I love Mario Batali!  And I love the gift he has given me with this recipe.  We always have leftover pasta and some just don’t taste that great simply warmed back up.  With this recipe, I can turn leftover pasta into, basically, pasta latkes!

I had previously only done this with pasta that had an olive oil-based sauce.  This time I decided to try it with the leftover Tuna Tomato Cream Sauce Pasta.  It turned out great!  It was like a tuna casserole pancake, how fun!

So far, I have only made this with long pastas, like fettuccine, linguine, and spaghetti.  I haven’t tried it with tubular or other shaped pasta; although they may not hold together as well, it may be interesting to try someday.

Mario Batali’s Pasta Pancakes

2 servings cooked leftover pasta

2 large eggs (from Farmer Kim)

2 Tbsp fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place pasta in a large bowl, add the eggs bread crumbs, and cheese.

Mix in by hand or with a wooden spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.

Take small handfuls of the mixture and form it into lightly compressed nests about 4 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick, you should have 2 to 3 nests.

In a 10-12 inch heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron), heat the oil over high heat until it is almost smoking.  Carefully place the nests in the hot oil and cook, turning once, until they are golden brown and the edges are crispy, about 2 minutes per side.

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Serves 2.