This easy fried spaghetti recipe uses just four simple and tasty ingredients that come together to make a delicious and hearty dinner in less than 30 minutes.
Fried spaghetti is one of the best comfort food recipes (in addition to traditional spaghetti of course!). You'll love the crisp texture and crunchy taste of the toasted noodles. When leftover spaghetti is fried in a seasoned marinara sauce, the noodles become packed with flavor, taking your classic stovetop spaghetti from great to amazing.
This recipe is made quickly and easily, with only 4 ingredients and very little preparation. You can have it ready in about 30 minutes time (or less if you have leftover spaghetti already cooked).
Fried spaghetti is a dish made by stir frying cooked spaghetti noodles with various ingredients such as vegetables, meats, sauces, and spices. The noodles are pan fried until they are slightly crispy and then combined with other ingredients to create a flavorful and satisfying meal. It's a popular dish in many countries and can be customized with different ingredients to suit your personal preferences.
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Ingredients
Just 4 pantry-friendly ingredients are needed to make fried leftover spaghetti:
- Al dente cooked spaghetti noodles
- Jarred marinara sauce (or your favorite spaghetti sauce, store bought or homemade)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese (optional)
How To Make Fried Spaghetti Noodles
STEP 1: Cook the spaghetti noodles in salted water until al dente, as the package instructs. If you have leftover spaghetti, skip this.
STEP 2: In a large nonstick frying pan or cast iron skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil on high heat. Then turn down the heat to medium and add the cooked noodles. Add 4 tablespoons of the marinara sauce and toss to coat the noodles. Spread the sauced noodles in an even layer across the pan and let fry over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until the bottom begins to brown and become crisp.
STEP 3: Cover the top of the noodles with another 4 tablespoons of marinara sauce, then flip the noodles using a spatula. Fry for another 4-5 minutes, until the bottom begins to brown.
STEP 4: Add the remaining marinara sauce and toss to coat the noodles thoroughly. You can season the dish with salt and black pepper here if you'd like.
STEP 5: Remove from the heat and toss with the parmesan cheese. If using mozzarella cheese, add it next and toss til it's melted into the fried spaghetti noodles.
Serve, topped with extra parmesan and fresh basil or parsley if desired. Enjoy!
What To Serve With Fried Spaghetti
- Crusty bread, like cheese bread, garlic bread or Italian bread
- Meatballs
- Salads, like ceasar and garden salad
- Garlic knots
Recipe Tips
- Don't overcook the pasta. The best fried spaghetti noodles are cooked al dente, then fried til they just begin to turn golden brown and crispy but don't burn.
- Keep adding marinara sauce if the pasta noodles absorb it all while they're frying. This won't ruin the outcome but will give you extra tasty tomato sauced noodles!
- Don't toss the noodles too much. This is hard when you're first making fried spaghetti, because it's easy to think they might burn. But if you toss them too much, they won't have a chance to get nice and toasted. It might take a few attempts at the recipe before getting comfortable with it.
Recipe Variations
- Spicy: add red pepper flakes to your marinara sauce, or even a dash of cayenne pepper.
- Make cheesy fried spaghetti: add in lots of cheese at the end, right after cooking is done. You can use mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, extra parmesan cheese, or specialty cheeses like shredded asiago. Toss the toasted crispy noodles with the cheese and let it sit for a few minutes to melt.
- Baked fried spaghetti: turn your cheesy fried spaghetti from above into a baked spaghetti by topping it with cheese and popping into the broiler for a few minutes to melt and caramelize the cheese (transfer to an oven safe pan of course)
- Add proteins like diced chicken or ground beef. Cook any meat in the pan before frying the pasta. Scrape up the brown bits, remove the meat to a dish and fry the spaghetti as the recipe instructs. Then toss the meat with the pasta and marinara sauce.
- Add vegetables: such as roasted red peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, broccoli, or spinach.
How To Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave, the oven or in a frying pan until heated through.
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Recipe
Fried Spaghetti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz cooked spaghetti
- ¾ cup marinara sauce
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- shredded mozzarella cheese, optional
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti noodles in salted water until al dente, as the package instructs. If you have leftover spaghetti, move on to Step 2.
- In a large nonstick frying pan or cast iron skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil on high heat. Then turn down the heat to medium and add the cooked spaghetti. Add 4 tablespoons of marinara sauce and toss to coat the noodles. Spread the sauced noodles in an even layer across the pan and let fry over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until the bottom begins to brown and become crisp.
- Cover the top of the noodles with another 4 tablespoons of marinara sauce, then flip using a spatula. Fry for another 4-5 minutes, until the bottom has toasted.
- Add the remaining marinara sauce and toss to coat the noodles thoroughly. Remove from the heat and toss with grated parmesan cheese. If using mozzarella cheese, add now and toss til it's melted into the fried spaghetti noodles.
- Serve topped with extra parmesan and fresh basil or parsley if desired
Notes
Nutrition
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Kathryn
Frying spaghetti is such a delicious way to eat this meal! It was so easy to make and loved the crispiness. Making this again ASAP.
Veronika
This sounds so delicious! I make pasta and spaghetti all the time but I've never tried to stir-fry spaghetti! I'm definitely making it this weekend!
Jacqueline Debono
My favourite way to use up leftover spaghetti. I just love those crispy noodles!
Jamie
Wow! Fried spaghetti is kinda new to me, but this looks amazingly delicious and yummy! It's just our comfort food! Plus we can make this less than 30 minutes is a big thumbs up!
Dennis
What a delicious way to make spaghetti! Everyone in my family loved it and want to know when I was going to make it again.
Amy Liu Dong
Oh, we love fried spaghetti! We are always made that every time we have a leftover.
So yummy!
Tammy
Oh I do this with leftover spaghetti! Fried pasta is such a treat! This looks and sounds delish!
Enri Lemoine
I have to try this, I have never had fried spaghetti, but the ones in your pictures look so yummy that your recipe will be dinner tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration.
Hayley
This is one of the easiest pasta recipe I've seen, can't wait to make tomorrow for my lunch before I go back to work.