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Recipe ideas for leftover spaghetti
Always make too much spaghetti? Here are some ideas for using up the leftovers.
Thu, Jan 08 2009 at 1:23 PM
Spaghetti. The saving meal for all busy moms and dads. There are very few children who don’t like it. It’s one of the meals that no one will make a sour face over when they sit down to dinner at my house.You would think since I serve it so often, that I could figure out how to cook the right amount. But I can’t. Either I’ve got my husband and my youngest fighting over the last serving or there’s a bunch left in the bowl at the end of the meal.
Last night, we had leftover. Extra leftovers, actually, because my husband wasn’t home for dinner and I absentmindedly made it for four. I got to wondering, what else can I do with this leftover spaghetti besides putting it in a container and hoping someone will be willing to eat the leftovers. I’m on a waste a lot less food mission, and leftovers seem to be my nemesis.
Here are some recipes that I found that use leftover spaghetti so I can creatively use my leftovers next time they occur. Unless stated otherwise, all these recipes use spaghetti without sauce.
Spaghetti Pancake – spaghetti, eggs, and optional add ins done up in a skillet
Spaghetti Pie – a recipe that shows how to take leftover spaghetti as well as some other leftovers and make something that looks yummy
Ratatouille-Pasta Gratinee – lots of good vegetables, Italian spices, and mozzarella cheese
Leftover Spaghetti Sandwiches – spaghetti and cheese grilled between bread; okay I might not want to try this, but chances are my kids would be game
I think one of the keys to keeping food waste down to a minimum is finding creative ways to use up your leftovers.
What do you do with leftover spaghetti?
Image: MK Media Productions
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One time I had leftover spaghetti and I reheated it in a pan, added butter, fresh lemon juice, and some Parmesan cheese. It was so good I've been making it ever since. You can add leftover chicken, beef, or seafood.
I've also used leftover spaghetti to make some homemade chicken noodle soup.
Stir-fry up some veggies, add the leftover spaghetti and a little soy sauce for Chinese, or curry powder a coconut milk for Thai...the possibilities are endless.
An occasional overly ambitious trip to the Farmer's Market can sometimes leave me with vegetables finding themselves in the same situation as leftover spaghetti noodles. A well seasoned batch of noodles sautéed with vegetables--the more variety the better--is honestly hard to go wrong by. Also, a wide variety of healthy ingredients means plenty of nutrition!
I toss whole wheat spaghetti in a little toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, baked tofu, shredded carrot/broccoli mix (and any other small, cut up veggies I can find) and put it in my kids' lunches. No one complains - and it's different than the original. If I were really classy and not feeding picky kids, I would add some chili paste and/or garlic...