I’m Italian, so apparently I’m supposed to love ALL pasta!  At the risk of offending my Italian heritage, I’m admitting (loud and clear) that I can’t stand reheated pasta!  I find it way too dry, sticky, chewy, (just to name a few of the adjectives I use to describe it).  Besides, I prefer sauce with pasta and not pasta with sauce!  Most times my meal of choice is freshly made bolognese sauce WITHOUT the pasta (strange but true).

So, how many times have you thrown out those last few spoonfuls of cooked pasta?  I’ll be the first to fess up…guilty as charged!  It’s never enough for a full portion, so what’s the point, right?  Well, if your excuse is the same as mine then I just might have the perfect recipe for your little one-a mini pasta frittata!

My fellow blogger friend over at kidsonaplane.com recently inquired about “pastasciutta” after reading about some of my cooking tips on Bye Bye Bottomless Pit.

In a nutshell, it’s pasta in its dry form (i.e. before it’s cooked and doused with sauce). Although the pasta in this recipe is pre-cooked, it IS dry (so I think the name fits!).  For those of you who may be perplexed by this big word (for a simple carob), here’s the simple and quick recipe.

*This is a fairly simple recipe but you could always add other ingredients, such as fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, pancetta, olives, peppers, the list goes on…

(Yields two portions…or one hefty portion if your child eats as much as mine!)
2 eggs
1 cup cooked pasta of choice
1-2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat for a minute or so.  Finely chop pasta into bite-size pieces then add to the pan.  Cook for 2-3 minutes to heat through.

In the meantime, whisk the eggs and Parmesan and set aside.

Add eggs to the pan and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they are loosely scrambled.

Remove the eggs from the pan and add them back to the bowl you used for whisking them.

Increase the heat to medium-high and after 2 minutes return the eggs to the pan.

The increased heat will cause the eggs to seize.  Cook the frittata, forming  a “patty” with a spatula, for 2-3 minutes or until the sides of the patty can be lifted without breaking.

Now, here’s the SECRET TRICK: (read more about how I learned it HERE).

Place a plate (larger than the rim) over the frying pan.  Hold it in place with one hand then flip the frying pan over.  Slide the frittata onto the plate then slide back into the frying pan (uncooked side down).

Cook for another 2-3 minutes then remove from heat.

Serve warm, at room temperature or store in the fridge for 2-3 days.