Frittata means omelette and normally you prepare it just with eggs and maybe some ingredients to make a filling. I prepared a total different way in an Italian style: frittata di spaghetti.
Yep, that is pasta with eggs and baked in the oven. Of course, you can prepare this dish also in a pan on the stove, but I preferred the oven to have a little less mess with the turning over the frittata.
This is a dish you make with ‘old’ pasta, the left over of the day before. We generally don’t eat cold pasta the day after but we can re-use it for a new dish. This is one. That means you don’t need necessarily spaghetti, it can be any kind of pasta of the previous day, macaroni, fusilli or penne. And it doesn’t matter if they have also a little bit of sauce (as normally you put the pasta into the sauce, stir to mix well the sauce together with the pasta and then serve on the plates).
Historically this is an old way to re-use the pasta of the previous day. It is mostly made in a salty version, with cheese and/or bacon, salami or anything else. But there is also a sweet version that is a typical dish for Eastern in the Campagna region. And I like that one, too.
If you have ‘clean’ pasta it’s best to add some more taste like pancetta, salami or bacon. Also, some vegetables like peas for example are great. Everything that make the pasta a little more colorful and tasty. Add the eggs and the cheese (or omit, but it makes the pasta tastier), put in a frying pan or cake pan and bake for half an hour. You can cut the frittata like a cake in triangle-shaped pieces and eat them right away with your hand.
It is a great dish to bring for a picnic or when you are on a day trip.
Enjoy it!
- 300 gr spaghetti (paleo-friendly or gluten-free)
- 4 eggs
- 100 gr Grana Padana cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
- 80 gr pancetta (in small cubes) (or bacon in small cubes)
- 30 gr ghee
- olive oil (for the casserole)
- pinch salt and pepper
- Pu a big pot of water on the stove and bring it to boil. Then add the pasta (spaghetti, linguine, macaroni, spirals...). Let them cook until they are 'al dente'.
- Preheat the oven on 180°C/350°F.
- Pour them in a colander and then in a big bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix with two forks until everything is well combined.
- Put the pasta in a casserole and then into the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden on the top.
- Take the frittata out of the oven when ready and let it cool a little bit before cutting into pieces.
The frittata di spaghetti is perfect also the day after and cold. It's a popular picnic dish and great when you are going to travel.
