Recipe: The-Day-After Pasta Frittata
Chef Marcus Samuelsson writes: Frittatas could be called the Italian way with an omelet, and they're often made with leftovers. I first learned about them in Sweden, from my sister's Italian friends. Following the Italian tradition, I start with leftover tomato-spinach spaghetti, add eggs, bacon, and Parmesan, and season with garlic and thyme -- turning last night's dinner into an entirely new meal. Eat it for breakfast, eat it for lunch, or eat it for dinner."
From "Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook At Home" by Marcus Samuelsson. © 2014 by Marcus Samuelsson. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
The-Day-After Pasta Frittata
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 slices bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, halved
2 sprigs fresh thyme or oregano
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups leftover Red, White & Green Spaghetti (see below)
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cook the bacon in a 10-inch oven-safe nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Once the fat starts to render, add the garlic and thyme and continue to cook until the bacon is browned and crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a large bowl. Transfer the garlic and thyme to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the pasta, Parmesan, and eggs to the bowl with the bacon and stir until the pasta is evenly coated.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the bacon fat in the skillet. Pour the pasta mix into the pan. Shake the pan so that the pasta levels out. Put the skillet over medium heat and cook until the frittata firms on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Chop the garlic and strip the thyme leaves, scatter on top of the frittata, and slide the skillet into the oven. Bake until the frittata is golden and puffed, about 25 minutes.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Red, White & Green Spaghetti
There's this thing about kids not eating spinach, but if you stir it into creamy ricotta cheese and then use it to top some whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce, they'll love it! And if you have leftovers, you'll get two meals in one (see The-Day-After-Pasta Frittata, above).
From "Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook At Home" by Marcus Samuelsson. © 2014 by Marcus Samuelsson. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Red, White & Green Spaghetti
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups baby spinach
½ cup ripped fresh basil leaves
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
2 cups seasoned tomato sauce, such as Newman's Own Organic Traditional Herb Pasta Sauce
1 pound ricotta cheese
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the garlic and spinach and cook, stirring, until the spinach wilts, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the basil. Remove from the heat.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti until it's al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
While the pasta cooks, heat the tomato sauce in a small saucepan over low heat.
Drain the spaghetti and return it to the pot, off the heat. Add half the tomato sauce and toss well. Keep the pasta warm on the back of the stove.
Fold the ricotta and Parmesan cheese into the spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining tomato sauce.
Serve the spaghetti in deep bowls and top each portion with a generous dollop of the ricotta and spinach mixture.
- Recipe index: "Sunday Morning"'s 2015 "Food Issue" - Delicious menu suggestions from top chefs and the editors of Bon Appetit magazine
For more info:
- marcussamuelsson.com
- Red Rooster Harlem, New York
- "Yes, Chef: A Memoir" by Marcus Samuelsson with Veronica Chambers (Random House); Also available in Trade Paperback, eBook and Unabridged Audio CD formats
- "New American Table" by Marcus Samuelsson (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
- Follow Marcus Samuelsson on Twitter