12 Easy Leftover Spaghetti Noodle Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you upgrade leftover pasta? ›

Pasta timbale

Cover the leftover pasta with a little béchamel sauce, then place the mixture into a baking pan. Cover with thinly sliced mozzarella and grated Parmigiano cheese and bake in the oven at 400° F for 15 minutes. You can also make a timbale in a crust using shortcrust pastry.

To use it in your next meal make a pasta frittata! Mix the pasta with eggs and any extra add-ins you like and then cook it until it is set. Try this Leek and Spaghetti Frittata or these Mini Pasta Frittatas. Depending on the season, turn your leftover pasta into a salad or put it into a soup.

Leftover spaghetti or pasta can be enjoyed by heating the food in an oven, stovetop, or microwave. And if you do this it should be safe to eat. The Bottom Line is spaghetti or pasta has an average shelf life of 3 to 5 days before it reaches its expiration date.

Spread your leftovers out evenly on a baking tray and bake at 350 for about 15 to 20 minutes, flipping once about halfway through. This will give you evenly heated pasta and some nice crispy bites of toasted deliciousness. To take this up a notch, add a little cheese on top. Yum!

The starch in your pasta water, as luck would have it, is an emulsifying agent and also a thickener. So if you save some of your pasta water and then slowly mix a ladlefull of it into sauce, you're binding together the liquids and oils, creating something creamy and thick that won't ever separate into a puddly mess.

When you order a plate of pasta in the motherland, don't be surprised if they bring you an individual portion. Italians consider pasta tasty when just cooked, so there's no doggy bag or leftovers here. If you're still hungry after your tortellini, feel free to order a second course (secondo)—usually meat or fish.

Keep some pasta water back to add to your pasta dish

As most chefs and home cooks know, when you drain your pasta, it's a good idea to keep back a cup of the cooking water to add to the sauce. Not only will this thicken the sauce, but it will also help it to stick to the pasta.

What can you add to spaghetti noodles? ›

It sounds unconventional to use milk in a meaty red sauce, but upon further investigation, it makes total sense why Italians swear by it. According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also “helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine”.

"After opening a high-acid canned food, like a tomato sauce, it can be stored safely in the refrigerator for five to seven days before being used," says Shelley Feist, executive director of the Partnership for Food Safety Education. Check the sauce before using, even in this timeframe, to make sure it has not spoiled.

If you love pasta, there's no reason to cut it out from your diet, the experts say. It can be a great way to pack in vegetables, healthy fats from nuts, olive oil and pasta sauces, Linsenmeyer says. "It's fine to include in a regular diet as often as every day.

If the spaghetti has been stored on its own, it can be consumed at the 5-day mark even if the texture is slightly off. Cooked pasta lasts longer when not stored with sauce. If it is mixed with sauce, I recommend throwing it away after 5 days.

Method #1: Place in boiling water

Start by boiling a large pot of salted water. Place your leftover noodles in a colander and dip into the boiling water. Allow pasta to heat for about 30 seconds before removing from the water. Toss the pasta with your leftover sauce and toppings and serve.

Boil with a garlic clove and salt. The garlic adds a bit of flavor and then I remove it, mash it and re-add it to the pasta. Olive oil or butter and herbs. Adding a fat to the pasta makes it taste better if you're poor and need something.

Mix in Some Meat

Browning and adding some sausage, turkey, chicken or ground beef will increase your sauce's flavor, incorporate extra texture, infuse a heartier taste and up the protein content. Italian sausage is one of the best meats to add to your canned pasta sauce to achieve that classic Italian taste.