Easy Recipe For Leftovers

When you're trying to figure out how to use leftovers a pasta torte is a great recipe for leftovers, it's easy, quick, and simple to do and it works with almost any leftover pasta. If you have leftover vegetables or meat you can add that too. Just whip up a custard, heat up the pasta in a nonstick pan, and add the custard. Then bake it off in a low oven.

As a matter of fact this is so easy and fast that I put it on a menu in an Italian restaurant, that I opened in Philadelphia. It flew out of the kitchen.

Quick, Easy, And Simple Recipe For Leftovers

• Yield: 6 servings
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes

Equipment

• Non-stick oven safe 10-inch frying pan

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups / 475 milliliters milk
• 1 ounce / 28 grams finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to coat the pan
• About 8 ounces / 225 grams cooked pasta

Method

1. Preheat oven to 225° F / 105° C.
2. Combine the eggs and milk in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well blended. Add half of the grated cheese and season to taste with cracked pepper and kosher salt. Whisk to incorporate then set aside until ready to use.
3. Set the saute pan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the pasta. It's going to be stuck together right out of the refrigerator. This is fine, it will break up as it warms up. Once the pasta is loose toss it a few times to evenly warm it up.
5. Add the egg mixture and give it a quick stir to evenly distribute it. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top.
6. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and let it bake off until the center is set.
7. When the torte is set, remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Doing this will give you a firmer torte and it is less likely to fall apart when you un-pan it.
8. See un-panning a torte below. To un-pan the torte slide a rubber spatula all around the edges. Place a small cutting board over the top of the pan. The board needs to have a larger area than the pan. Lift the pan off the counter-top and using a folded kitchen towel place the towel and your hand under the bottom of the pan. With your free hand put pressure on the top of the board and invert it. The torte should fall right out.
9. Slice into pie shaped wedges and serve with a small green salad.
10. Turn the individual pieces back over when you serve it.
    

Un-Panning A Torte

Lift the pan off the counter-top and using a folded kitchen towel place the towel and your hand under the bottom of the pan. With your free hand put pressure on the top of the board and invert it.

Notes

1. The beauty of this recipe lies in its flexibility. The sauce on the pasta makes no difference. It can be a bolognese, a marinara, a meat sauce, alfredo, a carbonara or most any sauce at all and it will be delicious.
2. When I made this torte I used the leftover spaghetti and zucchini from the recipe I posted. I had a few sweet peppers that I needed to use up so I quickly sauteed them and then continued on with the recipe.
3. The standard ratio for custard is 2-eggs to 8-ounces of milk, cream, or half and half. So, if you don't have a half pound of leftover pasta use less pasta and more custard. Alternatively, you can use a smaller pan and cut the recipe down to 1/4 pound of cooked pasta, 2-eggs, and 1 cup milk. Yet another option for extending the torte is to incorporate some sauteed vegetables into it, like I did.

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