Homemade Pasta Nests - Spaghetti Muffins

Using homemade pasta nests, you can easily make these fun spaghetti muffins that are perfect for a buffet or a children's party. You can also use fettuccine or tagliatelle, fresh homemade pasta doesn't need to be precooked. Assemble them, bake them, and they are ready to be served. Top them with small mozzarella balls or quail eggs and celebrate Spring or Easter with these mini edible bird's nests.

Jump to:

• Homemade fresh spaghetti
• Ragu or Bolognese sauce
• Other ingredients you need
• Making the Ragu sauce in the pressure cooker
• Making Béchamel: White Roux
• Preparing the sauce
• Assembling the muffins
• Bake and serve
• More savoury muffins recipes
• 📋 Homemade Pasta Nests Spaghetti Muffins

To make these muffins you don't need to pre-cook the spaghetti as it uses fresh pasta nets. You can either make them at homemade or buy them. The nests are directly composed into the muffin tin and baked.

They are like mini lasagne but made with spaghetti, tagliatelle or fettuccine so they look like nests. They can be served at a buffet or a children's party.

All the base ingredients, homemade pasta nests, ragu o Bolognese sauce, and bechamel can be made the day before.

On the day you want to serve them you just need to compose and bake them.

Homemade fresh spaghetti

Because this recipe uses homemade fresh spaghetti, you don't need to pre-boil the spaghetti.

Although you should only use 12 oz - 350 gr of spaghetti as from the recipe. If you use more the muffins will be packed and dry.

It is not difficult to make homemade spaghetti with the right tools and you can find the recipe here: Homemade Italian pasta recipe.

However, you don't need to make them if you don't have time. You can buy them already made at most supermarkets or specialty shops.

They have to be fresh spaghetti, not the dried ones. You can also use fresh tagliatelle or fettuccine.

If you cannot find fresh pasta, you can use dried spaghetti but you will have to pre-boil them for half of the time written on the box.

Ragu or Bolognese sauce

To season the spaghetti I make a Ragu sauce and mix it with Bechamel and heavy cream to make the sauce fluid and creamy.

The spaghetti muffins come out like little lasagna that children will surely love.

Although you can use any other sauce you like, simple tomato sauce if you prefer a vegetarian version, a Norma sauce with fried eggplants or porcini mushrooms, bacon, and peas.

Other ingredients you need

As mentioned above you will need bechamel sauce and heavy cream to make the ragu or Bolognese creamier and fluid.

Because you don't pre-boil the spaghetti, you need a very fluid sauce.

To add to the flavors I added Parmesan and Basil and to coat the muffin pan some olive oil and breadcrumbs.

I wanted these muffins to look like birth nests for Easter so I decorated them with some fresh basil leaves to add some green and mozzarella bites that look like eggs.

Let your imagination go and you can choose some other toppings like quail eggs, meatballs, or small sausages.

Making the Ragu sauce in the pressure cooker

To speed up the process I make my Ragu sauce in the pressure cooker. I use 9 oz - 250 gr of lean mincemeat, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, 1 onion and 2 cups - 500 gr of tomato sauce.

I use more tomato sauce that I would normally use to make the Ragu very liquid.

1. Stir fry the onion, carrot, and celery to make a soffritto, add the meat.
2. Stir the meat until it is all brown.

3. Add the tomato sauce and the beef stock, stir and close the pressure pan.
4. Once the pressure is built, the sauce has to cook for only 30 minutes.

N:B: If you don't have a pressure cooker the sauce should simmer for 2 hours.

Making Béchamel: White Roux

You need a small quantity of Bechamel: 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of flour and ½ cup - 120 ml of milk.

1. Stir for 1 or 2 minutes the flour and the butter in a pan over low heat with a wooden spoon to create a white roux.
2. Remove from the heat and gradually add the warm milk making sure no lumps are formed.
3. Put back on the heat and bring to boil stirring constantly.
4. Lower the heat and keep stirring, until it thickens.
5. Add salt and nutmeg at the end.

Preparing the sauce

5. In a bowl mix all the ingredients to make the sauce: ragu, bechamel, heavy cream, freshly grated parmesan, and chopped basil leaves. Leave some Parmesan and basil aside for the topping.

Assembling the muffins

1. Grease the cups of a muffins pan with olive oil using a brush to spread it evenly
2. Coat the cups with breadcrumbs
3. Pour in each cup 1 tablespoon of the prepared sauce
4. Place the spaghetti nests on top
5. Top the spaghetti with more sauce
6. Sprinkle more Parmesan and drizzle some olive oil

Bake and serve

7. Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 30 minutes
8. Place the muffins on a tray
9. Decorate with basil leaves
10. Top them with mozzarella bites and serve

More savoury muffins recipes

If you would like to have more ideas for savory muffins you will find on the blog:

• Romanesco cupcakes
• Flan with Wild asparagus
• Baked frittata

If you liked this recipe you may also like Pasta a frittata

If you are making these Italian pasta nests spaghetti muffins, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.