when we’ve got it, but Zac doesn’t like cutting them, so most of the time this is onion-free. Feel free to add onions in - you would add these to the empty skillet just before the bell peppers and cook for a few minutes.
- Dairy-Free and Paleo: Simply omit the cheese and this is dairy-free! This recipe doesn’t use any other milk or dairy!
- Vegetarian: If you wanted a vegetarian version, it would be quite a different recipe, but when we don’t have any meat, we like to use a bit of cottage cheese to add a bit of protein.
How to Make a High Protein Turkey Frittata
Grab your ingredients, a 9x9-inch (or 10x10) glass casserole baking dish, and preheat your oven before starting your prep of this healthy frittata recipe.
Step 1: Whisk together the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: Cook the ground turkey with a bit of oil in a hot skillet with the spices. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the meat into pieces as it cooks. Remove it from the skillet.
Step 3: Thinly slice the mushrooms, dice the bell pepper and zucchini into medium diced pieces, wash the spinach and roughly chop it.
Step 4: Add just a little more oil to the skillet and cook the sliced mushrooms for several minutes until they’ve developed a little color. Add a pinch of salt once they're browned and then remove from the skillet.
Step 5: Cook the chopped bell peppers with a little salt in the same skillet with a bit more oil. Add the zucchini and cook for about 2-3 minutes just to let some of the water cook off. Last, add the spinach and cook just until wilted.
Step 6: Mix together the egg with the turkey, mushrooms, other vegetables, and cheese.
Step 7: Stir to combine all the ingredients in the baking dish. Add a little more feta cheese to the top if you’d like.
Step 8: Bake the turkey frittata at 375ºF for 30 minutes, or until the center is no longer jiggly but before it gets too brown on top. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing into four servings.
Serving Suggestions
We love this turkey frittata with leftover roasted potatoes or buckwheat toast with avocado and a side of fruit for a full breakfast. You can also double the recipe to feed a crowd.
You can make a thinner version to enjoy as a frittata breakfast sandwich or bake this in a muffin tray for Egg Muffins!
Expert Tips
- Experiment! You can mix and match in so many ways to make a tasty frittata that's a little bit different every time you make it!
- Store and Reheat: Cut it into pieces and store in an airtight glass container for 4-6 days. It's easy to reheat individual pieces of the frittata on a plate in the microwave for 2 minutes. You can also reheat this in a 300ºF oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes but I find it often darkens the outside before the inside is warm.
- Assembly: You can mix the frittata right in the baking dish so you don't have to clean another bowl! Then, as each item cooks in the skillet, it goes straight into the egg mixture. I never miss an opportunity to save from washing more stuff.
Recipe FAQs
Sure! You can use ramekins or a muffin pan instead but they will likely cook faster, so you will need to check them earlier to prevent overcooking. If making it this way you will need to mix in a separate bowl and then ladle or spoon the mixture into the vessel(s) you are using.
Yes, you can! Use the "2X" button in the recipe card to calculate the ingredients for a double recipe. Use a 9 x 13 baking dish or bake it in two square dishes. It may be slightly thicker in a 9 x 13 dish so you may need to cook it a bit longer.
You want to look for the very center to be set - it shouldn't be soft or jiggly. You'll also likely see some browning around the edges.
Absolutely! I have other frittata recipes using a cast iron skillet - this is great because you can move the skillet directly to the oven and the top doesn't brown as much. However, this recipe is too big for my cast iron skillets, but if you have a larger one - go for it!
More Egg Breakfast Recipes
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Healthy Turkey Frittata (High Protein)
Equipment
- Square Baking Dish My glass baking dish is a 9 ¾ x 9 ¾ (about 25cmx25cm).
Ingredients
- 10 eggs large
- 2 teaspoons olive oil divided, more as needed
- 8 ounces ground turkey or beef, pork, or a mixture
- 2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried sage or ¼ teaspoon ground
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper more to taste
- 5 ounces crimini mushrooms
- 1 red bell pepper or tomatoes
- 1 medium zucchini or frozen broccoli
- 3.5 ounces spinach or other greens
- 2.5 ounces feta cheese or other type of cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a 9x9-inch (or 10x10) glass casserole baking dish, whisk together the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set this aside.
- Heat a deep-sided skillet to over medium and when hot, add just a drizzle of oil. Add the ground turkey and all of the spices. Cook turkey, breaking it up into small pieces as you go, until it is fully cooked. Remove from the skillet - you can put this directly in the casserole dish with the eggs if you’d like.
- Meanwhile, wash and prepare all of your vegetables. Thinly slice the mushrooms, dice the bell pepper and zucchini to a medium dice, wash the spinach and roughly chop it.
- Once the turkey is set aside, add just a little more oil to the skillet and sauté the sliced mushrooms for several minutes until they’ve developed a little color. (I wait to add the salt until the end of cooking.) Once they’ve got some browning, add a pinch of salt, stir one more time, and then remove them from the skillet. (Again, you can move them directly to the casserole dish with the eggs and the turkey.)
- Add another drizzle of oil to the skillet and add the chopped bell peppers with a little salt. Let them cook for just 3 minutes or so, then add the zucchini. Cook for about 2-3 minutes just to let some of the water cook off. Finally, add the spinach and cook just until wilted.
- Add these remaining vegetables - cooked peppers, zucchini, and spinach - to the casserole dish, along with the crumbled feta cheese.
- Stir to combine all the ingredients. You can add a little more feta cheese to the top if you’d like.
- Bake on 375ºF for 30 minutes, or until the center is no longer jiggly but before it gets too brown on top. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing into four servings. Serve with whatever you’d like - such as fruit and your choice of starch or carbohydrates!
Loved it! I made this for my weekly breakfast meal prep this week. It was so filling and so easy to make. I didn't have access to ground turkey or feta cheese but used ground chicken and a very dry cottage cheese that worked great. I highly recommend of anyone looking for a high protein breakfast that's filling and nutritious! Thanks Caitlin for the recipe.
Thanks Lyn! So glad to hear this - and I very much appreciate the comment! Cottage cheese sounds like a great option as well. :)