Meatless Friday: Spanish Tortilla

For Meatless Friday, Maria Morera Johnson shares her recipe for an appetizer that's hearty enough to serve as a main dish. Download our printable recipe card!

One of my favorite treats to make as an appetizer is the Spanish Tortilla. When we hear "tortilla," we often think of the flour or corn discs associated with Mexican cuisine, but in Spain, a tortilla is an omelet! The traditional tortilla is a fluffy and moist mix of eggs and potatoes fried in olive oil. It is dense and filling and deliciously savory. The most common variation adds onions. Purists would point out that’s not a traditional tortilla, but hey, I love to start with a recipe and adjust it to my taste, and with this recipe, you can certainly add to it and make it your own.  

The tortilla is served at room temperature which makes it a perfect appetizer, but I enjoy making it as the entrée with a simple spinach salad and a sweet balsamic vinaigrette in contrast to the savory omelet.  

This is a simple recipe that can be elevated with peppers or other veggies as you like. You'll need a 6-inch-deep skillet with a lid to make this dish.

Spanish Tortilla

Serves 8 as an appetizer or 4 as an entree

Ingredients:  

1 or 2 medium potatoes, diced or sliced thinly 
1 small onion, diced small or thinly sliced 
6-8 large eggs 
Salt and pepper to taste 
¼ cup of olive oil (or more to pre-fry the potatoes until tender) 

Directions:

Heat the oil in a deep skillet and add the potatoes. Fry them on medium to low heat until they are tender but not crispy. Add the onions and continue to cook until they are soft. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Beat the whole eggs. I use a hand whisk, but you might want to use a blender to get them nicely mixed. I make sure there is still a good coating of oil in the hot skillet.

Pour the eggs in and let them cook for 30 seconds to a minute on medium heat before adding the potatoes and onions. The gives the eggs a chance to set on the bottom. Season with salt and pepper.

Lower the heat to a low medium and cover. Check after a few minutes to see if the eggs are cooking through. You can see it bubble up like a pancake. I release the sides and cover for a couple of additional minutes.

When it looks like it is getting solid, carefully slide the omelet onto a plate (I use the inside of the lid). The top of the omelet will be loose and mostly uncooked, but you don’t want the bottom to burn.

Place the skillet over the plate and invert the omelet back into to the skillet to continue cooking. It will only need an additional 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and release the omelet. I just shake the skillet a little bit to make sure it’s not stuck. I let it cool to room temperature in the skillet. Cut in quarters and serve with a salad.  

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Copyright 2024 Maria Morera Johnson
Images: Canva