FRIDGE CLEANING Recipe: Pasta Frittata
Who can resist a Spaghetti Omelet (Pasta Frittata) with its golden, crispy surface and rich, tasty interior!
Not just a Recipe for leftovers FRIDGE CLEANING, since it’s usually created with leftover pasta from the night before, some cheese found in the fridge, and cold cuts, but a true delicacy of Neapolitan cuisine.
An easy and irresistible recipe that, like all traditional ones, exists in different variations: the red one, with sauce; the white one; some use short pasta, others prefer spaghetti.
Today we will prepare the FRIDGE CLEANING Recipe: Pasta Frittata that our family has been making forever. You can then choose the pasta you prefer, even though tradition would call for spaghetti, use leftover pasta, or make it from scratch.
A unique dish where all the ingredients will blend perfectly to form the typical golden, crispy surface for a Spaghetti Frittata worthy of applause!
The secret to a perfect result is to cook the pasta al dente, so remember to do so even when recycling leftovers, so that in the second cooking in the pan, the pasta remains firm.
Then simply add eggs and cheese, some cold cuts if desired, and cook it in a pan: a unique delicacy with ancient origins, born out of necessity – to recycle leftovers – that over time has become a true classic of Neapolitan cuisine and beyond.
The Pasta Frittata, great hot or cold, is perfect as a dinner saver to serve as a main course or to take to work, the beach, or a picnic and cut into pieces as finger food at an aperitif dinner.
Try it, it only takes a few minutes whether you recycle leftover pasta or make it from scratch, and with a few simple tricks, you’ll create a Spaghetti Frittata worthy of perfection, crispy outside and soft inside, just like grandma used to make.
I’ll leave you with other recipes to recycle leftovers with taste!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 690.05 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 31.43 (g) of which sugars 1.67 (g)
- Proteins 39.89 (g)
- Fat 45.41 (g) of which saturated 14.45 (g)of which unsaturated 10.90 (g)
- Fibers 2.08 (g)
- Sodium 1,650.35 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- spaghetti (1 serving about 4 oz cooked)
- 3.5 oz mozzarella
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsps grated Parmesan
- 3.5 oz ham (or mixed cold cuts)
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch black pepper
- to taste salt
- 12 oz pasta (spaghetti)
- 5 eggs
- 0.5 cups milk
- 1.75 oz grated Parmesan
- 3.5 oz scamorza cheese (or other hard cheese)
- 1.75 oz bacon
- 1 sprig thyme
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
Tools
- Bowl
- Pan
- Pot
Steps
PASTA FRITTATA WITHOUT LEFTOVERS
First of all, if you don’t have pre-cooked leftover pasta, you’ll need to cook the spaghetti (or other type of pasta). Boil plenty of salted water in a pot. Throw in the pasta and cook it al dente, drain it very al dente, rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then place it in a bowl and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.
Prepare the ingredients you want to include in the frittata, specifically I used scamorza and bacon, both diced. I recommend cutting any cold cuts and/or cheese into small pieces for even cooking.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with milk, season with salt and pepper, and add an aromatic herb (I used thyme, but parsley or oregano works too). Add grated cheese and mix. Incorporate the filling (scamorza and bacon) and mix again.
Pour the previously cooked spaghetti into the bowl with the beaten eggs, mixing well.
In a 12-inch diameter pan, preferably with high edges, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, then pour the egg and spaghetti mixture and spread it evenly with a spatula. Cook on high heat for 1 minute to set, then lower the heat and continue cooking with the lid on for another 15 minutes.
Using a plate, flip the frittata and return it to the pan on the uncooked side. Finish cooking for about 5 minutes without the lid. The Pasta Frittata is ready to be enjoyed, freshly prepared or at room temperature, accompanied by a fresh salad.
If you want to use this Pasta Frittata recipe as a recycling recipe, you will likely have already cooked and leftover pasta. So you can easily start from the directions above, starting from STEP 2.
The portions you see, starting with pre-cooked spaghetti, are deliberately calibrated for 1 leftover serving so you can adjust based on how much pasta you have left. Just multiply all ingredients by the number of leftover servings.
In this case, I’ve adjusted the “filling” simply to give you an alternative by adding mozzarella and mixed cold cuts to the pasta and egg mixture.
After thoroughly mixing all the ingredients, all that’s left is to cook everything (STEP 3 of the procedure above) and enjoy this rich and delicious Pasta Frittata
follow my page INSTAGRAM
NOTES
In the Pasta Frittata, creativity is key: all the ingredients that enrich it can be replaced according to your taste.
Some suggestions: cooked or raw ham instead of bacon, smoked provola, Emmental, or Gruyère as cheeses, or enrich it with vegetables like zucchini, carrots, or champignon mushrooms.
Today’s version of the Spaghetti Frittata is white, but if you have leftover pasta with some tomato-based sauce, even better, it will be even tastier.
STORAGE
Store the Spaghetti Frittata in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It is not suitable for freezing.
