17 of the Best Leftover Spaghetti Recipes

Spaghetti is a favorite of restaurants and homes everywhere. But let’s admit, there always seems to be leftovers. What to do with leftover spaghetti? You could reheat it and leave it as is, or it can be turned into a totally new dish!

Recipes for leftover spaghetti are easier to find than you’d think. Spaghetti may seem like a one-and-done dish, but there are so many options for leftovers.

No need to leave it as sad reheated spaghetti. Try some dishes such as spaghetti pizza, casserole, and pie.

So, let’s get started with some of our favorite leftover spaghetti recipes.

1. Spaghetti Pie

When you hear spaghetti I doubt you think of pie. But this spaghetti pie is a perfect reworking of leftover spaghetti. This recipe does require a lot of spaghetti; one pound to be exact.

If you haven’t got quite enough leftovers, it’s okay. The old and the new can easily be mixed together.

This dish will take an hour to make and will make eight servings. The beef can be substituted with turkey or sausage. Or if you’re not a fan of meat, leave it out altogether.

We suggest using extra cheese and adding some vegetables such as broccoli or peppers.

2. Spaghetti Casserole

All this recipe really requires is some leftover pasta and sauce. If you don’t have one or the other, it’s easy to make up some more. They recommend using recent leftover spaghetti, no longer than four days in the fridge.

Like most pasta dishes, the meat is optional. If you’re not a fan of beef, try chicken, turkey, or sausage.

And if that’s still not it, try some mushrooms, peppers, or spinach. If you’re looking for an extra special topping, try some breadcrumbs, melted butter, and parmesan.

3. Spaghetti Bake

This leftover spaghetti bake is so easy to make and is so much better than plain, reheated spaghetti. This recipe doesn’t require much outside of the leftovers. A few spices, some eggs, and cheese, and it really comes together.

Here’s our tip for adding cheese. Add the cheese in as you’re cooking. When checking on your bake, sprinkle the cheese on the top, then pop it in the oven again until it needs to be checked, maybe ten minutes.

If you want more cheese, repeat this step more than once.

4. Spaghetti Sliders

Spaghetti sliders are great for families as both a side dish and the main one. This dish takes so little time to make, and with the leftovers on hand, there’s no need for so many extra ingredients. This dish can be ready in 25 minutes and serves twelve people!

This recipe uses two different kinds of cheese, parmesan and mozzarella.

If you’re not a fan of one or the other, replace it with what you like or leave it out altogether.

When it comes to the buns, cover them generously with the butter mixture. It really adds to the flavor.

5. Spaghetti Pizza

Spaghetti pizza truly is the best of two worlds. Not only is it easy to make with leftovers, but it can be gluten-free depending on your pasta. And this recipe has so many toppings, just like a regular pizza.

It’s recommended that you don’t add salt. If you do, make it a very small amount.

The same goes for pepper. Between the sauce and the parmesan, added salt could ruin the flavor and makes it less healthy.

Also, you’ll want your pasta to be dryer than usual. This will help it hold its pizza shape.

6. Pasta Fritters

Pasta fritters can be made not only with spaghetti but can be used with alfredo, macaroni, penne, shells, and carbonara. In truth, almost any leftover pasta dish will do.

And they can be made into small bite-size snacks or one large fritter.

This dish will only take fifteen minutes to make, and it makes twelve servings.

It’s a good idea to use pasta leftovers that you’ve had for a while, at least a day in the fridge. The pasta will stick together better.

And when it comes to cheese, it’s completely optional, although we suggest using cheddar.

7. Spaghetti Cakes

This spaghetti dish is a fun finger food that takes care of leftovers and makes for a great appetizer or full meal. And they’re great for lunchboxes or takeaway meals from home.

The best part? They only take 8 minutes to make!

It’s recommended that the marinara for dipping should be warmed up or at least room temperature.

And for making the perfect circle shape, use an ice cream scoop to ball up the spaghetti and then flatten it gently.

8. Spaghetti Salad

We’ve all heard of pasta salad, but that usually uses a smaller pasta. This spaghetti salad will be changing all of that.

When it comes to serving and spooning, it is acceptable to cut the pasta into smaller pieces, but it really tastes great when left longer.

Serving this dish is easy, but it should be fairly cold when serving. We recommend keeping it in the fridge for two to three hours beforehand. This also means you can make it earlier and save it for later.

9. Spaghetti Lasagna

Spaghetti lasagna is a natural choice for leftover spaghetti. It’s a classic! It will take about an hour to make and will make six servings, perfect for a large family.

This dish is warm, can be used with leftovers or mixed with new pasta, and only requires five ingredients.

This dish recommends adding spicy Italian sausage. While preparing everything else, bake it in the oven.

Then it can be the bottom layer of the lasagna adding protein, spice, and flavor to a classic leftover spaghetti dish.

10. Muffin Tin Spaghetti Nests

This may not be a dish you’ve heard of before, but spaghetti nests made in muffin tins are a great way to use up that leftover spaghetti you’ve had waiting in the fridge.

There are plenty of opportunities to add in your favorite vegetables, and while they are leftovers, they can be frozen and reheated again.

Vegetables that we recommend include zucchini, grated carrots, and peppers. Each of these is easy to add to the dish and brings out more flavor from the spaghetti.

11. Baked Spaghetti & Meatball Cups

There are plenty of leftover spaghetti ideas, but these baked spaghetti and meatball cups might just be our favorite. These cups are easy to eat, make great appetizers, are handheld, and still pack a lot of flavors.

The secret ingredient to this recipe is the meatballs. But it’s not only chicken in the meatballs but cauliflower and carrots too. And there’s cheese.

It’s a healthy alternative to regular meatballs and still tastes amazing. Although, our tip is to keep the meatballs small. They’re easier to eat.

12. Spaghetti Sandwich

This spaghetti sandwich isn’t your ordinary sandwich. This grilled spaghetti sandwich is great for leftover spaghetti and can easily make a good, filling meal.

This dish only requires eight ingredients, most of which you’ll find already with your leftovers. And this dish only takes fifteen minutes to make.

This untraditional dish’s best ingredient is garlic bread which is used to replace regular bread. It adds more flavor and pairs well with spaghetti.

Our tip for this dish is to let the sandwich sit for a minute or two before eating. This will allow the cheese to melt thoroughly.

13. Spaghetti Boats

Spaghetti boats are a fun way to reuse your leftover spaghetti and they include the wonderful taste of garlic. There are three simple steps to making spaghetti boats.

Warm the spaghetti, toast your bread, and top it with your spaghetti and cheese. There’s some baking time in there too, but this is a very easy dish to make.

Our tip for making these spaghetti boats is to hollow out the bread. It will hold the spaghetti better and make it easier to eat.

And if you want a little more flavor, add some basil on top of the spaghetti.

14. Deep Fried Spaghetti Balls

Have you ever had spaghetti deep fried? Today’s the day to try it. This recipe only takes 20 minutes to complete and makes 12 to 16 spaghetti balls.

They’re crunchy on the outside and cheesy on the inside. This dish is perfect for your leftover spaghetti and makes for a great appetizer.

We suggest keeping your unfried spaghetti balls in the fridge for at least thirty minutes. This will keep them in the ball shape and make them firmer.

This will make them crispier and easier to deep fry.

15. Spaghetti & Meatball Panini

What to make with leftover spaghetti? A spaghetti and meatball panini of course!

While this recipe is made easier with a panini press, it can be made at home on a skillet too. Butter plays a key role in this dish and has its own section of ingredients and instructions. It’s important to read these parts carefully.

If you’re making the panini without a panini press, it’s very much like making a grilled cheese sandwich. Put the sandwich together, cook it, flip it, and cook again.

It’s a good idea to cook each side until they’re golden brown.

16. Pasta Frittata

Pasta frittata is a perfect way to use up your leftover spaghetti, and not just spaghetti, but really any leftover pasta will do. The outside is crispy, but the inside remains chewy and soft.

With lots of eggs and cheese, this recipe comes together really well.

This dish will take about forty minutes to make and has eight ingredients, however, these can be changed a bit.

When it comes to the cheese, we recommend using a blend of mozzarella and parmesan. Shredded Italian cheese is also a very strong choice. Adding vegetables can be fun too.

17. Fried Spaghetti

Fried spaghetti is a great way to reuse your leftovers and not let them go to waste. This dish only requires five ingredients, and most of these can already be found in your leftovers.

If you haven’t any sauce leftover, you’ll want to make some up.

Here’s our tip for using butter. We recommend using unsalted butter. This will make the dish taste less bitter and if you want to add salt later you have more control of the taste of the dish.

It’s really up to you how much salt you put in.