I’m a big fan of breakfast and of enjoying breakfast foods at any time of day.

Here’s what else I love about the breakfast-for-dinner concept:

• If you’re in a dinner rut, breakfast for dinner is a fun way to shake things up.

• If you’re a parent, caregiver or anyone who regularly cooks for kids, it’s a great way to get little ones excited for dinnertime.

• If you’re looking to eat less meat, breakfast for dinner makes it easy to create filling meals that don’t rely on it. Yes, bacon, sausage, ham, smoked fish and the like are all wonderful parts of breakfast, but meat is not at the center of most morning plates the way it tends to be for dinner.

• If you’re trying to spend less on groceries, breakfast for dinner almost always uses ingredients that are cheaper than lots of the foods we typically associate with evening meals (see above re: meat and fish).

A frittata, in this case Kale, Scallion and Feta Frittata, is ideal for breakfast for dinner, of course you can have it any time of the day … even morning! Serve with hash browns, biscuits, toast, sauteed greens, salad, fruit or any other egg-friendly side dish.

This recipe is truly a road map. Any cooking green can be used instead of the kale, any allium can be swapped in for the scallions, and any cheese can take the place of the feta. (You’ll find many more ideas in the substitutions list underneath the recipe.)

This week has had me thinking about some of my favorite breakfast memories. Two stand out. When I was a child at summer sleepaway camp, our counselor once told us that she couldn’t wait to go to sleep so she could wake up and eat breakfast. This moment has stuck with me all these years. When I feel really excited about a meal I’m anticipating, I remember her unabashed enthusiasm. I love that food offers us something so satisfying to look forward to.

My other favorite breakfast memory is not a specific moment, but the blur of mornings I first spent with Grace. We’ve now been married for more than a decade, but those early days felt so exciting, and we wanted to extend all of the time we had together. That included the mornings where we’d try to stretch our days with tall stacks of pancakes and big breakfast boards with fruit, toast, cheese, and pots of jam and honey. I actually wrote in The Washington Post about the pancakes Grace used to regularly make for us (we’re babies in that photo!), and how their diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes as an adult changed some of how we cook and eat together and how we care for each other.

I wrote that piece in 2018, just three years after Grace was diagnosed. Now that another six years have elapsed, I must say we’ve both gotten much more relaxed about what and how we eat. We trust our bodies more and continue to try to be as kind as possible to them. Overall, we approach food in our house with more flexibility and agency: We both eat what we want to eat, when we want to eat it. And, yes, we still love breakfast, no matter what time of day we eat it. Especially when it’s for dinner.

KALE, SCALLION AND FETA FRITTATA

4 to 6 servings (makes one 12-inch frittata)

Active time: 30 mins; Total time: 45 mins

Featuring an entire bunch of scallions that get sauteed until very sweet, this frittata also has lots of kale and salty feta cheese. It’s perfect for breakfast-for-dinner – or any time of day, really. Serve with hash browns, biscuits, toast, fruit or any other egg-friendly side dishes.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch scallions (3 ounces), ends trimmed, thinly sliced

1 bunch (8 ounces) any type of kale, stemmed and chopped

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

8 large eggs

pinch fine salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

In a large (12-inch), oven-safe skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 4 minutes. Add the kale and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 2 minutes. (It will seem like a lot at first, but it will quickly wilt.) If you need to nudge the kale along, cover the skillet with a lid, large platter or sheet pan to help it steam. Stir in the feta and remove from the heat.

In a large bow, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the kale mixture, pressing down on the greens to help submerge them in the eggs. (They will not be completely covered.) Transfer the skillet to the oven, and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the eggs are set, puffed and golden brown in spots. Cut into wedges and serve.

Substitutions: No kale on hand or dislike it? >> Use any cooking green of your choice, such as spinach, collards, dandelion greens or chard. Scallions >> red, yellow or spring onions. Feta >> any cheese of your choice, including non-dairy. Looking for meat? >> Add some cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage or bacon to the frittata. Cooking for a crowd? >> Double the recipe, transfer the kale mixture to a 9-by-13 baking dish after sauteing, add the eggs and bake in the baking dish. Looking for more richness? >> Serve with a mixture of sour cream or labneh thinned with a little lemon juice and seasoned with minced garlic and salt.

Nutrition per serving, based on 6: 202 calories, 4g carbohydrates, 265mg cholesterol, 15g fat, 2g fiber, 12g protein, 5g saturated fat, 377mg sodium, 1g sugar

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