This dish is in part inspired by a common Maltese dish, probably originating from a simple way to use up leftover spaghetti or other pasta in the fridge. The pasta is fried with a beaten egg, some grated cheese, and a little salt – the result is a wonderful golden delight, often made with fine spaghetti. The remaining inspiration is the good old omelette, which combine with the true origins of a frittata – first fried, but not flipped, before placing in the oven until totally golden – I have drizzled mine with some wonderful extra virgin olive oil to be sure of this.
TIP : This dish is easy to make, and once you have made it once, you are going to want to make it again, and to try out different variations. Try it with spinach instead of zucchini next time (make sure you drain all the water out of the spinach, and that it’s chopped well using kitchen scissors). Or you could try it with finely chopped leeks and finely chopped cooked potatoes. Try it with mushrooms and chopped cherry tomatoes – can you see ? The sky is the limit ! Here’s what I did and used.
INGREDIENTS
olive oil
150g (5 oz) cooked spaghetti or spaghettini, then cut into approx 2” or 3” pieces
2 courgettes (zucchini) grated – set these aside in a bowl
For the thick batter
200g (7 oz) firm silken tofu
¼ cup (60 mL) vegan milk
2 cups vegan cheese, grated (I use my own)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp gram flour
METHOD FOR BATTER
Place all the ingredients, except for the milk, in your food processor, and process for 1 minute or so – then add your milk a little at a time. The consistency of the batter must be thick.
METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING THE DISH
- Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a round non-stick pan, and fry the grated zucchini, until they get a little colour. It’s possible they will yield their juices, but the juice will evaporate as you fry away. Keep turning them around – 5 minutes or so should do the job. Then remove and set aside in a bowl.
- Next, add some more oil to the pan, heat it and then add your drained cut up spaghetti. Allow to sit in the pan for a while – say 2 minutes or so – then turn it around so that the spaghetti begins to take some colour. When it’s turned a little light golden, as you continue to mix, at this point you can add the batter to it, spreading it with a spatula as best you can on the surface. It will not look a pretty sight at this point, but don’t take that too seriously.
- Allow the frittata to begin to solidify a little, and using a metal spatula, add the courgettes on top, again spreading them as evenly as you can. Gently agitate the edges, add a little salt, and then transfer the frittata to a well-greased round oven dish, about 8 inches across (I used my enamel one), Even it out gently with a fork, pour some olive oil on top, and place it in a hot 400ºF (200ºC) for half an hour, or until golden. Sprinkle with chopped red chillies and parsley – and, I dare you, a little raw finely chopped garlic. Enjoy !
All recipes and content © Miriam Sorrell mouthwateringvegan.com 2010
These are free recipes for your pleasure – all we ask in return is that you take a few moments to leave us a constructive comment !
suitable for vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:28 pm
Hi have you any suggestions about what the yeast coild be replaced with as I’m intolerant to it. I can handle a little such as would be found in the cheese but not the additional amount. Thanks.
Karen
February 2nd, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Karen Hi there and thanks for dropping by here. The yeast found in bread which is an active yeast many people are allergic to – nutritional yeast is not an active yeast and behaves differently – google for more info. By all means omit it if you wish, no problem. Best wishes your way and hope you enjoy it – let me know how it goes as and when.
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:11 pm
Miriam, I am always striving to have a complete RAW DAY until I see your recipes. I am a foodie. I feel so much better eating raw but my appetite does want cooked food. I will be making a version of your recipe today, LOL! I am not sure if I should thank you or not, LOL! Have a spectacular day and thanks for the inspiration. I don’t have zucchini today but I do have red, orange and yellow peppers and grape tomatoes. That is what I will be putting in mine. I will let you know how it turns out. Hugs, Susan
February 2nd, 2013 at 8:42 pm
Susan Hi there and thanks for that. I must apologize for having slightly adjusted the recipe quantity ingredients – it’s 150 cooked pasta and 200 tofu, hope you get this message in time for this adjustment. The other ingredients you mention are fine. Be sure to grease your dish well and allow the pasta to go golden on the top when you are baking it – then once it’s ready be sure to allow a few minutes for it to rest before serving. Let me know how it goes and enjoy ! P.S. Sorry about the ‘Raw Deal’ LOL, it happens to me too. The way I cheat out of that one is that on most days I have a raw juice, in the summer it’s easier for me to eat more raw food and we have salads as accompaniments on most days – that way raw is always on the menu somewhere.
February 2nd, 2013 at 9:03 pm
Hi Miriam. I made my frittata. I put peppers, yellow, orange and red along with lots of garlic which were all sauteed in olive oil. Added it to the pasta along with the cream sauce. I use hempseed for the milk which I made for the recipe and added it along with the other ingredients. It came out delicious. I did not use the tomatoes. After thinking about it, I thought they would make it too watery. I could have squeezed the liquid but I thought the peppers and garlic would be perfect for the taste I was wanting. I had been making Pasta Frittata’s since the 1970′s. A friend of mine from Italy taught me to do it with what ever I had in the house. Those days I included bacon, procuitto, mortadella, eggs, parmesan cheese and the like. Today being Vegan I have not made me a frittata like that until you inspired me with your recipe. Thank you sooooo much!
I have a page Vegan Newbie on facebook.
February 2nd, 2013 at 9:04 pm
We have just eaten this Miriam – the taste is sublime – I needed to add more tofu to the mixture as it was a little dry, but then realized you added it anyway as you mentioned an adjustment plus a little less pasta. Thank you for such a brilliant culinary dish. Will be making it again next week. YUM !!
February 2nd, 2013 at 10:53 pm
This looks fabulous … I can’t wait to try it! I suppose one could make this in a cast iron skillet and then, rather than transfer the dish to a separate baking dish, could just pop the cast iron into the oven. Do you have any suggestions on the vegan cheese? I’ve tried several and can’t say that I’ve enjoyed them. Thanks, again, for this lovely recipe!
February 3rd, 2013 at 8:14 pm
Miriam…. Oh Miriam! You are not going to believe this. As I mentioned above I made my frittata yesterday. Now I remember why I can’t make it often. It is addicting, just like CRACK! I gave two small pieces to my nieghbor and I ate the rest of the whole pie. I also made mine with 1 lb of pasta and I ate it all up from early lunch to late dinner. Oye Veh! I said I wasn’t sure if I should thank you or not, lol! Thank you again for sharing and helping me figure out how to make what use to be egg and cheese in my frittate now to use tofu, nut milk, nutritional yeast and flour, Great Job!
February 4th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Susan Hi there and thanks so much for dropping by here with your comment. I am delighted that you have made and enjoyed my frittata. I look forward to your future comments on my blog – best wishes your way !
February 4th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Hi there Small Footprints – I agree, a cast iron baking dish sounds perfect for this, with the all in one cooking procedure, although I do fear that it may stick a little once it’s then baked – so try it and get back to me. Good luck and enjoy either way !
February 4th, 2013 at 1:04 pm
Glad you all enjoyed it so much Brett !
February 4th, 2013 at 1:05 pm
Hi there Susan and thanks for your positive feedback. I am delighted that you made and enjoyed my frittata ! I visited your page and liked it too, with the pics of this dish ! Enjoy your vegan journey and I look forward to your future comments on my blog !
February 4th, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Looks delicious again Miriam, looking forward to making this.
May I just ask a question about something else in the meanwhile?
How do you make a vegan pita and how to make the garlic sauce?
February 4th, 2013 at 2:37 pm
Pascal, I confess to purchasing my pitta bread. A garlic sauce for what ? I am not sure what it is you want to create forgive me. Cheers.
February 4th, 2013 at 5:51 pm
I’ll have a look around for pita bread which isn’t made with eggs or milk.
Well we put garlic sauce on our pita over here but since the sauce is not vegan, I was looking for an alternative.
No problem though, I’ll see if I can come up with something.
Didn’t mean to bother you with this so thx for taking the time to reply.
February 4th, 2013 at 8:06 pm
Pascal Hi, most pitta breads are made with water, flour, salt, sugar, yeast and oil – those are the usual ingredients for making it, and most are vegan, but check the labels 1st. Cheers !
February 4th, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Ok thx will do.
February 5th, 2013 at 2:16 pm
Made for dinner yesterday – delish!
February 5th, 2013 at 2:51 pm
Hi Miriam, thanks for sharing this. This will be one of my permanent meals. Just like the golden cheddar potatoes. Greetings from Hungary
February 5th, 2013 at 4:15 pm
Rita dear Hi and greetings to you too – I am delighted that you are enjoying my recipes. I look forward to your future comments and feedback on my blog !
February 5th, 2013 at 4:15 pm
Glad to hear as much Eliza !
February 7th, 2013 at 1:52 pm
Hi I am just curious…. would one have to use the pasta? or could it be replaced with spaghetti squash? Trying to cut out a lot of breads and pasts from the diet.
February 7th, 2013 at 2:37 pm
Teresa Hi there. I think that given the nature of this dish pasta should be used, otherwise it won’t be the same. Now bear in mind that when you eat a bowl of pasta a usual portion is about 100grams – if you make this and reduce the pasta and increase the veg content a little bit, then by the time you cut your portion out and serve it with a salad – you will be consuming around 50grams maximum, even less, around 40 grams – now that is really cutting down on the pasta. Another option would be to make this with rice pasta – ie rice in the shape of pasta (gluten free). Enjoy !
February 9th, 2013 at 10:55 pm
Another success! I made this with fresh home made tofu, delicious. It was also great cold with salad.
February 10th, 2013 at 2:04 pm
Hi there Cheryl – great to know that you enjoyed this with your own homemade tofu ! I very much look forward to your future comments on my blog !
February 11th, 2013 at 12:31 am
This was delicious, but I am sad to say that my finished product didn’t look as pretty as yours. It was still tasty, though. Thank you. I have pre-ordered your book and am anxious to receive it.
February 11th, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Elaine Hi there and thanks for your feedback. I am glad that you enjoyed this dish and wouldn’t worry too much in terms of how it looked, frittatas don’t always look like a piece of art at the best of times – so long as you enjoyed it and you got some crunch on the top, then all is fine. I look forward to your future comments on my blog. Best wishes your way in the meantime !
February 13th, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Looks delishes ! I would love to know your vegan cheese recipe, please!
February 13th, 2013 at 4:47 pm
This looks great!I’m trying vegan recipes to get the family healthier, so I have discovered most vegan products. This may sound dumb, what is gram flour?
February 13th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Miriam, What would happen if I substituted a white bean paste for the tofu because of soy allergies? How would it affect the batter, and should I make other adjustments to make up for it?
Thanks
Gerry
February 13th, 2013 at 6:04 pm
Gerry Hi there – a white bean paste would make it quite starchy and stodgy. I would use double the amount of vegan cheese and some vegan milk mixed with a little cornstarch to thicken it – you can heat this up on a low setting and mix until it thickens – add the cheese to it so that it can break down/melt then pour it on top of the pasta in the dish – that way you can assemble it as per method but no need to pre-fry it in this instance, it can crunch up in the oven. Let me know how it goes.
February 13th, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Hi there 58mjm – gram flour is chickpea flour. Let me know how it goes as and when.
February 13th, 2013 at 6:07 pm
Alison hi there. Currently my vegan cheese recipes will be published in my upcoming book entitled “Mouthwatering Vegan” published by Random House and due out this coming June (it’s on Amazon for pre-ordering). Meantime if you haven’t already let me know if you wish to be added to our upcoming monthly newsletter for more info on the subject. Cheers !
February 14th, 2013 at 3:40 pm
Now that you mentioned it when is the newsletter going to be published. Im on edge to ponder over it!
February 14th, 2013 at 6:49 pm
Hi Joe, we have been delayed, so it will be around a fortnight from now !
February 17th, 2013 at 3:22 pm
Mmmm delicious this frittata. I used potato, carrot and chive. Left out the chillies and the parsley which were not available at the time and was on edge to try it out. Had some garlic bread with it. Splendid.
Making up me mind what’s next!
February 17th, 2013 at 4:00 pm
So glad you made and enjoyed this Joe !
February 21st, 2013 at 12:08 am
Are you using and egg free pasta?
February 21st, 2013 at 12:19 pm
I’m vegan Wendi, why wouldn’t I use an egg free pasta ???
February 23rd, 2013 at 7:31 pm
I love that you’ve veganized a Maltese dish! I am half Maltese and remember eating this dish at home growing up. I can’t wait to try out your recipe!
February 23rd, 2013 at 10:24 pm
Hi there katie, thanks for dropping by here and I look forward to your feedback on it too. Best wishes your way in the meantime ! (I have more Maltese food that I have veganized Katie, so do come back here or bookmark my blog).
February 25th, 2013 at 4:35 am
Hi Miriam ~ This is the most delish thing I’ve made in a long time!!! I’ve never made anything like this before and I’m so glad you put it out there for us. I used spinach in place of the zucchini and I used gluten free pasta. I ended up using about 1/2 cup of coconut milk since the batter was thick and I used mozzarella flavor Daiya cheese. I’ll be putting this meal in my weekly rotation. Thank you
February 25th, 2013 at 8:31 am
Hi there Kristan and welcome here. I am delighted that this dish worked well for you and yes, it’s one of those recipes that can be made once a week and you can also use different veggies on occasion to have different flavours from time to time. I look forward to your future comments on my blog !
February 25th, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Hi Miriam, we don’t get vegan cheese where I live. You mention that you use your own. Can you give the recipe please?
February 26th, 2013 at 8:59 am
Annelie Hi there and welcome here. I’m pretty sure you can buy vegan cheese online in the UK – try Sheese. My own cheese is published in my upcoming book Mouthwatering Vegan due out this June and on Amazon and my homepage for pre-ordering. Meantime, I hope you make and enjoy this recipe. Best wishes your way !
February 26th, 2013 at 8:10 pm
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February 27th, 2013 at 9:05 am
Thanks for the Pingback ! Your pictures of the Frittata look very nice.
March 4th, 2013 at 7:19 pm
Another great recipe! I made this and the entire family loved it! I can’t wait to make it again and try one of the variations you suggested. Can’t wait for the cookbook to come.
March 5th, 2013 at 8:03 am
Harley Hi there and thanks for dropping by here with your comment. Sounds like you created a resounding success in your kitchen – kudos to you for making and sharing this with the entire family, who loved it too ! It’s very satisfying to see everybody eat and enjoy your endeavours. A lasagna at some point would go down well with a family, just a thought
I look forward to your future comments on my blog and thank you for your interest in my forthcoming book !
April 20th, 2013 at 7:41 am
I wanted to thank you for this recipe, it is one of the best tasting meals I have had in a long time
I made this yesterday & my whole family loved it, I use a lot of your recipes & they are fantastic as are you for sharing them. Thank you.
April 20th, 2013 at 8:43 am
Jenny Hi there and thanks so much for letting me know of your culinary success with my recipes, that is awesome. Look forward to your future comments on my blog !
April 25th, 2013 at 9:06 am
This looks delicious, but can you do it without the nutritional yeast, which I can’t find? And what if you don’t have a food processor?
Can you recommend something easier? Thanks!
April 25th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Katy Hi, you can make it without nutritional yeast if you use vegan ‘cheese’ otherwise it will be very bland. The thing is that the tofu needs to be made into a cream consistency, hence the blender – sorry I cannot think of what else can reduce it to that. If you mash it it will resemble the bits of a ‘scrambled egg’ – that’s not the consistency we need. If you can use vegan cream instead that would work, but you may not find that either. Sorry !
P.S. I use a great deal of nutritional yeast in my recipes, so by all means go on my site/blog and click on my ‘store’ at the top of my page and then go to Amazon from there and you can order it there if you wish. Once you taste it, you won’t regret it.
April 29th, 2013 at 5:28 pm
Katy, do you have any bulk foods stores near you? That’s where we usually get ours. Sorry you can’t find the nutritional yeast, because it really makes for great vegan cooking.
April 29th, 2013 at 6:19 pm
I have to agree there Barb, I myself would not be without it ever ! It can be ordered online, including my Amazon store.
April 29th, 2013 at 11:03 pm
Hi Miriam
Do you have the recipe for your grated cheese hiding somewhere on this site?
Quick question
I’ve been using store bought… but it always tastes so oily/chemically…. looking for a new alternative
April 30th, 2013 at 2:27 am
I made this for supper, and wow! I messed it up a little (didn’t remove the zucchini from the pan before adding the spaghetti). I love the creamy batter mix. I was licking the spoon and container while the frittata was baking.
April 30th, 2013 at 9:33 am
Hi Barb – Sounds like you had some fun in the kitchen whilst your frittata was baking – so glad you enjoyed it !
April 30th, 2013 at 9:39 am
Cassidy Hi there. My own grated cheese is published in my upcoming book (out in a few weeks time) together with other delicious and easy to make cheeses of mine as well as 130 recipes and 304 pages with pics, it’s published by Appetite an imprint of Random House Canada – just thought I’d let you know – here is the link to browse for you http://www.amazon.com/dp/0449015653/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=mouthwvegan-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0449015653&adid=0Z6J63Z7WJ6SY6H80CYN&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fmouthwateringvegan.com%2F So glad you are enjoying my recipes and I look forward to your future comments on my blog !
May 9th, 2013 at 9:22 am
Hi Miriam,
I’ve made this recipe twice now! I modified it the second time as I thought that the spaghetti and courgette on their own were slightly bland. So the second time, I added onion and green and red pepper. I really like the batter mix with the pasta and will definitely do this recipe again, maybe adding mushrooms too next time.
And I can’t wait to get hold of you book which I’ve pre-ordered on Amazon!
May 9th, 2013 at 6:06 pm
This will work very well with mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes too Sara – many veg combinations work well with this since the base is a simple thin spaghetti ! Enjoy and thanks for pre-ordering my book, how kind !