Leftover Pasta Frittata
Growing up, leftover pasta was always transformed into a frittata and was a crowd-pleaser. My mother's specialty, it's delicious, easy to put together in 30 minutes, and works with any type of pasta. Bake it as creamy and cheesy as you want it.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound leftover pasta
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup hard cheese such as parmesan and/or cheddar, grated
- ⅓ cup melting cheese such as mozzarella, grated
- 3-4 tablespoons cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- In a large bowl mix eggs, cream and seasonings.
- Add pasta and half of the hard cheese and all of the melting cheese.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Melt butter or oil in a cast iron skillet over low heat.
- Add the egg/pasta mixture and let cook without stirring for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Scatter the extra cheese on top.
- The egg will start to cook on the outside, but the middle will be very wet still.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake in the middle rack for 7 or 8 minutes, until the middle is almost firm. Set the oven to broil and the temperature to 400ºF (200ºC).
- Broil it for 5 more minutes so the top begins to set, or until you feel it's done to your liking, some people like it well done.
- Remove carefully using oven mitts or a thick kitchen towel , add chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
Eggs: there's no need to beat the eggs too much, it's more of a thorough mixing. We don't want the frittata to rise and fall too much, as you would a souffle or dutch pancake.
Seasonings: it is essential to add a nice dose of salt, pepper, herbs, spices, whatever is your jam. Even if your leftover pasta is well seasoned, you're adding a lot of extra ingredients and it will water them down.
Variations: you can use any leftover pasta (with tomato sauce it makes a fantastic frittata) and other cheeses. I like to use soft like goat cheese or mozzarella, but really, any cheese you love works. If using hard cheeses grate them for easier melting.
Individual servings: you can use 1-serving ramekins for a different presentation.
