Otherwise Open-faced Oven Omelet

I made a frittata with pasta before and had forgotten how much I really enjoyed the texture of the linguine in the Italian omelet. The last pasta frittata was far from "light" so I was interested to see how Cooking Light's pasta frittata compared. I was floored! It was amazingly delicious. The woodsy flavor of the cremini mushrooms worked magically with the subtle egg and the bold basil. I was worried about the absence of cheese in the actual frittata and concerned that the light sprinkling on top would seem sparse, but it was fantastic. The mozzarella melted beautifully in the oven and even with the small amount required, it created the perfect balance with the other flavors and textures in the frittata.

Frittata with Mushrooms, Linguine and Basil
Adapted from Cooking Light June 2004

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 wedges)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (I used grey salt for the first time ever and I don't know if it is possible for the type of salt to enhance the flavor so greatly, but if the grey salt had anything to do with the outcome of this dish I would highly suggest using it.)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of reduced fat ricotta cheese
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups hot cooked linguine (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and leek; cook 6 minutes or until leek is tender, stirring frequently.

Combine milk and next 6 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Add leek mixture, pasta, and basil; toss gently to combine.

Heat pan over medium-low heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add egg mixture; cook until edges begin to set (about 4 minutes). Gently lift edge of egg mixture, tilting pan to allow some uncooked egg mixture to come in contact with pan. Cook 5 minutes or until almost set.

Sprinkle evenly with cheese; wrap handle of pan with foil.

Bake 9 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into 8 wedges.