Rachel Roddy’s recipe for leftover spaghetti frittata | A kitchen in Rome

A locked-down Roman kitchen makes enterprising use of leftover pasta in a moreish spaghetti ‘fry-up’ topped with lots of cheese

How many people does it take to turn a frittata di pasta? Here, at the moment, two. We discuss (argue) about when exactly, and whether a pan lid or a plate is better for inverting, and which of us used a pan scrub on the nonstick pan. It wasn’t me. Lockdown has concentrated everything, reduced our stocks and patience. It has also concentrated the importance of leftovers, or, as a friend calls them, “leave-that-alone-don’t-eat-it-it-is-for-tomorrow’s-lunch”.

With most frittate – potato, asparagus, onion, bottom-of-the-fridge – the ingredients are held together by the egg. With a frittata di pasta, it is the other way round: the egg is held by the pasta. That isn’t to say that the eggs in frittata di pasta aren’t glue – they are, adhering to the strands of spaghetti like mud in a bird’s nest, but without encasing the whole thing. This means that, instead of a heavy yellow frame, the edges are made by the curves of spaghetti which, like snags in a sweater, poke and stick out, toasting as the frittata fries – which is the other difference: while most frittate are soft, frittata di pasta (at least the way we like it) is firmer, bronzed and has toasted edges.

**Disclaimer – My article contains affiliate links. All products are ones I recommend. If you choose to purchase one of these items through the URL , I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. All proceeds help support the blog.