Leftover Pasta? No Problem!

<--This picture seems pretty accurate, don't you think? When planning to make spaghetti, I feel it's usually a guess as to how much to make. Also, what is considered "one serving"? And what the heck do I do with the 10 pounds of left over spaghetti I just made? Sound familiar? Trust me, you're not alone. Leftover spaghetti can sit in your fridge for a long time... unless you know this little trick to make your left overs disappear!

Leftover spaghetti? Great!
You got another meal coming!

I probably can't dub it as a "trick" because the reality is, all I do with my left over pasta is fry it. Yup- super healthy I know, but it does the job.

My mom always made us "crunchy noodles" as kids because her mother use to make it for her. Frying up left over spaghetti (or any pasta) for my Grandma was simply a way to prevent food from going to waste... and it worked!

Whenever I cook pasta, I always purposely add extra just so I can make a batch of crunch noodles later on in the week for the kids. In fact, I'm matching a batch a goulash right now and cooked way more macaroni noodles than I will need just so I will have leftovers. The kids love it and it's easy to prepare.

Grab a pen and paper... are you ready?
In a frying pan, add a couple tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Throw in your cold, leftover pasta, and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss pasta noodles so they are coated with butter. Allow the noodles to cook, stirring and flipping once in awhile until noodles are golden brown.

.... and you're done. That's it. Super easy. My kids like eating them plain, just as they are shown in the picture! I'll admit that when I make this for the kids, I feel like I'm cheating and taking the easy way out. And I am. But I'm totally okay with that. If they like it and will eat it, it's a win-win.

Dig through your fridge right now. Do you have leftover pasta? If so, give it a shot! If you cook up a batch of "crunchy noodles" I'd love to hear what your kids think of it! Share your (or your kids') thoughts in the comments below :)


Have a wonderful week!

Bam! Dinner is served!