Midweek Meals: Breakfast for dinner

An extremely versatile Italian egg dish, a frittata can contain many savory ingredients. Don't be scared by the length of ingredients for this recipe - if you can use short cuts, feel free. I made it for dinner Sunday night and it made a repeat appearance last night for dinner (love leftovers!) Perfect for brunch, this dish can bake while you finish setting your table and get ready for guests. You won't miss a beat with this sure-hit, extremely satisfying meal.

Tip: Whole Foods didn't have any sun-dried tomatoes in stock, but they did have chicken sausages with sun-dried tomatoes in them. While the sun-dried tomatoes weren't as prominent, it did the trick! If you have leftover pasta, whether it be penne or another short cut, use that instead of making a whole new batch.

• 1 lb fresh chicken sausage, casings removed
• 1/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs
• 3/4 lb small, firm zucchini
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)
• 2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup cooked macaroni, tossed with 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 6 dry-packed, sun dried tomato halves, soaked in very hot water for 20 minutes, squeezed dry, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 9 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

In a nonstick or cast iron frying pan over medium-low heat, cook the sausage, breaking up the meat, until no trace of pink remains, about 6 minutes. (Do not overcook, or the sausage will be dry.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Discard any fat from the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch nonstick spring-form pan with butter and coat it with the bread crumbs, shaking out the excess.

Trim and coarsely grate the zucchini. Mince the garlic. Return the frying pan to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the zucchini and saute until bright green, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the white wine, if using and cook for a few minutes more until evaporated. Remove from heat an stir in the basil.

In a bowl, combine the macaroni, tomatoes, cheese, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss to mix. Spoon the sausage into the spring-form pan in an even layer. Spoon the zucchini mixture over the sausage and top with the pasta mixture. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and mustard until well blended. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the ingredients. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until the outer 2 inches are firm, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook until golden brown, about 40 minutes longer.

Let cook on a rack for 20 minutes, then loosen the sides with a small knife. Remove the sides, place a platter upside down on top of the frittata, and invert. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve. Makes 6 servings.

From the William Sonoma Breakfast Cookbook