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Fried pasta is not even a recipe; it is what we, Italians, do when we have pasta leftover and don t want to cook anything. Fried cooked pasta is a classic in Itay and very popular with children.
When we were children, my mother used to make it for us when they had guests coming for dinner. She was sure we would get out of their way, eating it in our room in front of a cartoon.
Fried pasta is easy and quick to do and you can fry any cooked pasta.
But be aware, if your leftover pasta has been seasoned with tomatoes sauce, you will not have a crunchy fried pasta.
My favourite pasta a frittata is made with leftover spaghetti or linguine with pesto crunchy and full of cheese.
How to make leftover fried pasta
- On 1 portion of leftover pasta add 1 egg and 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese
- Mix them with a fork
- In a frying pan heat 1 tbsp of butter and 1 of olive oil
- Pour in the pasta and let it fry for few minutes
- Turn it around like an omelette.
- You can use the pan cover and slide it back in the pan to cook the other side.
- Place on a plate and enjoy
When to make it
Fried pasta can be done in only 3 minutes.
If you don’t have anything in the fridge and have a busy day ahead, I make sure I have some extra pasta to fry for next day lunch.
It is so fast to make that I sometimes make it in the morning for my boys’ school lunch. Add some salad and they have a complete lunch.
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Pasta a Frittata: Italian Fried Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 oz left over pasta at room temperature My favourite are is leftover spaghetti with green pesto.
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- You can either cook 100 gr of spaghetti, or use leftovers. Even if seasoned it is fine.
- Make sure they are at room temperature
- Mix them with the egg and the Parmesan
- Fry in a pan with butter
- When it becomes brown and crunchy (like in the picture) turn it around with the help of the pan cover and slide it back in the pan to cook the other side
- Enjoy warm or a t room temperature
Notes
- You can boil the pasta and fry it, but you will have better results if the pasta is from the day before and it is completely cold.
- Any type of pasta can be fried, and you can make it crunchy and thin or thick and soft.
- The secret for a crunchy fried pasta is to use the right amount of pasta per egg and the addition of parmesan cheese.
- If you don't want to use the egg, you can still stir fry the pasta by turning it regularly with a wooden spoon.
My mom used to make this. It was such a treat and I think of it as comfort food! Thanks for reminding me of this recipe. It looks fabulous!
Such a simple idea. I hate to think how much pasta I must have thrown away over the years as I didn’t know what to do with it…
LOL, now you know