Leftover Roundup: Pasta Frittata

I hate to throw away leftovers.  Maybe it was all those years of my mom reminding me of the starving children in Ethiopia that would love to have the portion of my dinner I didn't want to eat.  Maybe it's the dollars I see spent on the food being put into the trash.  Whatever the reason, it drives me to find new ways to repurpose my leftovers. 

You see, I used to consistently cook for five, then that number dwindled to four when our oldest daughter moved out, now it's down to three with our younger daughter in college now too.  I'm having a hard time scaling down my recipes and usually end up with enough food for five people or more.  This works out well when I pack them into lunches, but it also sometimes leaves me with more of one ingredient than the accompanying ingredients.  My best example of this: pasta.  When I make a dish with pasta, I almost always have leftover pasta with no sauce to mix with it.  I try to freeze it, but usually end up forgetting about it and making more the next time. 

But last week I ran across this recipe at Lunch in a Box and inspiration struck.  How perfect, pasta made into a frittata.  Easy, cheap, and great use of leftovers.  So tonight, I made my own version with leftover spaghetti, baby portobello mushrooms, sweet peppers, and mozzarella cheese. 

Leftover Pasta Frittata
Serves 4 depending on how hungry you are :)

1.5 C. Cooked pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
3-4 mushrooms chopped (I used baby portobello)
3 small sweet peppers or 1/2 bell pepper
1/2 C. fresh baby spinach sliced
5 eggs beaten
1T. Oil (I used ghee)
1/2 C. grated mozzarella cheese, (any cheese would work)

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large frying pan on medium heat, heat oil and sautee mushrooms and peppers until tender.  Add spinach and pasta  and toss to cook and combine.  Add eggs and cook a couple minutes until bottom is cooked.  Add cheese on top.  Take off heat and put pan in oven (or cover pan and reduce heat)  and cook foe 3-5 minutes or until the egg is cooked.  Let rest for a couple of minutes.  Cut into serving sizes and enjoy!  I served this with a piece of whole wheat toast. 

Shared at: Teach Me Tuesdays, Becoming Lydia, Frugal Tuesday Tip, Fat Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays