Save the Spaghetti: 8 Leftover Pasta Recipes To Stretch Your Food Budget Even Further

Still freezing tons of leftover cooked pasta without knowing what to do with it? I get it; I have personally never actually cooked the correct amount of pasta in my entire life. 

Thankfully, there are plenty of dishes to make with excess spaghetti, rigatoni, and more. Here are eight leftover pasta recipes to try if you’ve made too much.

Pasta Frittata

This is such a good one. Chop up your leftover pasta, combine it with eggs, parmesan cheese, and any meat of your choice, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 to 15 minutes. Just like that, you’ve got a brand new dish.

Recipe: NYT Cooking

Stir Fry

Throw your noodles, veggies, and soy sauce into a hot pan with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and watch as your leftover pasta transforms into a perfect stir fry. 

Recipe: Scruff and Steph

Pasta Fritters

This is about as easy as it gets. Mix leftover pasta with eggs, breadcrumbs, and a little bit of seasoning. Then fry them up into fritters. You can get this done in 20 minutes at the most; say hello to your new signature appetizer.

Recipe: Recipe Tin Eats

Pasta Salad

Ah, pasta salad. The unsung room-temperature hero of backyard barbecues, Italian delis, and Hawaiian side dishes. Shapes be damned — any sauceless leftover pasta you’ve got will do.

Recipe: Eating on a Dime

Related: 13 Ways to Use Pulled Pork Leftovers

Lasagna Soup

But what about pasta that’s already been sauced? That’s a fair question. If your leftovers are coated in pasta sauce, try out something like lasagna soup. You’re just bringing additional flavor to the broth on this one.

Too fancy shmancy for you? Chicken noodle soup is a lot easier, and still the ultimate comfort food.

Recipe: Food Network

Related: Here’s How Savvy Home Cooks Transform Leftover Rice Into Entirely New Dishes

Spaghetti Muffins

Here’s a spaghetti recipe you don’t see very often. You’re essentially making tiny little spaghetti servings in a muffin tin. This is a great one for kids.

Recipe: Grace & Good Eats

Spaghetti and Meatball Sandwich

Did you make meatballs last night? Got some leftover spaghetti, too? Stick all of that between some bread and make a panini or sub. In one quick move, you’ve got an entire food truck premise on your hands.

Recipe: Tastemade

When All Else Fails, Just Make Pasta Again

There are tons of easy recipes out there that can easily incorporate some already-cooked pasta. My personal favorite? This slow cooker chicken parmesan pasta.

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