I don’t know about you, but for many years there I had a problem with making too much spaghetti. That small handful of long dry noodles just looked skimpy to my eye and I always put in more—or maybe I liked the idea of noodles so much I thought I could eat more than I ultimately was able to. Japanese noodles come nicely wrapped in one portion servings, but with Italian pasta you’re on your own; I always overshot the mark.
I was pretty young at the time, just learning how to cook. Because my mother was busy working, my brother and I were often left to our own devices. Not infrequently we ended up in the kitchen, attempting to cook one thing or another. We came up with a number of recipes during that time. There was a biscuit/scone sort of thing with raisins that I still crave. We often made a dish we called “Bachelor Beans” that consisted of heating up a can of beans, a can of corn, half a jar of salsa, and some grated cheese and eating it out of the bowl with tortilla chips (if we wanted to be really gourmet we added fresh chopped tomato and cilantro). We also figured out what to do with a bowl of leftover spaghetti: we made a big spaghetti pancake.
I thought of this recently when I was at my brother’s house, taking care of my baby niece, and noticed a large bowl of leftover noodles in the fridge. I hadn’t made a spaghetti pancake in years and I wondered if it were one of those childhood cookery projects best not revisited. Some of our young favorites turn out to be bland or soggy when we try to recreate them as adults. Our palates have sharpened, become more refined, and suddenly peanut butter balls rolled in flaked coconut doesn’t seem nearly as delicious as you remember.
But I know I was making spaghetti pancakes well into my college years. I remember one morning when my boyfriend at the time and I were faced with a large bowl of cooked noodles left over from the night before.
“Let’s throw it out,” my boyfriend said. We were spending the weekend in Bolinas and heading back home that afternoon. There wouldn’t be any more dinners before we left.
“No, we can make spaghetti pancakes with that.”
“That sounds gross,” he said, wrinkling his nose. For a mountain climber and wilderness guide, he had a rather unadventurous spirit and palate.
“It’s just noodles and eggs,” I said, like a matzo-brei but with spaghetti. You never know—you might like it.”
And when I had cracked and beaten the eggs, mixed in the leftover spaghetti, and fried the whole thing up—a large pancake-like thing that was eggy and salty and crispy on the outside, he admitted that it wasn’t half bad. Then he asked for seconds.
This all came back to me recently as I was reading Faith Heller Willenger’s book, Adventures of an Italian Food Lover
Faith’s version is gussied up with proscuitto and cheese, items that were not available in our 1970s health food kitchen, but the frugal bones are the same: don’t throw out the noodles, use them as the basis of a new dish. This is one of the things that I love about Italian cooking, there is a down to earth frugality. Stale bread is never thrown out, it is used in soup or a salad—or soaked in warm milk and drizzled with honey for breakfast, as I onced watched my friend Fabio do when he woke up tired and hungry after flying in from Rome.
So, as a homage to frugal cooking—and because I really wanted to try recreating a childhood invention—I recently boiled up a large quantity of noodles, far more than I needed for dinner. The next morning I cracked the eggs, mixed the whole thing together, and fried it up. I followed my own instincts, not wanting to make the dish from Faith’s book, but hoping for an approximation of what my brother and I used to make. I was dreading that it might turn out awful, a child’s palate pleaser far too bland for the adult I’ve grown into.
I have to report that still like my spaghetti pancake. It’s yummy and comforting, though I will admit the basic version is a bit plain. The adult I’ve become would jazz it up a little, with chopped herbs, perhaps some proscuitto or bacon—cheese would work well here too, or finely chopped tomato. It has a texture that reminds me of noodle kugel, tortilla Espanola, or matzo brei.
[For those who have been deprived of the joy of matzo brei, it is a large pancake made of matzo crackers softened and mixed with beaten egg and then fried. At least it is traditionally made with matzo—once, in a fit of culinary homesickness while in Japan, I made matzo brei with Saltine crackers, which was the goyest version of a matzo brei ever, but desperate times call for desperate measures].
In any case, I still like my spaghetti pancake. And the leftovers are going over to my two little nieces. Perhaps we can get another generation of the family hooked on the pleasure of leftover pasta and serendipitous kitchen experiments.
What do you do with your leftover spaghetti? Any inventive solutions?
SPAGHETTI PANCAKE
Serves four
3 cups cooked spaghetti noodles
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt, or to taste
black pepper to taste
butter or oil for frying, at least 1 tsp
Optional add-ins, as desired: chopped fresh herbs, diced tomatoes, proscuitto or bacon, cheese, small diced vegetables such as zucchini (dice very small so it will cook through), minced onion or garlic.
In a large bowl beat the eggs until smooth. Add the spaghetti noodles and mix until they are all coated. Mix in the salt and pepper and any add-ins you would like. Heat the oil or butter in a large fying pan, it should be well oiled. Pour the noodle mixture into the pan and allow to set on the bottom. Using a plastic spatula, run it around the side of the pancake, to prevent sticking to the pan. Peer under the bottom from time to time, until the pancake begins to brown. Turn over by sliding it onto a plate and putting the fry pan on top
and flipping over. Cook until slightly brown on both sides and the center has firmed. Turn out onto a plate and cut into wedges.
Note: If you’d like to make a smaller pancake—or have a smaller amount of leftover noodles to use up—you can easily decrease the amounts here. You just want to make sure that all the noodles are coated and the mixture isn’t too soupy with beaten egg, see here for a picture of the consistency you are looking for.
Twitter
Flickr
RSS
Aww, childhood in the kitchen! I have many happy memories of making a complete disaster of the kitchen whilst making crepes or pancakes on parentless summer mornings. Fun!
I have a similar use for leftover noodles: add them to a frittata. Essentially, this is just a beefed up version of your pancake.. herbs, leftover veggies, pasta, and cheese all held together with eggs and milk.
This is brilliant!! I always end up with leftover spaghetti noodles and I am completely obsessed with pancakes… this is the best idea I’ve heard of in quite a while. Thanks!!
Interesting concept, I’ve never seen anything like this. Great way to prevent waste.
I have this recipe my uncle gave me called Spaghetti Pie, and the first layer consists of…spaghetti, egg, and parmesan pressed into a pie pan to make the crust. The center is an Americanized version of lasagna, meat sauce layered with ricotta and mozzarella.
Your spagetti pancake really reminded me of eating that dish when I was younger.
Rachael Ray made what she called a spaghetti pizza the other day – it was basically your spaghetti pancake slathered with a layer of herbs and ricotta cheese. I have to admit it grossed me out in its raw form, but when she cut a slice and I saw it was just a cheesy, noodly crustless quiche, it suddently didn’t look half as bad. Still. Rachael Ray. Ew.
very nice way to use up your spaghetti! I have to tell you that the Japanese are bundling their pasta too nowadays
yum that looks delicious! i think i’d add basil and some kind of cheese. i always cook too much spaghetti too, so thanks for sharing this wonderful way of using up the leftovers.
this reminds me of spaghetti in my family. we’re iranian, so my mom always prepared it how she prepares rice — initial parboil, then put some oil and a bit of water at the bottom of a pot, throw the noodles back in, and steam the whole thing. we’d end up with a delicious browned crust, like persian tahdig. total non-traditional weirdo fusion (especially when there’s cinnamon and ground dried lemons in the tomato sauce), but the most fought-after part of dinner!
When I was in college I would make a hot breakfast out of leftover noodles with milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Maybe vanilla.
I much preferred the rice version, though, of which I ate a lot when we got a case of those one-ounce packets of cream cheese: Rice pudding-like, it was milk, cream cheese, rice, vanilla (maybe), sugar, and cinnamon.
Yep, I eat everything – give me a fork and get out of the way. (-:
Hi! New reader here. Must say, I love your spaghetti pancake idea. Will try it sometime really soon
I’m a new reader, and I LOVE love love your site. I forgot how I came by it (already! silly me), but I do know that I love your writing. I am also completely astounded at the depth and length of such posts as this. How DOES she do it? I wonder in awe. I have a lot to learn.
But about spaghetti. I am feeling chagrined in recognizing that I’ve never once hesitated to throw out those extra spaghetti noodles–though now I’ll see them as a bonus instead of the “pea” in my metaphorical bed of perfectionism. Thanks!
Maiapapaya–oooh, that’s a great idea! I bet it would be really good with wide noodles. And yes, aren’t those childhood kitchen disasters fun to think about now?
Chumblyface–glad you like the idea. You could make the pancake sweet, if you wanted to, but I like it salty, like hashbrowns. Enjoy!
Kelly–well, if I can keep a few sad noodles from the trash bin, I figure I’ve done my part for humanity, no?:-)
Nancy–that sounds like something I would have loved when I was a kid. Mmmm, Spaghetti Pie.
Catherine–hrumpf, Rachael is stealing my brilliant culinary breakthroughs! (trust me when I say I didn’t get it from her–haven’t watched a lick of tv since I moved to Seattle, don’t miss it either).
Kat–you see, they really are brilliant. Such a help to have these in life.
Eatme_delicious–I think it would be great with basil and cheese, maybe with tiny diced tomato as well. Might have to make it again soon!
Tannaz–I LOVE that crispy bottom as well. I think I would enjoy having dinner with your family–I’d be in there fighting with you for the bottom as well!
Samatakah–that does sound like those noodle kugels, only without eggs and raisins. Sounds comforting.
Kaoko–welcome! It’s a little quirky, but I hope you like it.
Sarah–yay for giving your spaghetti a second life! Thanks for the kind words, these sorts of post are easy to dash off (it’s the Japanese food, with six million different steps, that really takes it out of me). Glad to hear you are enjoying the blog.
Tea, such a cute idea. I’ve never had a spaghetti pie, I feel as though I’ve been deprived! For some reason the kid in me is taking over here but I’m imagining cutting the spaghetti pie into fingers and having marinata sauce to dip them into.. or any other kind of sauce for that matter. Ok, maybe this is better for kids, but you see where my mind is at with this
Leftover spaghetti — I do one of two things. A frittata, of course, though that’s not terribly inventive — or I cut up the spaghetti into one-inch lengths, brown them in a pan, and incorporate them with rice to make a pilaf.
I love leftovers! It is a great way to be creative and come up with new dishes. Besides I totally suffer from “My eyes are bigger than my tummy” syndrome.
PS – I am also a new reader. And I believe in quirky!
miam! this looks deliciuos!
Leftover spaghetti never lasted long in my house growing up. Most of my family prefers eating leftovers for breakfast to eating normal breakfast foods. (Especially if the leftovers are pasta–we’re all hard-core noodle lovers.) Leftover spaghetti if it gets eaten relatively quickly & is heated with sauce in the microwave is pretty decent… I still intentionally cook too much pasta so that I have something to pack for lunch the next day or something to pull out when I get hungry late at night… Or, yes, to eat for breakfast…
A Spaghetti Frittata is very common in Italy. They make it all the time for brunch with any extra vegetables and cheese. I think ham and peas are the most common in the area of Rome.
Leftover spaghetti is why microwaves were invented. A little butter and parmesan grated over the hot noodles with just a little black pepper and salt… But I love your idea, too, and will try it next time with maybe a little ham or bacon mixed in.
I am kinda weird about eggs so I don’t know if I would make this…but maybe…
My re-use for cooked spaghetti or angel hair pasta: I stir-fry thin strips of zucchini and yellow squash with olive oil, oregano, basil & salt & pepper. I then toss the cold pasta into the pot and get it all coated, then add some Parmesan. I call it pasta confetti. Very tasty!
We never had much pasta left over in our house of five big eaters, but when we did, Mama often cut it up and added it to stock with vegetables and sometimes meat to make quickie chicken noodle or minestrone or just vegetable soup with pasta.
However, we always had leftover sauce. Mom made her special recipe (nothing like most Italian sauces, sort of a bastardized, Americanized version of a Bolognese sauce) in a huge pot. She’d freeze enough for another meal or two for the family, but there was always some left over, not enough to freeze, too much to throw away.
So…for lunch sometimes, she’d spoon cold, chunky, tomatoey, mushroomy, meaty sauce onto a slice of whole wheat bread, and top with another slice spread with mayonnaise (I know, I know). It sounds disgusting, but we liked it.
I have a feeling though, Tea, that it may be one of those childhood dishes NOT enjoyed by the adult me!
I found your blog via Elise’s blog, and I’m so glad. I’m enjoying your writing, and your photos are wonderful. I’ll be perusing your archives, and checking back for new posts!
A little bit of butter and a lot of brown sugar. Makes for a very comforting dessert and brings back lovely memories of music camps when I was little, which is the only place where I’ve ever encountered this combination.
Hi Tea, actually from time to time I make noodle pillows (recipe courtesy of SF China Moon/Barbara Tropp). The pancake is thinner and made from cold precooked (I sometimes use ramen) noodles lightly coated in sesame oil & salt/sesame seeds and crisped up to be served with any kind of stirfry on top!
I know someone who makes a dish similar to your pancake, but she puts it in a pie dish with some of the spaghetti mixture pushed up the sides, layers on some ricotta cheese, a layer of good red sauce or ragu’, and a layer of parmesan cheese. Baked it is a bit like lasagna and very tasty with the crust being the leftover spaghetti. My leftovers either get eaten with leftover sauce a few days later, or end up in the back of the fridge until I clean the fridge, poor things.
Tea,
I think this is a wonderful way of using the spaghetti! It looks mouthwatering – tks for sharing.
Your blog is beautiful!
My mother used to make a savory, non-sweet noodle kugel just like this but with fine, thin egg noodles mixed with the eggs, salt and pepper. It was, in Jewish culinary tradition, fried in chicken fat which gave it an incomparable flavor — and it often accompanied brisket or some other gravy-rich dish, for which it was a great foil. Thanks for bringing back such a great savory memory!
I consider this a successful return to childhood comfort food! I do hope you hook the little ones into this. Now, I must return to Faith’s book and check her’s out even while thinking this is one of those Italian things that you just put together because it sort of falls together. I won’t make it soon, I’ll wait for that time when all things align correctly and it makes it’s self.
tea, when and where did you live in japan, I am here now. we have lived here for almost 10 years now, but thinking about heading back to the usa next year.
Michele–I fear you have been deprived as well! (not really, but it’s awfully fun). I love your idea of dipping fingers–might have to steal that one:-)
Lydia–wow, I love the pilaf idea, going to steal that as well!
Sage Cat–yay for quirky (and for leftovers, I love them). Welcome.
Leonine–thanks! I like it quite a bit.
Ellen–yes, I am a cook too much pasta person as well. Good stuff.
Anon–that’s great, thanks for chiming in! And to think there are those who throw it out… (sigh).
Zoomie–it’s tasty with a little meat, I’ve tried pancetta. Yum.
Moxie–your solution sounds delicious!
Carolie–thanks for the kind words! The soup idea is excellent, of course, and I would definitely try the sauce sandwich–reminds me of ratatouille between bread, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
Inne–hmmm, never thought of going sweet with it, but I bet it was good.
Callipgia–that sounds delish! I remeber eating at China Moon when I was a kid (well, teenager maybe). Yum.
Elle–spaghetti pie, I have heard of it, but never tried it myself. Bet it’s tasty.
Patricia–thanks for the kind words!
Julie–I bet that was delicious! I like noodle kugel, just don’t like the sweet versions so much (pasta and raisins, no thanks!). Yours sounds wonderful.
Tanna–yay for childhood comfort food! You’re right, this is a kitchen sink dish, it felt weird to be making it intentionally (but I have been craving it ever since, so perhaps I will be making it intentionally more often).
Lauren–I was in Japan from 1993-1998 (Gifu and Nagano prefs), with other time spent there as a child. Leaving was one of the hardest things I have ever done–but, for me, also the right thing to do. Best of luck with your decision!
Hi, I’ve just found your blog and love what I’ve seen so far.
I am compelled to commenting on this though, because it is something my family has been doing all my life if not longer. It is a fantastic way to use leftovers. I like it with tomato and herbs, or grated zucchini and parsely.
Hello again – always a pleasure to check in and see what you have been up to. We were also ‘part-time self-raised’children and learnt to do things like your spag pancake – delicious! Now days I do something similar with left over mash potato for my girls – just add onion rings to the bottom of the pan – slop the the butter in and the mash ontop – let it brown and crisp up – turn over using a plate and when it is crisp on both sides – serve on a big round plate topped with smoked salmon with a little salad on the side – they think it is fancy schmancy… LOL
I just looked this up through Google. I made it tonight with a little cheese, italian spices, eggs and salt and pepper. My kids (4 and almost 2) absolutely loved it! Thank you for a new twist on leftover spaghetti noodles.
Lisa–thanks, so funny that you guys did this too! I love the idea of zucchini and herbs. Yum.
Lynda–wow, your mashed potato version sounds delicious (is it dinner time yet?:-). I am going to have to try that.
Laura–I am so glad you liked it–and the little ones as well! Thanks for reporting back.
Really nice place, Tea. I’ve been making fried b’fast noodles (usually spaghetti of one sort or another) for years. This morning, I had some leftover buckwheat soba and used that. Wonderful. But, I always fry my noodles first to get the inside of the pancake a little crispy, then dump them into the eggs, stir, and fry just as you do. Even my late wife said it was “pretty good” with enough salt and pepper. It’s good with a little onion, too.
Peter–crispy noodles sounds wonderful! I must try your technique. Thanks for sharing.
I have just discovered this blog and I love it. My grandmother called matzo brei matzocabra; she made a very basic pancake of matzo and egg, and then sprinkled either salt or sugar and lemon juice over the top. I usually make it as she did, with a teaspoon of vanilla essence added to the eggs, and add sugar and lemon juice afterwards; but I think I might try your noodle version, with a little lemon zest grated into the mix and lemon and sugar sprinkled over.
Our cook used to make little spaghetti pancakes – individual serving size.
I have some leftover spaghetti and the Google brought me here. Can’t wait to try it tonight.
Well, I can’t WAIT to try Spaghetti Pancake! But I read about it AFTER I already used up my noodle. So far (bsp – before spaghetti pancake) my favorite way to use up noodles is to make Cold Spicy Noodles, which uses peanut butter, tahini, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. It’s yummy!!
My younger sister made spaghetti with some of her friends. Thinking they would need enough spaghetti for 25-30 people they made 3 bags of noodles. I have had noodles flowing out my ears! I have seen some of the noodle pancake recipes, so I decided to try it out. The noodles started to get a little soggy, so I kind of sauteed the noodles in olive oil, as well as some green onions, green peppers, red peppers, zuchinni, and banana sqaush. I put some rosemary and thyme on it. It was really good but a little dry so I decided to add egg and fry it up. I then realized that I only 2 eggs. So I could put as much egg in it as I wanted. So the egg Part was light, but it still tasted really yummy. Then I used a japanese condiment, called okonomi sauce. That was really yummy! The problem is that I still have alot of noodles. So I think I am going to try the spaghetti pancake with steamed asparagus and broccoli topped with parmeson cheese. Hope it sould good!
Love your post! What a great idea for the leftover spaghetti noodles. I always end up throwing them away for lack of ideas.
It was so funny for me to read about the “Bachelor Beans”. When I was a young teen I loved eating a similar version. I used a can of mixed veggies, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, and topped it off with corn chips. I used to LOVE eating that. I wonder if I would still find that appetizing?
Thanks for the great idea!
What a great idea for my grandkids!
Yes, reminds me of the time I sliced leftover macaroni and cheese in thin slices and sauteed in butter until it was crisp on the edges! Yum!
yum. i made this for dinner and it was delicious. perfect for these “lean times”. thanks for sharing! (i will have to check out the rest of your blog now too…!)
Just made it! I added green onions and chopped bacon to it and it was delicious! Thanks for the great idea!
Not sure how this really differs from a frittata (which I've never made, just seen on TV) but this is very good indeed.
I fixed too many egg noodles to match a chicken & sauce dish, & had 2 egg yolks left after making meringue — plus half a jalapeno & some goat cheese. Just what I needed for your creation, & it became a lovely lunch with some cherry tomatoes on the side.
Many thanks for such a nice way to salvage odds & ends.
Sounds good! I would definitely add provolone or parmesan and lots of coarse black pepper (get it really golden, too)
My grandmother makes this all the time. She adds quite a lot of freshly cracked black pepper. Ahh, so nostalgic. None of us have ever dared cook it on our own, it seemed almost like heresy.
A Spaghetti Pancake sounds really good!
OK, had to try it. It's mind over matter, especially when the last thing that comes to mind is fried spaghetti. I cooked it in olive oil as suggested and added Italian seasoning and a little garlic. It was good and I think that we will try it again.
No ripe off here. My family has been making spaghetti pie for generation. One difference between our recipe and yours is that we add graded cheese, but essential it is the same recipe. Never heard it called spaghetti pancake though. There is an italian word for it that my Nonna (grandmother) called it "Minyatz" (Work most likely spelled wrong).
I just made a dish using sliced mushrooms, bacon, carrot, tomatoe, peas, corn, onion, chives. Thickened cream, Cheese & a sachet of a base for potatoe back. It looks a little like a quiche/ potatoe back it smells really nice. Its still cooking so I will leave a comment on the flavour and taste later. Cheers Jo, from Australia
Jo from Australia; says What I cooked turned out just beautiful. I actually ate more than I should of and felt to full. It was supposed to to eaten at tea time but when everyone got home from school and work it was gone. If you whant any info you can find me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=100000300263959
You know what? You saved my Spaghettis ｼ
Thank you for this great post.
Tea –
when I first saw this recipe (a couple of years ago!) I thought "I've never heard of such a thing… I'll have to try this sometime."
But then – I never did. Turns out, I *never* have leftover spaghetti! (TheBoy is a spaghetti-vaccuum…)
Flashforward a couple of years – bringing us to today. I'm rummaging through the fridge doing my usual Sunday trying-to-make-lunch-out-of-very-little, when I find a tupperware container of cold spaghetti. I vaguely remembered that I wanted to try to do something with it… To make a long story short(er) I set to Google, found you and your recipe, and set about making lunch.
Bubba and Schecky both wanted to know what was for lunch. "SPAGHETTI PANCAKE!" I proudly exclaimed. Their responses were underwhelming, to say the least. Requests were made for frozen pizza instead.
I told the lousy scoffers to get out of my kitchen.
I used your recipe, but made a few additions that I (somehow miraculously) had on hand: a slice of proscuitto that I diced up, a Tbsp each of minced red/yellow pepper, a getting long-in-the-tooth green onion that I sliced thinly, and a little chunk of parmesan that I shredded.
It. was. magical.
It browned up every bit as pretty as yours did, much to my delight, and crisped like a dream.
The scoffers became immediate converts.
I'm glad this recipe stuck in my head like a big shiny diamond. It's a keeper.
Now…. If I only had leftover spaghetti hanging around here more often!
Thank you, thank you, thank you – and I hope all is well!
xo
lla
I’ve been intrigued by this recipe for a while (my mom used to make something similar when I was younger) and today, as Hurricane Irene is raining down on me in DC, seemed like the perfect time. Threw in some cheese and mint from the windowbox and it was the perfect crunchy accompaniment to some chicken. Thanks!
One of my childhood favorites (certainly not as inspired as spaghetti pancake) was a concoction we called “spaghetti sandwich,” basically spaghetti with sauce piled onto a slice of whatever bread was hanging around the kitchen and didn’t look worse for wear. Growing up I thought everyone ate it; now that I am an adult I know better
Looking forward to trying this recipe!
My favorite way to eat spaghetti! My mother always used to make extra spaghetti for just this purpose, and I still do the same. I also make extra of whatever sauce I am having because nothing goes better with spaghetti pancake than a nice meatsauce or even meat balls in marinara. I usually mix in some garlic powder and parmesan cheese to my pancake for a little extra kick.
Great ideas, Casey. Thanks for sharing!
My mother always made this – added some parmesan cheese, if we had it, and some onion. We loved it, we called it “cooney pie”. We had sauce* on Sunday and cooney pie usually showed up on the dinner table Monday.
* That’s how the kids in our Italian neighborhood referred to “having spaghetti” for dinner – Having Sauce – as in:
“whaddya havin for dinner, Anthony?”
We’re having sauce, Joey, wadda you havin?”
“sauce, too, waddya think, Anthony !? It’s Sunday, ain’t it?!”
. “Cool>”
Aww, I LOVE this conversation. Such a piece of time and place.
Thanks for sharing!