So this morning I worked until 0230 and of course by 0800 my eyes were wide open and my body thought this would be a great time to start the day. I tried to tell myself,"Self, you have only been asleep for 4 1/2 hours," however it would have none of it. So as I laid there all I wanted was a cup of coffee and breakfast in bed. And so I tried desperately to will the cat to make me coffee and bring it to me in bed, but alas my attempts were futile so I had to get up. But just because I have shitty cat training skills I decided I still deserved a great cup of coffee and a yummy breakfast and that is what I made.



I decided to make a Frittata with Linguine, Basil and Mushrooms from Cooking Light. I know that many of you are probably thinking linguine, huh? However, I knew this would be tasty because I have a childhood memory of a spaghetti pie that was cooked in a pan with leftover spaghetti and marinara sauce. It may have also had egg and cheese added to it, but I just don't remember...I do remember the spaghetti part and I remember as a kid thinking it was the coolest thing ever.



So off I went to the grocery store...ok actually 2 because the first store didn't have leeks...on very sleep, a desire for breakfast in bed and a cat that can't make coffee. This recipe is very good for you, low in calorie and fat and has a ton of flavor. The basil truly brings a lot of flavor on this dish so do not leave out the fresh basil.

I also used olive oil flavored cooking spray and I think that really added some flavor to this as well. And yes of course I added more salt than the recipe called for....because I can. I loved this recipe because the spaghetti gets crispy kind of like a crust on the bottom and the cheese, egg and vegetable mixture are creamy on top.



Start by sauteing the mushrooms and leeks until they are soft. While they are cooking whisk the milk, butter, eggs, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Sometimes too many egg whites really take away from the texture and density of the dish but this recipe had a good balance of egg whites and whole eggs so it worked perfectly. Finally, add your cooked spaghetti, basil and vegetable mixture to the egg mixture. Throw it into a pan with cooking spray and cook for 4-9 minutes. And I know the whole description of running a spatula along the edge of the pan and wiggling the uncooked egg mixture to the bottom sounds intimidating but its seriously easy as long as you don't try to do it too early in the cooking process. Make sure the edges have started to get firm and then you should have no problems running the spatula around the edges and manipulating the egg.



Finally, throw the mozzarella cheese on top and put the frittata in the oven for 7 minutes so the cheese can melt and it can get that crispy texture. Make sure you do wrap the handle in foil because you really don't want your plastic pan handle to melt...less appetizing.

• Cooking spray
• 3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 large eggs 
• 2 cups hot cooked linguine (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil 
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and leek; cook 6 minutes or until leek is tender, stirring frequently.
3. Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add leek mixture, pasta, and basil; toss gently to combine.
4. Heat pan over medium-low heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add egg mixture; cook until edges begin to set (about 4 minutes). Gently lift edge of egg mixture, tilting pan to allow some uncooked egg mixture to come in contact with pan. Cook 5 minutes or until almost set. Sprinkle evenly with cheese; wrap handle of pan with foil. Bake 7 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into 8 wedges.