Preparing this spinach farifrittata was a pleasant surprise. And not only that: it’s super easy to make, the batter is ready in a few minutes and, unlike chickpea flour crepes, you don’t need to let the batter rest for a few hours.
It’s a vegan main course that everyone at home will like—at least it got my household’s approval—and in the meantime I’ve made versions with other vegetables that I will post on the blog as I manage to take photos.
To be honest, I had tried to make a vegan omelette before but it always stuck to the bottom of the pan. This time I measured the chickpea flour and water correctly and used a little more oil than usual for a perfect result.
If you’re looking for other vegan main dishes try one of these recipes:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
For ingredients you’re not familiar with, read the FAQs at the end of the recipe!
- 3/4 cup (about 3.5 oz / 100 g) chickpea flour
- 3/4 cup water
- 12 oz (about 0.77 lb / 350 g) spinach (fresh but frozen also works)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Kala Namak (can be omitted)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- to taste spices (to taste, I suggest: thyme, garlic and onion powder)
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (for the batter)
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (for greasing the pan)
- Total points = 16 WW points
- Points per 1 portion (1/3 of farifrittata) = 5 WW points
Tools
- Bowl
- Hand whisk
- Spatula
- Pan
- Lid
Steps
As always, prepare and measure all the ingredients in advance, please!
First, prepare the spinach: you can boil it for a couple of minutes in salted water, steam it, or use frozen spinach.
Or you can do it the way I do: put the spinach in a large bowl, cover it with lightly salted boiling water and then drain it. This way it will wilt without cooking.
Once wilted, drain them well, squeeze them thoroughly and chop them into small pieces.
In a bowl measure 3/4 cup of chickpea flour and add salt, Kala Namak, the spices and nutritional yeast. Mix and then add the water. Whisk well to obtain a thick, lump-free batter.
Add the spinach and incorporate well into the batter.
You’ll see the batter remains very thick. For me this is the secret to a good farifrittata: if the batter is thinner it becomes more of a flat pancake than an omelette and tends to stick to the pan.
Heat a nonstick pan of about 10.25 in (26 cm) and add 4 teaspoons of oil. When the oil is hot pour in the batter and level it well with a spatula.
Put a lid on the pan and cook over low-medium heat for 6-7 minutes. Check with the spatula that the farifrittata detaches easily from the bottom; if not, cook for another couple of minutes.
With the help of the lid, flip the farifrittata and cook the other side in the same way. If you want it more golden you can continue cooking it on both sides.
And here our spinach farifrittata is ready to be enjoyed… I posed it like Pac-Man, I couldn’t resist!
How good is it? Very! I must say even the Dutch person approved it wholeheartedly. And it’s good both hot and cold so I think it’s perfect for a packed meal or a picnic.
I highly recommend you try it, you’ll see how tasty it is. You can also make it with other vegetables; just the other day I made it with the stems of black cabbage and it was delicious. But that will need another recipe because it requires a few extra steps.
Let me know if you liked it. I’m waiting for your comments below or in my Facebook Club.
Enjoy!
By Giovanna Buono
Storage
The farifrittata can be enjoyed hot right away or cold and can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days. I haven’t tried freezing it yet because the Dutch person finishes it all! But I believe it should freeze fine.
FAQ: most frequently asked questions
What is Kala Namak?
Kala Namak is a particular salt used a lot in vegan cooking because more than providing a salty taste it has a sulfurous aroma that resembles hard-boiled egg. Read here: Kala Namak, the “vegan salt” that tastes like eggs. You can omit it but I recommend using it.
What is nutritional yeast?
This recipe also includes nutritional yeast, which is a deactivated yeast: it doesn’t make things rise but only gives a cheesy flavor to dishes. To learn more read here: Nutritional Yeast: what it is, how to use it and why! You can omit it too, but I think you’ll need to compensate with extra spices because it really makes the farifrittata more flavorful.
Does the batter need to rest?
I didn’t let the batter rest, unlike for crepes where I think that step is important.
