12 Creative Leftover Pasta Recipes

If you’re anything like me, you hate having to throw away leftover food – it’s such a waste. That’s why you should check out articles like this one.

In this article, I’m going to present you with 12 creative leftover pasta recipes, so that you can not only reduce your food waste, but also enjoy a new meal idea you may not have thought of before.

These recipes were specially hand-picked by me. I’ve tried them all, and I think they’re great – fun to make and even more fun to eat.

I’m going to kick things off with a quick table detailing the first 10 recipes in my shortlist, before diving right in and going through each recipe and why I like it so much, and providing the links for each one, so you can see the recipe in full.

I think you’ll find some of these recipes are rather creative.

I tried to pick out a good variety of recipes, and while, unfortunately, they are not always low in calories, most of them can be ready to eat in virtually no time at all, which is perfect for a busy weeknight.

Now, get those taste buds ready, because here we go!

Table: Creative Leftover Pasta Recipes

1. Muffin Tin Spaghetti Nests Recipe From Recipe Tin Eats

I was so glad I found this recipe – it’s just so convenient. And because the finished meal is in muffin form, you could even use it as finger food for a buffet or party.

You can make these spaghetti nests, even if your leftover spaghetti is mixed in with spaghetti sauce. And, this recipe still works well whether the spaghetti is in a tomato based sauce or a creamy one.

It’s also incredibly budget-friendly because it only requires 3 ingredients, and these are likely to be things you may already have in your kitchen. Besides the pasta and sauce, all you need is eggs and grated melting cheese.

And if you don’t manage to finish the dish in one sitting, you can freeze them and reheat them again when you are ready.

2. Spaghetti Boats Recipe From I Heart Naptime

Here’s another super simple recipe that I deemed worthy of a spot on my shortlist.

I just love the contrast of textures and flavors. And you only need a handful of ingredients to make it, namely leftover spaghetti, a loaf of French bread, some butter, garlic powder, and some stretchy mozzarella cheese.

All you have to do is heat up the leftover spaghetti (if it’s mixed in with sauce, this is fine), and slice the loaf of bread in half length ways. Then spread the butter over each half, and sprinkle on the garlic powder.

Bake until golden brown before adding the spaghetti, and sprinkling over some mozzarella and baking again until the cheese is bubbly. Yum!

3. Chocolate Spaghetti Recipe From Created By Diane

This is just such a creative recipe – not to mention tasty, too! Who says you can only use pasta for savory dishes?!

Again, you don’t need many ingredients for this recipe, just some cooked spaghetti, some butter, some cream cheese, some powdered sugar, some heavy cream and some Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Chips.

All you have to do is heat the butter and cream cheese in a pan, whisk in the powdered sugar and heavy cream, before also whisking in the chocolate chips to create a chocolate sauce.and the cooked spaghetti and coat it well.

I like it served with a dusting of powdered sugar on top!

4. Lasagna Soup Recipe From A Farmgirl’s Dabbles

Who says lasagna always has to be structured in layers? In this recipe, you get all the wonderful flavors of a lasagna in the form of a tasty and delicious soup!

What’s more, this is THE most raved about lasagna soup recipe on the internet! And with good reason, too. It’s perfect comfort food, with an amazing combination of flavors and textures.

It does require a lot of ingredients, but I’ve found that even if you don’t have everything on the list, it can still turn out really well. 

The main flavors coming through include the likes of Italian sausage, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and two types of cheese, ricotta and Parmesan.

5. Taco Pasta Salad Recipe From Tidy Mom

I just love this recipe! It’s super convenient and easy to make, and it’s absolutely bursting with wonderful Mexican flavor.

It features such flavorful ingredients as taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, baby bell peppers, corn, Mexican blend shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, green onions, green chilies, lime juice, mayonnaise, salt, and ground black pepper.

First, you coat the leftover pasta in a mixture of the mayo, sour cream, taco seasoning and ranch mix. Then you throw in the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. Next, do a taste test to decide if you wish to add more seasoning.

Then simply cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

If you don’t manage to finish it in one sitting, it will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

6. Pasta Frittata Recipe From Leite’s Culinaria

You probably wouldn’t have thought of doing this with your leftover spaghetti!

It’s a super simple recipe, and it only takes 5 minutes of prep time. Plus, you only need 6 ingredients to make this recipe. Namely, eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, and cold leftover spaghetti

And it really doesn’t matter if the spaghetti is sauced up, or if it’s plain unsauced spaghetti, because there are instructions provided for both types.

There are also lots of tips provided for getting the best possible results, including some flavorful additions you can throw in.

7. Spaghetti Fritters Recipe From What To Cook Today

Like the muffin tin spaghetti nests, I described to you earlier, this recipe makes for excellent finger food at a buffet or cookout. 

And once again, it doesn’t need a whole lot of ingredients. It features cooked spaghetti, minced garlic cloves, fresh parsley, eggs, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and some cooking oil.

I also like to throw in some flavorful optional ingredients, too, such as red pepper flakes, diced bacon, or pork belly. Or to really change things up and add a lot of flavor you could throw in some diced anchovies.

8. Spaghetti Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe From Mind Over Munch

A grilled cheese sandwich is quite the popular American snack, but you can further enhance it by adding in some leftover spaghetti from the night before. It really gives the snack a more sumptuous texture – it’s just delicious!

To make the perfect leftover spaghetti grilled cheese sandwich, you only need 5 ingredients.

These include leftover spaghetti in sauce (e.g. spaghetti mac and cheese), some Brioche bread, American cheese, Swiss cheese, and some melted butter. 

It’s super simple to make and it can be ready to eat in less than 10 minutes tops. Winner!

9. Crispy Leftover Pasta Recipe From Christina’s Cucina

Who says pasta always has to be soft and squishy? Check out this amazing crispy leftover pasta recipe!

And, I’m pleased to inform you, this is the simplest recipe on my shortlist – you only need two ingredients altogether, namely quality leftover pasta in tomato sauce, and some good quality extra virgin olive oil.

How long it takes to make depends on how crispy you want it. The longer you fry it, the crispier it will get! I like to fry it for about 10 minutes because I like it really crispy.

10. Leftover Pasta Pizza Recipe From Kitchen At Hoskins

This is one of my favorite recipes – it tastes amazing! It’s so good, you wouldn’t think for a moment it was made with leftovers.

There are two cooking methods for it, stove top or oven (I  like to make the whole thing in one pan on the stove top to save on the washing up). 

You don’t need many ingredients for it, just leftover pasta in tomato sauce, egg, Panko breadcrumbs, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

I also like to throw on some fresh basil leaves for a flavorful finishing touch.

11. Mac And Cheese Balls Recipe From Sweet And Savory Meals

And now we have more finger food for you to check out – excellent appetizer balls! This recipe is so original, not to mention delicious, too! It’s fun to make and even more fun to eat.

It’s the perfect thing to do with any leftover mac and cheese. And you don’t need many additional ingredients, just Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, milk, breadcrumbs and oil.

I love it served with a tomato based dipping sauce!

12. Spicy Peanut Pasta Salad Recipe From Food Meanderings

Now, this is a salad with a difference – it’s absolutely packed with crunch, spice and flavor!

And it just happens to be vegan, too, so anyone can enjoy tucking into it.

The dressing has some really flavorful ingredients, including chunky peanut butter, soy sauce, minced ginger, minced garlic cloves, brown sugar, and sesame seeds.

But what really makes it for me is the generous helping of sriracha sauce!

The salad is packed with healthy veg, such as grated carrot, diced cucumber, bell peppers, green onions and crunchy peanuts – yum!

Answers To Your Most Frequently Asked Questions

What Can I Do With Small Amounts Of Leftover Pasta?

OK, in fairness a lot of the recipes above do require a lot of leftover pasta, which is fine if you’re planning ahead and cooking for 4 or more people.

But sometimes you may only have a little pasta leftover.

And this isn’t a problem because some of the recipes listed above only require small amounts, such as the muffin tin spaghetti nests, the spaghetti boats, the salad dishes, or the spaghetti fritters.

If you wish to make one of the other recipes with less pasta, all you have to do is lower the portions of the other ingredients accordingly. Easy.

Can You Freeze Leftover Pasta?

You certainly can!

Wrap Up

I hope you’ve had just as much fun browsing through the recipe shortlist as I’ve had putting it together. You’ve now got a great choice of recipes to choose from to use up your leftover pasta. Bon appétit!

12 Creative Leftover Pasta Recipes

Ingredients

• Muffin Tin Spaghetti Nests Recipe From Recipe Tin Eats

• Spaghetti Boats Recipe From I Heart Naptime

• Chocolate Spaghetti Recipe From Created By Diane

• Lasagna Soup Recipe From A Farmgirl’s Dabbles

• Taco Pasta Salad Recipe From Tidy Mom

• Pasta Frittata Recipe From Leite’s Culinaria

• Spaghetti Fritters Recipe From What To Cook Today

• Spaghetti Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe From Mind Over Munch

• Crispy Leftover Pasta Recipe From Christina’s Cucina

• Leftover Pasta Pizza Recipe From Kitchen At Hoskins

• Mac And Cheese Balls Recipe From Sweet And Savory Meals

• Spicy Peanut Pasta Salad Recipe From Food Meanderings

Directions

• Pick a recipe from the list above
• Click the recipe name and visit the website
• Collect the ingredients and cook the food
• Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review

• Author
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Jess Smith

Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!

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