The Spaghetti Frittata or Frittata di Maccheroni (“a frittata ‘e maccarune” in Neapolitan language), more commonly known as the Pasta Frittata (Frittata di Pasta), is a typical dish of Neapolitan cuisine. A poor and simple dish (like Spaghetti allo Scarpariello), but with unparalleled delicacy, based on pasta, eggs, cheese and pepper, which was born in Naples as a recycling recipe to reuse the leftover pasta.
It is an ancient dish, the origins of which date back to the post-war era, when Maccheroni, “maccarune“, in the Neapolitan way, meant spaghetti strictly, that is, long type pasta. Over time, the system of recycling advanced pasta was used not only for spaghetti, but for every type of pasta, from penne to bucatini, from those seasoned with sauce and ragù or in white, ie without tomato. Today, the Spaghetti Frittata, besides being considered a recycle dish, is a real comfort food. The only dish to make and redo even with the pasta just drained al dente if you don’t have leftovers!
For the preparation you can also use both short pasta: maccheroni, rigatoni, penne, and long pasta, usually spaghetti, vermicelli or bucatini. The frittata di pasta can be enjoyed hot, but it is also excellent cold: it is often prepared for picnics, trips out of town or to the sea: many Neapolitans, in fact, love to enjoy it in summer, as a lunch to enjoy on the beach.
If you like the Cuisine from Campania, take a look also at these recipes: Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, Eggplant Parmigiana, Casatiello Napoletano, Spaghetti alla Nerano.
Usually as we said the Frittata di Maccheroni is prepared with a dish of pasta leftover, better if is of the day before, kept in the fridge. Method is very quick and easy: just fry the pasta in a pan with hot olive oil.
In a bowl mix together the eggs with salt, pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano.
When the pasta is almost crisp pour the eggs, spreading them well in the pan.
Cover with a lid until the eggs have hardened.
If you can, turn the frittata upside down so that the cooking is homogeneous.
Let it cool a bit and enjoy!
You can add to the mix 3 or 4 tablespoons of milk, if you prefer a softer and less crunchy texture of the frittata.
In the Spaghetti Frittata, as in any frittata, the ingredients can be imaginatively substituted according to your taste: you could opt to add ham or diced bacon, also add smoked provola, mozzarella, or other types of cheese for an even stronger taste.
You can keep the frittata in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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Loretta Foley
I love these recipes. These are the ones my Nonna use to make. Love them all.
Italian Chef
Hi Loretta! Thanks for your appreciation! We are Italian and we collect and share only authentic Italian recipes!
monika
I have leftover pasta. Do I still use 350 grams or is the weight of already cooked pasta DIFFERENT?
Italian Chef
Ciao Monika, the weight of the cooked pasta is more or less the double compared to the dry pasta. So, in this case 350gr of dry pasta are 700gr of cooked pasta.