If you’re like us, we think spaghetti is always better the day after as leftovers, than it was the first time around. It really needs nothing but warmth, but a few weeks ago when we had our monthly spaghetti fix, we decided to make the leftover spaghetti even better. I made the spaghetti on the weekend, so we planned a quick weeknight meal during the week, in which we would top the spaghetti with cheese and bake it in the oven to warm it up a couple of days later. Baked spaghetti is our new way of eating leftovers.
We really didn’t think that much about what we were doing, but when David told someone at work about what we had done with the leftover spaghetti, they told him that they had never thought of doing that before and that it was a great idea. That’s when I knew I had to share this tip in a blog post.
Have you ever baked leftover spaghetti with cheese? Maybe you’ve never really thought about it either… Or maybe you don’t like to eat leftovers or somebody in your household refuses to eat them. Maybe a quick disguise for your leftovers is in order?
How To Make Baked Spaghetti:
The night before, place the leftover spaghetti in an ovenproof casserole dish, cover it and place it in the refrigerator.
The following day, take the spaghetti out of the fridge and grab your favorite cheeses.
Top the spaghetti with cheese and sprinkle with just a touch of oregano.
Place the cheese topped spaghetti dish inside a COLD oven. Turn on the oven and set the temperature to 375 degrees F. It is important that the oven to prevent breakage of your casserole dish. The dish is cold, since the dish just came out of the refrigerator. You want the dish temperature to come up with the oven.
Bake the spaghetti for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the spaghetti is warmed through.
If the spaghetti is warm, but the cheese isn’t browned enough (Trust me the flavor is in the brown!)
Turn on the broiler and broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes.
Carefully take the dish out of the oven. Cut into chunks like you would lasagna to serve.
Now your spaghetti from the night before has taken on a brand new identity that perhaps even your pickiest eater will love! Baked spaghetti is quick, simple and perfect for a weeknight!
Rachel says
STOP IT my mouth is watering.
The Mountain Kitchen says
I can’t help it. It was too good not to share! <3
Julie is HostessAtHeart says
I agree that some food is just better left over. Spaghetti sauce is one of them for sure! What a great time saver to make on the weekend and remake during the week!
The Mountain Kitchen says
It has become a must in our house now. We get even more excited about spaghetti. 😉
Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser says
Love it -Woo Hoo!!!
The Mountain Kitchen says
I bet there is nothing left over in your house, Cheryl… Heehee!
Dana @ IveGotCake says
That’s like a spaghettil casserole!
That’s actually a really cool way to reinvent a leftover.
Sigh – yet another cheese’y meal I can’t play with 🙁
Dear genie – I wish I could eat cheese. As much as I wanted with NO repercussions.
Amen.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Oh Dana, I’m sorry to brown my cheese in front of your eyes. Really, I am. 🙁
Maybe you should choke the genie for a better result?
Melissa says
The term “leftover spaghetti” is foreign to me lol! I am a pasta fiend and will slurp it up until it’s gone! But if I do ever have spaghetti leftovers, this is a fantastic idea!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Gosh! David and I are slackers… 😉
Anna Buckley says
I’ll fight you for the crispy bits around the edge! This look delicious and I’d never thought to bake it like you’ve done. I never seem to have left over sauce but always spaghetti. To this I chuck in eggs, cheese, bacon and vegetables and bake…a kind of pasta fritatta.
Mind you I live in a house with two males and we don’t seem to have much of anything leftover!
The Mountain Kitchen says
I like the way you think, Anna! Yes, I suppose two males would be hard not to feel up at one sitting. 😉
Alyssa Faison says
“I suppose two males would be hard not to feel up at one sitting.” What does this sentence mean?
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Alyssa!Typically men usually eat more than women do, so when there are two men at the table, there usually aren’t any leftovers and they are hard to fill up. It’s really just a stereotypical joke…haha! 🙂
Annie says
Your pictures in front of the mountains are my favorite. Looks like a dream. 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks. I still pinch myself, Annie.
Alan Bliss says
Thank you . . . what a GREAT way to re-use leftover spaghetti. I followed your instructions, but with 2 deviations: I had leftover angel hair pasta (instead of spaghetti), and I also decided to add a layer of cooked thick-cut bacon on top of the pasta, before adding the cheese, which I did about halfway through the cooking time (22 minutes into the 45 minutes total time), since the bacon was freshly cooked. It was absolutely amazing, and the bacon added a little extra “crunch” to the top, and was absolutely sumptuous. Thanks, again!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Alan! BACON?! What a great idea! Leftover spaghetti is better than the first time around and I cannot imagine adding bacon too! Thanks for taking the time to comment.