Spaghetti Frittata

This is one of those great ideas- it really is an idea more than an actual recipe. I looked at a couple of recipes for inspiration, but this take on a Spaghetti Frittata really just worked out beautifully for me. This is a great way to revamp ingredients and turn them into something else, so that you and your family don't get into the rut of eating the same exact meals all the time.
It is basically leftover cooked spaghetti, veggies, and sauce that are combined with eggs and cooked/baked.
You can do it anyway you want to, and that is what makes it so wonderful.

I used this Ratatouille as the sauce- I defrosted (I always end up freezing things when they make a ton and plan to reuse it a month or so later) it in a large skillet, drained some of the liquid and pureed it in the food processor. Then I cooked some whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles. Sauteed an onion, garlic and spinach.
I combined all the sauce, noodles, sauteed stuff, a little feta cheese, and eggs (I used 6 eggs and 2 egg whites) in a large bowl (make sure to mix well) and transferred it to a glass baking dish to bake. I baked it at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. You can also mix all the ingredients in an oven proof saute pan and cook it on the stove top first and then finishing it off in the oven.

This was so tasty. My family appreciated the spin on a familiar dish. And since the sauce was made completely of pureed veggies, it was pretty healthy too. I can definitely see many variations of this in our future!

Here are some of the recipes that I got my idea from:
Recipe for Spaghetti Frittata from Eating Well

Recipe for Leftover Spaghetti Frittata
from Honest Fare

CEiMB- Turkey Meatballs with Quick & Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti or Spaghetti Squash

This week's CEiMB recipe, Turkey Meatballs with Quick & Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole Wheat Spaghetti, was chosen by Amanda over at Oddball Oven Mitt. I really like meatballs (is that wierd, because I don't actually like meat?) Anyway, I was excited about this meal. My 4-year old is always asking me for noodles and red sauce, so she was excited too.
I decided to give everyone a choice and serve cooked spaghetti squash too. I used whole wheat angel-hair pasta and most everyone wanted some noodles and some squash. I followed the recipe pretty closely. I used 93% lean ground turkey because I think it is better for meatballs than ground turkey breast, which is a bit leaner.
One of the things I did change was that I made the meatballs smaller than Ellie called for. My kids like meatballs and I prefer them to be smaller also, so I got about 28 meatballs and then changed the cooking time accordingly. And I didn't add the sauce and meatballs to the pasta. I just served up everyones plate separately and that left enough sauce and meatballs to be distributed to the pasta and the squash.
We really enjoyed this dinner. To see what everyone else thought, check out the Craving Ellie Blogroll!

Turkey Meatballs with Quick And Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti 2006, Ellie Krieger
The spicy kick and multiple herbs in this sauce lend layers of flavor without fat. The carrot, onion and Parmesan add volume and moisture.
Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 30 min
Ingredients
Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, liquid included
1 teaspoon finely minced canned chipotle en adobo and sauce, or more to taste
2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Salt
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
Meatballs:
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey meat ( I used 93% lean)
1 slice fresh whole-wheat bread, crusts removed, pulsed into crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 box (16 ounces) whole-wheat spaghetti
Directions
Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil for pasta.
Make Sauce:
In a 4-quart saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, chipotles, oregano, rosemary, and salt. Bring all the ingredients to a low boil, reduce heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until liquid has evaporated slightly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. While sauce is cooking, make meatballs.
Meatballs:
Preheat the broiler. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine the turkey with all other ingredients in a large work bowl. Form into 2 1/2 -inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes, or until browned and almost entirely cooked through.
Meanwhile, remove rosemary sprig from sauce and add fresh basil. Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook additional 10 minutes, or until sauce has slightly thickened and meatballs have absorbed some of the sauce. While the meatballs are cooking, cook the whole-wheat spaghetti according to package directions.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and meatballs, toss and heat through over medium heat. Divide evenly among 4 pasta bowls and garnish with parsley and 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan.
Yield: 6 servings

Coming Tomorrow- Persian Pomegranate-Walnut Chicken

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Super Stuffed Meatballs

I don't have cable TV. I hardly ever watch anything, but rarely I sneak in the last 15 minutes of Rachael Ray's Talk Show because I know that is when she is cooking. I saw her make these giant meatballs (hers were much larger than these) and she stuffed them with mini mozzarella balls and grape tomatoes. This is my take on her Caprese Stuffed Meatballs.

This was our night before the half-marathon dinner! Carbs, Carbs and more Carbs

I wanted to make my meatballs smaller than hers, so I used grape tomatoes and chunks of fresh mozzarella that I cut myself.

Makes 16-20 "big" meatballs

Meatballs:

3 pds ground turkey, 93% lean

3 Tbls onion, shredded from a small onion

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1-2 Tbls Italian seasoning

8-10 grape tomatoes

8-10 cubes fresh mozzerella

Sauce:

the rest of the onion, chopped

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, seasoned with oregano and basil

2 14- oz can diced tomatoes,seasoned with olive oil and garlic

1 8-0z can tomato sauce

1/2 cup prepared basil pesto

zest of 1 lemon

16 oz Whole wheat spaghetti noodles, cooked

For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together with hands, until all ingredients are evenly mixed. Divide meat into 16-20 sections. Grab a section and flatten it with your hand. Press down in the middle and insert either a piece of mozzarella or a grape tomato. Close the meat mixture around the cheese or tomato and make sure it is sealed. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and make the rest of the meatballs in the same way. Drizzle meatballs with a little olive oil and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until meat is cooked all the way through.

For the sauce: Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the rest of the onion and saute until tender and slightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Add all the tomatoes and tomato sauce and cover. Bring to a low boil and turn off the heat. Puree the sauce in batches in the blender and place in a large bowl. Stir in the pesto and lemon zest.

To serve: Place noodles and sauce on a plate, Top with 1-2 meatballs and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6 + lots of leftovers