Easy Spaghetti Frittata: A Delicious Italian Recipe
Spaghetti frittata is a traditional Neapolitan pasta dish bound together with eggs and cheese. Italian grandmothers have made versions of this frittata for their families for years using leftover pasta and other simple ingredients. I took the simple dish and combined it with the classic flavors of a Margherita pizza.
During times of poverty or hardship in Italy. meat was traditionally saved for a special Sunday meal. This custom is referred to as cucina povera or “poor kitchen.” Throughout the week, simple, inexpensive ingredients were used to create flavorful and filling meals to feed the family. Often leftover pasta from lunch was repurposed into a new meal, one of which was a spaghetti frittata.
The dish started as a way to use leftovers. It is so popular and beloved that many cooks now make it from scratch with fresh ingredients. The simplest of meals can sometimes be the best and spaghetti frittata is one of them.
My spaghetti frittata “Margherita style” features a topping of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil and finished in the oven. It can be served hot or cold as an appetizer. It can also be served for dinner with a mixed green salad, garlic bread and a glass of wine. You can even stuff it into a loaf of crusty bread to take along on a picnic or other outing.
There are two ways of cooking a traditional frittata. If you are adventurous, the traditional way is on the stovetop then flipping it with a plate. The frittata can also be finished in the oven like I did in this recipe. Finishing in the oven will make sure it’s cooked through without the need for flipping
Spaghetti Frittata alla Margherita
Serves 2 – 4, adjust the recipe according
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- 4 – 5 eggs
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 3 Tbsp. of grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
- 2 – 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 – 3 c. leftover spaghetti or 6 oz. spaghetti cooked according to pkg. directions
- 6 – 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered, seasoned with a little olive oil, salt and pepper
- a small handful of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 of a small ball of fresh mozzarella, cubed
- chopped basil or parsley for garnish
- Whisk the eggs with the seasonings and grated cheese until well blended. Add the spaghetti and toss until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Heat the olive oil in a 10 inch nonstick ovenproof skillet, swirling to coat the sides.
- Add the spaghetti and egg mixture to the hot pan, spreading it evenly. Cook for about 5–8 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the bottom is set.
- Top with the tomatoes, basil and cubed mozzarella. Place in the oven for approximately 5 – 10 minutes or until the eggs are cooked. (This depends on how many eggs and how much pasta you are using.)
- Remove the frittata from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and then serve.
You can check for doneness with an instant read thermometer. It should reach 160 degrees. You can also check doneness when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Resourceful Italians originally made this dish to stretch their budget. They used leftover pasta with other ingredients for this purpose. You can adapt it with whatever you have on hand. Use leftover meats, seasonal vegetables, and other cheeses such as provolone for greater versatility.
NOTES FROM THE KITCHEN
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If you are looking for something to do with leftover pasta, this spaghetti frittata is delicious meal. Because frittatas are so versatile they are great dish to make with fresh ingredients, not just leftovers. Another recipe I believe you would enjoy is my Spinach, Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Frittata.
This is sort of like pizza meets spaghetti, such a creative recipe~sounds like a wonderful meal to me!
Jenna
Your frittata looks lovely and quite delicious! You mentioned a Spinach, Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Frittata also . . . I have all the ingredients, sounds like a plan for Sunday dinner!
How delicious! I’ve just eaten a warm frittata sandwich for lunch, but mine had leftover potatoes instead of pasta.
This recipe looks delicious! I will be making this week, while the family is gone for various reasons. It’s perfect for me for many meals along with a nice salad. Thanks!
I love frittata and this is an interesting and great way of making it for a perfect midweek supper.
The next time we make spaghetti, I will need to cook extra so that I can have leftover to make this. It looks delicious, Karen.
Isn’t it interesting that some of the most popular foods were basically peasant food? This looks delicious and I like that it’s vegetarian too.
My Mom would make something similar to this. Thank you for the memories and the reminder to make it once again. Wonderful recipe!
What fun, and delicious I’m sure!
I make a similar frittata with leftover spaghetti and I love it. I haven’t used fresh mozza and will next time I make it. Thanks!
I don’t eat pasta, but I love this unique idea!
I’ve often had leftover spaghetti but have not known what to do with it other than reheat it with some more sauce. I’ve never heard of nor would I have thought of making it into a frittata but what a great idea. Our leftover pasta always has a little sauce on it to prevent it from sticking together but I believe it would still work fine it this dish.
We love Italian food and frittatas. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe, Karen!
We often eat frittatas here, and i usually bake them, as it is so easy. I definitely use my cake skewer to test them, rather than a toothpick :=) Think of the environment – all that wood that just gets chucked out!!
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
This is such a great variation of the traditional ones I have seen 🙂
A great idea for using up leftover spaghetti. Thanks for sharing Karen!
This is such a great way to use leftovers!
In my house we call this birds nest. It’s my daughters favorite comfort food
I have made spaghetti frittata! I got the idea from an old Lorenza de Medici book. I went. Little crazy making frittatas for my girls. One of them asked me to stop making them….
This recipe is more than a meal; it’s a mindful way to enjoy every last bite!
The frittata sounds yummy, especially the topping. I made a quiche recently and this sounds better!
Have made and loved frittatas all my life but don’t remember using spaghetti as an ingredient. Why not! But cold spaghetti is a newbie which just has to be tried 🙂 !
I love this, an entire meal created around using leftovers. A beautiful nod to the Nona’s making use of every bit! And a bonus that it is so easy to put together.
Looks delicious! This is definitely the best way to recycle leftover pasta.
What a delicious way to repurpose leftover pasta into something so enticing. I always say that you can add most anything to an omelet to make it delicious. This just reinforces the versatility of staples like eggs and noodles.