My favorite weekend mornings always start with a frittata (or pancakes…or waffles…or something delicious—you get the idea!). Frittatas are my favorite go-to, easy breakfast food because I have the ratio of six large eggs to 1/2 cup of milk memorized so from there it’s all about getting creative. This ratio works for literally any frittata idea that you can come up with.

Last week, I had the pleasure of making pepperoni pizzas for some friends who came over last week so there was plenty of fancy pepperoni and mozzarella leftover in the fridge. I felt like a frittata was the appropriate place for it.

This dish tastes exactly like a pepperoni pizza…except it’s way lighter. At first glance it may look like an indulgent dish but the egg makes it feel much more on the lighter side, which I appreciate in the mornings.

Pepperoni Pizza Frittata

This dish tastes exactly like a pepperoni pizza... except it's way lighter. Who doesn't want pizza for breakfast? (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)

Ingredients

• 10 large pepperoni, divided 
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more as garnish
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided 
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, sliced and divided
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice up five pepperoni slices. Set the rest of the pepperoni aside for the topping. 
2. In a 9-inch skillet, set over medium heat, add the pepperoni and cook until slightly crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, half of the mozzarella and a sprinkling of basil leaves. Pour over the pepperoni slices in the pan and mix quickly.  
4. Transfer to the oven to bake for about 10 minutes, until the top has set. Add the tomato sauce to the top of the frittata and spread it around as best as you can. Top with the remaining mozzarella and pepperoni slices. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Garnish with the rest of the basil leaves and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper. Slice and serve.

Yield: 6

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.