Southwestern black bean frittata

I’ve had black beans, frequently with corn, in Mexican-themed salads. Here I am adapting this to make a frittata. In preparing the beans use a generous amount of the seasoning. I used a southwest seasoning mix, but taco seasoning or similar mixes would work as well. Don’t try mixing the beans with the eggs. It works much better to layer the frittata–a little bit of the eggs, the black bean mixture, and then more eggs. Add plenty of cheese on the top. I consider this a significant ingredient for the frittata, not merely a garnish. I used a Mexican shredded cheese mix but of course any other cheese or mix could also be used.

3/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped onion
southwestern, taco, or similar seasoning mix
vegetable oil

3 eggs
vegetable oil
shredded cheese (Mexican cheese mix or other)

pico de gallo

Heat the oil in a pan. Cook the pepper and onions until they start to soften. Add the corn and generous amount of the southwestern seasoning and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the beans and more seasoning and cook to heat the beans.

Clean the pan or use a second pan. Put the eggs into a good-sized mixing bowl and beat just to mix them up. Add oil to the pan and let it get hot. Add a small amount of the eggs to the pan to set the bottom of the frittata to prevent sticking and to serve as the base. Turn the heat down to medium low. Spoon the bean and corn mixture into the pan. Pour the remaining eggs on top. Cook this for about 5 minutes to set the bottom and sides.

Preheat the broiler. When the 5 minutes cooking on the stove are up, top the frittata with a generous amount of the shredded cheese and place the pan under the broiler, about 6 to 7 inches below. Cook until the top is set and just starts to brown. This is about 1–1/2 to 2 minutes for me, but watch closely.

Remove from the broiler, loosen up the sides with a spatula if necessary, and slide the frittata out onto the serving plate. Serve with pico de gallo on the side.