Caramelized Sweet Potato, Red Pepper and Feta Frittata
This delicious frittata would be great for breakfast, brunch or any time! It's full of caramelized sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, black beans and feta.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
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This frittata concept has been lurking in the back of my mind for months. I’ve just been waiting for sweet potatoes and bell peppers to come around again. I try to eat seasonally so it really pains me to pass by red bell peppers (my loves!) at the grocery store during the off-seasons, when those peppers are flown in all the way from Chile or Holland.
When I’m not too busy grumbling about self-imposed produce deprivation, I’ll admit that eating seasonally really is the way to go—I’m generally so busy getting my fill of cranberries in the winter that I don’t have time to miss blueberries, and I’m always scrambling to meet my butternut quota when spring rolls around, and oh, how I love those blood oranges in February that electrify dreary winter days. I appreciate them all the more thanks to their limited availability.
It’s no secret that I’ve been trying to get my pepper and sweet potato fix lately (pickles, grilled cheese, breakfast burritos, soup…) so I’m continuing the trend with this crazy delicious frittata. It definitely won’t win any beauty competitions, but this frittata makes up for its swampy looks with amazing flavor.
It’s filled to the brim with caramelized veggies, plus some black beans for even more protein, a generous amount of creamy, salty feta and plenty of chopped cilantro (which all floated to the top while I carried it from the room with good light and the oven, so there’s actually less cilantro in there than the photos indicate). So good! You could totally make this frittata for dinner tonight or wait until your next brunch opportunity. Either way, I hope you’ll make it before peppers leave us again. Sob.
10-inch Lodge cast iron skillet
Wusthof Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife
Caramelized Sweet Potato, Red Pepper and Feta Frittata
This delicious frittata would be great for breakfast, brunch or any time! It’s full of caramelized sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, black beans, feta and optional-but-recommended cilantro. This frittata yields 6 medium slices of frittata (as shown), or 4 large or 8 small.
Ingredients
Frittata
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium sweet potato (¾ pound or so), peeled and chopped into ¼-inch cubes
- 1 medium red bell pepper, ribbed, seeded and chopped into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅔ cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
- ⅓ to ½ cup crumbled feta (2 to 3 ounces)
Garnishes
- Avocado, diced
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Jarred salsa verde
- Hot sauce
- Optional: pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cilantro, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt and several twists of freshly ground black pepper.
- In a 10-inch oven-safe sauté pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped sweet potatoes and red pepper and toss to coat, then sprinkle with cumin, smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon salt and stir. Once the pan is sizzling, cover the pan and reduce heat slightly to avoid burning the contents. Cook until the sweet potato is tender and cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
- Uncover the pan, raise the heat back to medium and cook until the excess moisture has evaporated and the sweet potatoes are caramelizing on the edges, about 5 to 10 minutes (add another little splash of olive oil if the potatoes start sticking to the pan).
- Turn the heat down to low. Arrange the sweet potatoes and peppers in an even layer in the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle black beans over the vegetables in an even layer. Whisk the egg mixture one last time and pour it into the pan. Crumble the feta with your fingers or a fork over the top of the frittata. Put the pan in the oven and bake until you can shake the pan (wear oven mitts!) and see that the middle is just barely set, about 12 to 18 minutes.
- Set the frittata aside for a few minutes before slicing it. Transfer individual slices to plates and top with diced avocado, salsa verde and chopped cilantro. Serve with hot sauce and pickled jalapeños on the side.
Notes
Recipe inspired by The Fauxmartha and adapted from this sweet potato, spinach and goat cheese frittata and sweet potato breakfast burritos.
Make it tomato free: Skip the salsa and choose a tomato-free hot sauce.
Serving suggestions: This frittata would be great with good toast or a simplified version of my fiesta kale salad.
Storage suggestions: This frittata should keep well for a couple of days in the refrigerator, covered.
Change it up: I think butternut squash would be a delicious substitute for the sweet potato. If you don’t love cilantro but still want some green in there, try spinach or arugula. Let the greens wilt slightly before pouring the egg mixture on top, like I did in my other sweet potato frittata (see link above).
Prepare in advance: You can whisk up the egg mixture in advance and store it in the fridge. You can also cook the sweet potato and red pepper in advance—just rewarm them in the pan so the pan and the contents are hot when you pour in the egg mixture.
If you love this recipe: You’ll also love my huevos rancheros with avocado salsa verde, breakfast quesadillas with black beans and spinach and sweet potato and black bean tacos.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
All that cilantro, I love it! I agree, it can be hard eating seasonally, but really, it’s so much better!
I am actually crazy for frittata. Love this.
Lovely combination – the feta with the red pepper and sweet potato. Yum I love a frittata, they are pretty simple to make and always deliver on flavor. I love that they are equally good hot or at room temperature, perfect for brunch or a bridal/baby shower. I think these were gorgeous (not slumpy!) and I really love reading your commentary! I hope you enjoy all the red peppers you can while they are in season! And thanks for the cranberry craving :)
Well said! Thank you, Sam!
Do you know what would be the ideal non-dairy milk substitute to maintain the results for this recipe?
Hey Megan! I actually used unsweetened almond milk in this frittata and it turned out wonderfully.
Oh goodness. This frittata looks delicious. I could eat this any time of the day.
I was thinking as I read this recipe that butternut might be a good swap for the sweet potato, then saw you suggested it in the bottom of the post – I guess we think very alike! Frittatas are one of my favourite breakfast/brunch foods and yours looks so beautiful. PS. I think I hit the average seasonal butternut quota in mid-September, but you can never have too much, right? ;)
Nope, one can never have too much butternut! I bet it would be so tasty in this frittata!
This frittata sounds fantastic! I haven’t yet gotten my hands on any sweet potatoes this year–here’s hoping the CSA gives us some very soon, because I need some. :)
As a recent newcomer to your blog, it’s always so confusing to me when you talk about peppers in October, or squash in spring… and then I realize where you’re from! Doh. Beautiful frittata.
Hi…lovely recipe and can’t wait to make and share it with my family. Does it matter what type of milk I use? I prefer 1 or 2% but wonder I know some recipes do better with whole milk. Does it matter here?
Hi Rachel, I think it would turn out great with either of those. I actually used unsweetened almond milk, which is very low in calories/fat compared to cow’s milk, so I’m confident that 1 or 2% would work well.
I LOVE frittatas filled with anything and everything! I have never added beans to my frittata though, I am going to give it a try! Also obbsessing about seasonal produce right now; fall simply has the best foods!
Thanks, Elizabeth! I definitely liked the beans in this frittata. Totally agree, fall offers the best produce!
This sounds delicious with the caramelized sweet potato warmed up with cumin and paprika. Perfect fall frittata!
I enjoy using seasonal produce as well, and find that farmers markets are one of the best ways to ensure fresh, seasonal produce. But I admit I have a shared love for red bell peppers and other veggies year round, and often find myself buying them at the grocery store! (insert shocked face here).
Breakfast for dinner this week? Happening! I am definitely going to miss peppers and tomatoes and eggplants when all the locals are gone. But I am pretty excited about sweet potatoes. Silver lining.
I love frittatas for their ease and all-in-one convenience. The combination of sweet potatoes and black beans sounds interesting to me. I wouldn’t have come up with that combination – do they work well together?
Oh man, yes! Yes, they do! Spicy, savory sweet potato with black beans is one of my favorite combos. You’ll see lots of recipes featuring that combination over here: https://cookieandkate.com/tag/sweet-potatoes/
I’ve made two of your other frittatas and have been so happy with them(the one with sweet potato crust is my favorite so far) and I’m excited to try this one next. Yum!
That’s great news! Thanks, Paige. I think you’ll enjoy this one as much or more!
This is such an awesome combination, sweet potatoes and black beans, I die. I have made something similar in the past. Totally adding feta next time around.
This was an amazing dinner. I substituted butternut squash and felt like this was such an incredible flavor combination! My intention was to have leftovers for lunch for the rest of the week, but really not sure it will last that long! Will definitely make this again and will try the sweet potato next time as I’m sure it will add a nice additional dimension. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hello Kate, i just stumbled over your blog while searching for some sweet potato recipe. This looks so good! I’m going to give it a try as soon as possible. And i have to take a look at your other recipes cause i really like the whole presentation (by the way, such a beautiful dog!) thanks for your effort.
best wishes,
Helga
Thank you, Helga! I hope you enjoy my recipes!
To say I am in love with your website and recipes would be an understatement. I have been a vegetarian for almost a decade, but my wife is not. I’ve introduced her to some of your recipes and she doesn’t even miss the meat. You have a way with flavor that other cooks/blogs/recipes just dont understand.
Every single bite of this sweet potato and red pepper frittata was mouth-watering (and FUN to make!). It’s highly adaptable to whatever you have on hand (I forgot to purchase black beans, so I used black-eyed peas….still just as good). In the end, I moved the entree to the top rack of the oven and placed the frittata under a hot broiler for 60 seconds just to pull out some remaining flavors from the top layer. Exquisite.
Thank you so much, Cody! I really appreciate your kind words. :) So glad you enjoyed this frittata, too! I loved it but haven’t gotten much feedback about it.
Just made this for dinner! I had to substitute pinto beans for the black beans since, alas, black beans are hard to come by in Singapore grocery stores. Still awesomely delicious — especially with the avocado on top.
Thanks, Laura! So cool that this frittata made its way from Kansas City to Singapore!
I know this was posted a long time ago but I’ve been reviewing your blog and trying different recipes out (I made the browned butter brownies last night – YUM!).
I’m pregnant and curious if I can skip the Feta and maybe replace with another cheese – I think we have mozzarella at our house potentially something else too I’m not sure. Do you have to have the cheese in there for consistency or can I just skip it? I like cheese in frittatas so I don’t want to totally skip it!
Sorry I didn’t find your question sooner, Jen! Mozzarella would be a great choice, or Monterey Jack.
So I made this for dinner but used jalepenos I had frozen from my garden last year and I put in extra black beans….buuut the results were awesome..the boyfriend and I killed it all for dinner…thanks for the great recipe!
High five! Your version sounds fantastic.
The best frittata I’ve ever made! Love it!
I made this for my husband a few weeks back and he complained…that there wasn’t enough, cheeky man!
It’s on the menu again for tonight…I will make sure to cook a larger quantity, can’t have his lordship going hungry now can we?!?!
I think I’ll make some ‘guacamole’ to go with it this time, I love a bit of avocado action.
What are your thoughts on me using duck eggs?
They’re larger than the traditional chicken egg, so I’m wondering if i would use less.
Thanks!
I love this recipe. My family doesnt eat eggs. What is a good substitute for eggs in this recipe?
Hi Maria! I’m sorry, I don’t know that there’s a suitable replacement for eggs.
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I made this for breakfast this morning and it was WONDERFUL. The only thing I added were some diced onions because imo sauteed onions make everything better ;). Unfortunately we didn’t have cilantro but we did have Italian parsley which was a great substitute. The prep was quick and being able to cook everything together in one skillet is so ideal. We garnished with kimchi, guacamole and salsa verde. Everyone loved it and what I appreciated most was how filling and flavorful it was without being too heavy. Thank you for such a fun & creative recipe!
Kimchi sounds like a great garnish for this, Gabrielle, thanks for the idea!
I made this frittata when my gluten-free SIL came to visit. It was a hit with everyone (even the picky teens), the leftovers were prized at lunch the next day.
Since I needed a double batch and only had one cast-iron pan, I baked one in cast iron and the other in a deep glass casserole. The tastes were the same, but the cast iron cooked a bit more evenly and about 10 minutes faster.
This is a delicious frittata! I used almond milk and had Irish cheddar on hand and it turned out fine. Very versatile and flavourful. Will make this again
A repeat is always a great sign! Thank you, Dove for your feedback and review.
I made this today for brunch with friends, one of whom is gluten-free, and it was a big hit! They all asked for the recipe. Relatively easy to make and I look forward to having leftovers this week. Thanks!
That’s great! You are welcome, Lauren.
OMG THIS WAS AMAZING!!! A friend coming for dinner at the last minute invited a vegetarian friend to join us, so I found your recipe online. I’m sure it would have been perfect if I followed your recipe exactly, but I have a hard time following directions (lol) so….
I made it in a 12-in cast iron pan and made the following adjustments:
11 eggs
1/2-1/2 instead of milk
no cilantro
3 cloves garlic
added 1/2 choppped onion
added 1 purple carrot cut in irregular chunks
1 large sweet potato, cooked 1/2 way in microwave
Way more olive oil
way more cumin and a bit more paprika
added a bit of cayenne
canned black beans
1/2 c grated Irish cheese
sheep’s milk feta
Served with spinach salad with mandarin orange sections, mint and pomegranate arils and seville orange vinaigrette
Can’t wait to have some leftovers for lunch!!
Thanks for your detailed comment and sharing your variation, Elizabeth! I’m happy you love it.
Love this combo! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, KB!
Great frittata. Love the combo of sweet potato & black beans with the smoky flavor of the cumin and paprika. Vegetarian night winner!
Thanks, Kim!
Looks fabulous, but my husband is on a lowfat diet. Can I substitute egg whites for the whole egg (ok, maybe 1 whole egg would be alright)?
I haven’t tried it! If you do, I would watch the cook time as egg whites don’t seem to need as long typically.
Delicious!