Love Eggs, Hate Effort? Meet Frittata Roll-Ups, the Brain-Boosting Breakfast You Can Make in Your Sleep

Whenever I get a call from my mom and she promptly starts talking up a new recipe, I know it’s going to be worth the hype. Why? Because my fave influencer of all time—my mother—has impeccable taste when it comes to all things in life, but especially food. (We can thank our Venezuelan roots for that.)

Recently, my mom turned me onto her high-protein frittata roll-ups recipe, and frankly, I’m never looking back. She made the tasty discovery at a local Italian restaurant in my hometown. In Italian, the dish is typically called rotolo di frittata, and it’s essentially the savory version of a Swiss roll cake made with scrambled eggs instead.

The best part: You can fill it up with whatever your heart desires. In my version, I combine a few simple ingredients (including pesto, ricotta, and ham) for a high-protein breakfast, side, or snack. Learn how to make them ahead—because if there’s anything I know about my mom’s taste in genius recipes, you’re in for a treat.

How to make easy six-ingredient frittata roll-ups

To make this simple dish, start by combining six large eggs, a tablespoon of milk, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a tablespoon or so of chopped fresh Italian parsley in a large bowl. Then, whisk the ingredients together and transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined half-sheet pan. Bake in the oven at 350ºF for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the egg is thoroughly cooked and there are no wet spots on the surface.

Meanwhile, get started on the filling. In a small bowl, combine half a cup of ricotta with two tablespoons of pesto; stir until combined and set aside. Once the frittata is thoroughly cooled, spread a thin layer of the pesto ricotta on the surface of the egg wrap, followed by a layer of ham. Then, using the parchment paper for leverage, gently roll the frittata along with its fillings like you would a Swiss roll cake. Et voilà! The final result should look very similar to deli-style pinwheel sandwiches.

A few things to keep in mind about this recipe

This recipe is very modification friendly. No milk? No problem, swap it for water. Don’t like parsley? There’s absolutely no need for it. Ham isn’t your thing? Leave it out. However, the one non-negotiable is the egg. That said, we haven’t tested using scrambled egg alternatives to make it, either. (That’ll be next on the list.)

While testing this recipe, I found a few tips and tricks that helped make the process much easier. I’ve outlined them below:

• When making the egg wrap, I found it was best to crumble the parchment paper before spreading it flat and laying it down on the sheet pan. This helped the parchment paper have more give to mold into the crevices of the pan—a tip I picked up from TikTok’s@mammamarzia.

• Another key factor was ensuring that your oven racks are level when it goes in. Mine weren’t the first time around, and I ended up with a somewhat lopsided wrap. To ensure a more uniform layer, I added an extra egg (to my original recipe) to cover the pan’s surface better and rotated the sheet pan halfway through cooking the second time around. This helped fill any gaps that may have formed in the first few minutes of cooking due to any uneven weight distribution. That said, it’s important to rotate the pan before the egg has fully set to allow it to spread evenly before it’s all cooked.

• Before rolling the egg wrap, you’ll want to ensure it’s thoroughly cooled. This will help prevent any cracks as you roll.

• Most importantly, have fun when making your frittata roll-ups! This is essentially finger food for adults (…or kids). By this, I mean experimenting with your favorite toppings. For example, my mom’s favorite version has spinach and prosciutto. Meanwhile, others recommend cream cheese and smoked salmon. The options are endless.

• This recipe was made for meal prepping. Once the ingredients are all in place and the roll-ups are formed, feel free to pop them into a reusable container to enjoy throughout the week. They can be eaten cold, straight out of the fridge, or can be warmed up, depending on your personal preference.

An RD shares the benefits of consuming eggs: