Baked Spanish Omelette

This baked Spanish omelette based on the classic tortilla de patatas is made in the oven instead of the stovetop.

If you’re looking for a dish that’s equally delicious served for brunch, lunch, cocktails or dinner then a Spanish omelette (also known as a Spanish tortilla) is the answer. A Spanish omelette or “tortilla de patatas” is a simple yet satisfying potato filled omelette.  It’s hearty, rustic and suitable for any time of day, which is why it’s one of my favorite kinds of recipes to make.

What's a Spanish Tortilla?

Despite its name, this tortilla has nothing in common with what you’d use to wrap a burrito or make a quesadilla.  It’s an egg dish, a thick omelette, in the same vein as a Frittata that only requires a handful of ingredients and can be eaten warm, at room temperature or cold from the fridge the next day.

Most traditional Spanish tortilla recipes call for cooking thin slices of potatoes in copious amounts of oil and a dexterous flipping of the omelette on the stovetop between two pans.  My version is a bit easier since it's entirely baked in the oven. Instead of cooking the potatoes on the stovetop, you just slick them with olive oil, season them with salt and pop them in the oven until golden and tender.

What kind of potatoes do I need?

The potatoes I use are Japanese sweet potatoes, the kind that are purple on the outside and white on the inside.  They have a nutty flavor and drier starchier texture than orange sweet potatoes making them a good substitute for regular potatoes in this recipe but you can use regular creamy potatoes like Yukons if you'd prefer.

How to make a Spanish omelette:

1. While the potatoes roast you sauté some spinach and garlic.  While not a traditional ingredient in a Spanish omelette, I find the spinach adds a bit of welcome color and freshness.
2. Next add the cooked potatoes and spinach to the beaten eggs and pour them into a baking dish to go back into the oven.  Since the potatoes are already cooked and tender, the eggs simply need to set before being served.
3. Speaking of serving, you can certainly slice the tortilla into wedges but I like it cut it into bite-sized cubes and serve them as a tapas-style appetizer with a quick and easy romesco-style red pepper sauce on the side. 

And if by chance you have any leftovers, consider tucking a few into a lunchbox with a salad on the side the next day.

More omelettes to try:

• Baked Omelette with Asparagus and Pesto
• Sweet Blueberry Lemon Puffed Omelette
• Thin Green Spinach and Herb Omelettes 

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Yield: One 8-inch pan

Baked Spanish Omelette

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This Spanish omelette based on the classic tortilla de patatas is baked in the oven instead of the stovetop.

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Ingredients

For the Red Pepper Sauce:

• ½ cup/60g almonds
• 4 jarred roasted red peppers, well drained and pat dry
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 ½ Tablespoons/22ml extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon paprika

For the Spanish Tortilla:

• 2 large Japanese sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 ½ Tablespoons/52ml extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (divided use)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 5oz/142g baby spinach leaves
• 8 large eggs
• ½ cup/113g plain full-fat yogurt (non-dairy coconut yogurt can be used if desired)
• ⅛th teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Make the Red Pepper Sauce:

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Pour in almonds; turn off heat, cover and let sit for 2 minutes. Drain water, pat the almonds dry with a clean towel. Take one almond at a time and pinch one end to pop each almond out of its skin.
2. Place blanched almonds and remaining ingredients in the bowl of a small food processor and pulse until smooth.
3. Cover and keep sauce in fridge until needed.

For the Spanish Tortilla:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Grease an 8-inch baking pan or casserole dish, set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Toss the sliced sweet potatoes, 3 Tablespoons of the olive oil and ½ teaspoon of the salt together on the baking sheet until well coated. Spread into an even but overlapping layer and bake until golden and tender (about 20 minutes), turning slices about halfway through.
3. In the meantime heat the remaining olive oil and minced garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and another ¼ teaspoon of salt and use tongs to combine. Add 1 teaspoon water, cover and let cook for 1-2 minutes or until just wilted. Remove from heat, drain any remaining water and coarsely chop.
4. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs with the yogurt, remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and black pepper until well combined. Add in cooked sweet potatoes and spinach.
5. Lower oven to 375°F. Pour egg mixture into greased 8-inch pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and just set in the center. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into cubes and serve warm or at room temperature with red pepper sauce on the side.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 93Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 106mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.