The One Recipe That Uses Up Almost Anything

Some nights the fridge has a little bit of everything and not quite enough of anything. Half an onion, a spoonful of yesterday’s rice, a fistful of spinach going limp, the end of a block of cheese. That’s not nothing. That’s a frittata.

Why this one works so well

A frittata doesn’t ask for specific ingredients, just a rough balance of them. Eggs hold everything together, so whatever you add mostly just needs to be cooked already or chopped small enough to cook fast. It’s hard to get wrong, which is exactly why it’s worth knowing.

It also means one more night without a grocery run, one less thing going bad in the crisper drawer, and dinner sorted in under twenty minutes.

How to make it

Whisk five or six eggs with a splash of milk and a pinch of salt. That’s the base.

Heat a bit of oil or butter in an oven-safe pan. Add anything that needs softening first: onion, garlic, mushrooms, diced potatoes. A few minutes is usually enough. Then stir in whatever’s already cooked: leftover rice, roasted vegetables, shredded chicken, cooked sausage, wilted greens.

Pour the eggs over everything and let the edges set on the stovetop for a minute or two. Scatter cheese on top if you’ve got some. Then move the whole pan into an oven at 375°F for about ten minutes, until the center is set and the top has a bit of color.

Let it sit for a few minutes before cutting. It slices better once it’s had a moment to firm up.

Combinations worth trying

Potato, onion, and whatever cheese is in the drawer. Spinach, feta, and a bit of leftover roasted red pepper. Rice, peas, and diced ham. Zucchini, tomato, and mozzarella.

None of these need to be exact. If you’re short an ingredient, leave it out. If you’ve got extra of something, add more.

One recipe, many fridges

This is the kind of dish that changes every time you make it, because it’s built around whatever’s already there instead of a fixed list. That’s also the idea behind Snap2dish: point it at what’s in your kitchen, and it points you toward something to cook with it.

Next time the fridge looks like a handful of odds and ends, reach for eggs before you reach for your phone to order in.

Download Snap2dish: Google Play or App Store.