12 Easy Leftover Spaghetti Noodle Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you upgrade leftover pasta? ›

Just mix your leftover pasta with some egg, garlic, parmesan, fresh herbs, and a sprinkle of flour to bind. Stir through some grated zucchini or riced cauliflower if desired, to bulk up your 5-a-day.

The Bottom Line is spaghetti or pasta has an average shelf life of 3 to 5 days before it reaches its expiration date. If you attempt to eat this pasta past 5 or 6 days, it can cause you potential food poisoning.

Start with the basics -- onion, cilantro, roasted red pepper, corn and tomatoes. Then take a can of black bean, drain and rinse them, and add this to the mix along with the small, shaped pasta of your choice. Spice it up with some diced jalapeños and habaneros, and add some powdered cumin and chili powder.

If you're worried about your leftovers being too dry, you can add an extra dollop of pasta sauce or even a few drops of water to the baking dish. This will revamp your leftovers and keep the taste and texture the same as the first time you enjoyed the meal.

These easy pasta recipes rely on ingredients you've likely got stowed in your pantry—olive oil, beans, tomatoes, tuna, olives—along with staple ingredients like lemons, garlic butter, Parmesan, and more garlic.

Cheese is an excellent way to add flavor to your pasta without having to rely on sauce. Try mixing your angel hair pasta with goat cheese, and toss in sun-dried tomatoes to make an amazing meal with just a few ingredients. Garlic butter is a terrific way to season all types of noodles.

According to USDA guidelines, you should use most cooked leftovers within 3-4 days if it is properly stored. Spaghetti needs to be stored in a refrigerator that is 40 degrees F or below. Food should be refrigerated at room temperature within 2 hours of serving and placed in a shallow airtight container.

Why is leftover spaghetti so good? ›

There are a few reasons why leftover pasta may taste better than freshly cooked pasta: Absorption of sauce: When pasta is cooked, it releases starch into the water. If the pasta is reheated in a sauce, the starch can help thicken the sauce and give it a richer flavor.

Pasta won't spoil easily because it's a dry product. You can use it well past the expiration date, so long as it doesn't smell funny (egg pasta can produce a rancid odour). Generally, dry pasta has a shelf life of two years, but you can typically push it to three.

According to the FDA Food Code, all perishable foods that are opened or prepared should be thrown out after 7 days, maximum. No leftovers should survive in your fridge for longer than that.

"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.

Why is Wednesday Spaghetti Day? The idea that Wednesday is spaghetti day seems to originate from a company called Prince Pasta. In 1969 Price Pasta released a commercial which featured a little boy “Antony” running through his city to get home for his mother's dinner.

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.

Reheat in the following ways: A light spray of water on the pasta before microwaving will reheat nicely and help steam it back to life. Rewarm but tossing in hot sauce; same principle as the microwave, but a bit more flavorful. If the pasta is heavily sauced or a baked dish, try a 350 degree oven for 5–7 minutes.

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.