The pasta frittata (or a’ frittata ‘e maccarun) is a leftover recipe typical of Neapolitan cuisine. It’s the queen of picnics and long, hot Sundays at the beach, but also of dinners with friends or a solution for a quick lunch without sacrificing taste.
Do not confuse it with the Neapolitan little pasta frittatas, the pasta frittata is generally prepared with leftover spaghetti from the day before to which you then add cold cuts (which perhaps need to be consumed quickly), eggs, grated cheese, salt, and pepper.
Since it’s a leftover preparation, there is obviously no real recipe; in fact, everyone can prepare it according to their needs and taste.
Even the proportion between eggs and pasta is a subjective matter; indeed, there are those who use more eggs thus obtaining a softer and “frittata-like” surface or those, like me, who love to feel the crunchy pasta (arruscata) under their teeth in contrast with the soft interior of the frittata.
In any case, in this recipe more than in others, the ancient motto “what you put in is what you find” applies, so feel free to get creative.
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then…let’s cook and eat!!
See also
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 4 eggs
- 3.5 oz bacon (or other diced cold cut)
- 1.75 oz cheese (grated)
- to taste fine salt
- to taste pepper (ground)
- to taste seed oil (for frying)
Tools
- 1 Kitchen Scale
- 1 Pot
- 1 Colander
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Knife
- 1 Fork
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Lid plate
Steps
As I was saying, the pasta frittata is a leftover recipe prepared with leftover pasta from the day before, but there’s nothing to stop you from making it with freshly cooked spaghetti.
In this case, cook the pasta al dente in salted boiling water, drain it, and let it cool thoroughly in the colander.
In the meantime, in a bowl, crack the eggs, add fine salt, ground black pepper, and grated cheese, even better if you make a mix of Parmesan and Pecorino.
Dice the bacon, or any other cold cut you have in the fridge.
When the spaghetti has cooled, transfer it to the bowl with the beaten eggs and mix well, also adding the cold cuts.
Continue mixing until the spaghetti is evenly coated with the eggs. At this point, proceed to cooking, which is perhaps the part of the preparation that requires a little more attention and skill.
In a non-stick pan, distribute the seed oil so that it covers the entire bottom of the pan (do not overdo it!!), heat it, then pour the pasta into the pan and compact it well.
Cook the first side over moderate heat, and after 4-5 minutes, when a crust has formed, flip the frittata. For this operation, you can use a flat lid by placing it over the pan and flipping the latter so that the frittata itself ends up on the lid.
If necessary, grease the bottom of the pan a little more and slide the frittata back in.
However, I prefer to use two flat plates to flip the frittata.
With a spatula, I lift the frittata and transfer it to a plate, cover with another plate, flip the frittata and then slide it back into the pan. This way, I avoid any excess oil from spilling out of the pan.
Cook the pasta frittata for another 4-5 minutes.
Once ready, cut the frittata and enjoy it while it’s still hot, but I assure you, it’s delicious even cold 😉
Notes
To prepare the pasta frittata, you can use not only leftover plain pasta but also already seasoned pasta with tomato, vegetables, or in any other way. Moreover, although the most popular version of the pasta frittata involves the use of spaghetti, you can easily use other pasta shapes (penne, mezze maniche, etc.).
