This leftover spaghetti recipe is a quick and delicious way of dealing with leftover pasta. Fry it in the pan with a few more ingredients, a fool-proof dinner idea, perfect for the family.
What to do with leftover spaghetti? This leftover spaghetti recipe! There are many ways to use them, but one of the simplest and tastiest ones is to fry them with bacon, onions, and cheese. The result is a comforting and filling dish, a perfect family dinner meal.
Today's recipe and Fried Spaghetti are two of our favorite leftover recipes, and I really do cook them more often than you might think. Why not? I hate throwing away food and I am always looking for good ideas for using up anything.
Try another simple pasta recipe with cherry tomatoes, this comforting Chorizo Pasta Bake.
Ingredients: 6 + spices and oil
Working time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
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Recipe ingredients
Leftover spaghetti: Cooked pasta keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days, so you will have plenty of time to cook it. You will not even have to complain about eating noodles two days in a row.
- The recipe is scaled for about 1 lb (450 g) of cooked pasta, but you can scale it up and down to fit your requirements; it is very unlikely that you will ever have precisely 1 lb of cooked noodles.
- The other ingredients should be enough for roughly anything between 12 and 20 oz (350-550 g) of leftover pasta.
- If you don’t have leftovers but you would still like to try this dish (it’s worth it!), cook 9 oz (250 g) pasta, drain it well, and leave it to cool and dry slightly before frying.
Cheese: I usually have Cheddar or Gouda; they are tasty, good-melting cheeses. However, you can choose whatever sort of good-melting cheese you like. Feta is excellent as well; it has a completely different flavor.
- I don’t recommend using already grated cheese; the additives it contains will hinder it from melting nicely.
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Try Spaghetti with Ground Beef, too.
Variations
Sub bacon with canned tuna (well drained and flaked), cooked chicken or other meat leftovers, chopped ham, salami, or other deli meats, chopped leftover meatballs, and so on.
These ingredients should be added to the pan after the onions are soft, together with the tomatoes or the pasta. As they are already cooked, they only need some time to warm up in the skillet.
Vegetarian version: Leave out the bacon and make sure that the cheese you are using is vegetarian (made with vegetarian and not animal rennet). All the veggies should be cooked in the pan together with the onions until they are soft. My favorite substitutes for bacon in this recipe are eggplants or zucchini.
Other delicious vegetarian substitutes are eggplants (ensure you cook them long enough; they should be really soft), bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli florets, carrots, etc.
How to fry spaghetti leftovers?
Preparations: Chop the onion and bacon. Halve the cooked spaghetti and the cherry tomatoes, keeping them in separate bowls. If the spaghetti is not already cooked, cook it according to the packet's instructions and drain it well.
Step #1: Cook onions in the foaming butter and oil for a few minutes.
Step #2: Add bacon and cook on medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, often stirring.
Step #3: Add the tomatoes and oregano to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step #4: Add noodles and stir well for about 4-5 minutes until they are heated through.
Step #5: Sprinkle the grated cheese on top, add some salt and pepper.
Step #6: Stir well until the cheese melts; it will take another 2-3 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Leftover spaghetti can stay good for 3-5 days if stored in an airtight container. Check for spoilage and freshness by smelling it before consuming.
Keep them refrigerated in an airtight container and reheat them again before serving. Do that in the microwave or on the stovetop. If reheating on the stovetop, add a little more oil or butter and maybe a splash of water while frying again.
What to serve them with?
Serve with a salad with a vinaigrette or yogurt dressing. Or with a vegetable salad, steamed, boiled, or roasted vegetables.
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📖 Recipe
Quick Leftover Spaghetti Recipe
Equipment
- Large skillet (cast-iron or nonstick pan)
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti cooked, Notes 1, 2
- 1 onion medium
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter salted or unsalted
- 3 oz bacon lean, Notes 3,4
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes Note 5
- 1 teaspoon oregano Note 6
- 1 cup cheese grated, Note 7
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher, more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the onion finely. Chop the bacon if necessary. Set aside.1 onion + 3 oz bacon
- Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet on high heat. Add oil and butter and let the butter foam gently.1 ½ tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon butter
- Add onions and bacon. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are softer.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes, add them to the pan together with the oregano. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.8 oz cherry tomatoes + 1 teaspoon oregano
- Add the halved spaghetti and stir well for about 4-5 minutes until they are heated through.1 lb spaghetti
- Add grated cheese, salt, and pepper and stir well for another 2-3 minutes until the cheese melts.1 cup cheese
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.¼ teaspoon fine sea salt + ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Notes
- Pasta: You can use any type of cooked pasta you have.
- From scratch: If you don’t have leftovers, cook about 9 oz (250 g) pasta, drain well, and let cool and dry slightly before frying.
- Bacon: Already cubed bacon (or pancetta), if available. Otherwise, chopped regular bacon.
- For a vegetarian dish, replace bacon with vegetable cubes like zucchini, eggplants, mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli florets, carrots, etc. Cook the veggies together with the onions until soft. Add some garlic if desired.
- Tomatoes: Or chopped regular-sized tomatoes. But cherry tomatoes have more flavor.
- For a spicier dish, add some red chili flakes or cayenne pepper to taste.
- Cheddar or Gouda are my first choices, but any other type of good-melting cheese is fine. For example, try Swiss, Provolone, Colby, Monterey Jack, or a mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan. Or Feta.
Amy says
This is very good-my family liked it better than regular spaghetti! I used a little chicken broth and about a tablespoon of arrowroot powder (you can use cornstarch) sprinkled on top and stirred in to make a slight creamy sauce then added grated oatmeal for my cheese. I also made it with leftover gluten free noodles. Worked just fine!
Adina says
I am happy to hear it, Amy. Thank you for the feedback.
Kris says
I was looking for a quick lunch using leftover spaghetti, and found this one. We live in France and so had lardons rather than bacon and being Sunday couldn't get any tomatoes. I substituted mixed peppers and some tomato puree, I also threw in some mushrooms. It was delicious and my husband and Grandson loved it. I only had a bit of parmesan or pregrated Emmental so just used the parmesan. (I am not fond of cheese) the boys loved it anyway. Thanks, I will certainly know what to do in future with leftover pasta. I am always looking for new ideas, after cooking for more than 60 years things can get a bit boring.
Adina says
Hi Kris. Thank you so much for the feedback; I am so glad you found the recipe useful. Your substitutions sound great, and that's the best about a leftovers recipe; you can tweak it to fulfill your needs.