If you know a gardener or are one yourself, you may have encountered the dilemma of having plenty of beet tops—yes, the leaves! You might then be asking yourself, “What can I do with beet top leaves?”

Well, we have a recipe to share that combines beet tops, bacon, and eggs to create a delicious dish. This recipe is simple and adaptable, allowing it to be a perfect dish to serve a crowd or just treating yourself to a hearty, tasty egg meal.

What is a Frittata?

A frittata is an egg dish that appears to be of Italian origin. It has beaten eggs made into a custard with any number of other ingredients baked inside the egg “cake”. It is baked in an oven-safe skillet or a baking pan. A frittata is different from a French quiche where a pastry crust is used while a frittata does not. Another egg dish that seems to be similar is an omlette however this dish has the additional flavoring (ie, ham or cheese) scattered on top of the egg as it cooks. A frittata has the ingredients all mixed into the eggs.

Can You BBQ This?

Like many dishes, cooking a frittata can easily be done using a gas grill or smoker. We like using our cast iron skillet for this and it can be a one-dish breakfast.

To roast or bake your frittata, use an indirect cooking method – that is, no heat under the pan. Us e the burner on one side of your grill and place the skillet on the other side where there is no heat. Close the lid and now you are cookig indirectly and even “roasting”.

Using your smoker is an excellent option for a frittata. Place the baking dish or skillet in your prepared smoker and allow the eggs to soak up some of that delicious smoky-goodness.

So What Else Can You Use in Your Frittata?

In our house at House of Q, BBQ Brian seems to do most of the cooking. But Corinne seems to be the one who runs the garden. This is where herbs such as basil, thyme, savory or parsley are awesome for you Frittata. Just be careful to put too much in your dish. Some herbs can be “assertive” for flavour and can easily overpower your dish.

Meanwhile, there are a few House of Q seasonings that work really well in egg dishes. In this recipe we use the salt and peppery seasoning called Peppered Bovine. We have used Competition Beef Rub and House Rub as well but the really tasty one is Grandma’s Garden.

From time to time we use up leftovers in the fridge in our frittata such as pulled pork, bacon, ham, sausage cut up or even some ground meat. The flavours can easily be a nice additon to your Frittata.

Another great ingredient in a Frittata is vegetables. This version, the recipe below, uses beet top leaves and bacon. We’ve made onion Frittata’s, broccoli ones and even chard. Every one of them was delicious!

Cheese is always welcome for this egg dish. There are two options as to where or when you use the cheese – or frankly both! That is, crumble or grate some cheese in the egg mixture. This will melt or incorporate the cheese into the eggs as it cooks. The second option is to shred or place chunks of cheese on top of the mixture once it is ready to go to the oven. Some different cheeses we like IN the eggs are Jarlsberg, Gouda, goat or simple cheddar. On TOP we like queso fresco, buffalo mozzarella, shredded cheddar or a jalapeno jack mixture.

BBQ Brian’s Frittata Variations

Beet Top Frittata

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Kitchen, Oven, Smoker

HoQ Product Grandma’s Garden, House Rub, Pepppered Bovine

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 4

Author House of Q

Ingredients

• 1 lb Beet tops, rinsed, stems removed
• 1/4 – 1/2 lb Bacon, cut into 1" pieces (optional)
• 1/4-1/2 cup Cream
• 8-10 Eggs
• 1-2 ts House of Q Peppered Bovine

Instructions

• Prepare the beet tops by washing all the leaves, removing dirt or inedible leaves. Remove the stems and wash well all the leaves. Once dry, stack the leaves on a cutting board and roughly chop them. Set aside.
• Cut the bacon into pieces. Heat a skillet to medium heat and add the bacon. Stir frequently and once the bacon has started to render, add all of the chopped beet tops. It may look like too much in the pan however teh bet leaves will reduce into a small amount once cooked. Continue to stir and fry the bacon and beets.
• Add the Peppered Bovine to the vegetables and stir. Optional seasonings can be used – your choice!
• Whisk all of the eggs in a separate bowl. Once the beets and bacon are cooked and slightly cooled, add all of the whisked eggs. Stir until well mixed. If you started in an oven safe skillet you can mix all of this in that pan. If you need to transfer it to an oven safe pan, do that so it is well mixed.
• Optional toppings can be added such as fresh herbs, slices of onion, chives, or some shredded cheese. This is a versatile dish that has lots of options.

Shopping for Frittata Ingredients