When I was a little girl my neighbor used to make this dish for us after we swam in the pool all day. Just like Fried Rice uses leftover rice you HAVE to use leftover spaghetti for this dish. It was my favorite as a child because only my neighbor made it for us in the summer time when his grandchildren would come and stay with him. When he passed away I never had it again. I hadn’t even thought about it until I had a child of my own and we had leftover spaghetti. I remembered it and I made it for her and she LOVES it. I don’t know what it is about it, but when you get these crispy bits of pasta and this buttery tomato sauce it turns from Spaghetti to something completely different. This is not really a recipe but simply an idea and technique. I’ve never heard of anyone else whose ever had it so I hope you enjoy. By the way you’ll definitely need a napkin or two its messy!
Tools
- Saute pan
- Large spatula
- apron for splatters
Ingredients
- TBS olive oil
- 2 TBS butter
- 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese*
- 3 Cups of Leftover Spaghetti with sauce*
- Fresh basil (optional)
Recipe
Heat the butter and olive oil in your sauté pan over medium heat. When butter is bubbling add your leftover spaghetti. Press the spaghetti around in the pan so it is in a thin layer. Do NOT move the spaghetti for 4 minutes, this is what makes the crispy bits. Keep an eye on it the butter and oil should bubble around the edges of the spaghetti. Flip the spaghetti over in sections and mix it up a bit. Then push flat again for 3 minutes. Top the spaghetti with Parmesan cheese so it gets melty. You can either slide it out of the pan whole and cut wedges or retoss in the pan and plate up. Top with more cheese and fresh basil if desired.
DELISH TIP 1-Your spaghetti and the sauce need to be mixed together the night before as the pasta will absorb overnight. I’ve tried mixing it together the next day and it doesn’t work. I’ve tried it with linguine too but Spaghetti works the best. If you have a lot leftover use more butter and/or olive oil.
DELISH TIP 2— This is a “Loose” recipe meaning the amount of spaghetti you have leftover may be different than mine. You may not need to cook yours as long as mine depending on how much sauce you have in your spaghetti. I like super crispy bits in my dish, if you don’t like that than don’t cook for as long. If you have more sauce than cook a bit longer and add more cheese.
DELISH TIP 3— I ALWAYS fresh grate my cheese now. Cellulose is inside pre-grated cheese– I don’t want wood fibers in my cheese but that’s just me :).