You’ll never throw away leftover spaghetti again once you make this Leftover Spaghetti Skillet with Tomatoes and Green Peppers! It’s so easy to bring your spaghetti back to life!
Spaghetti is a tricky. I don’t mean the process of making it, that’s usually easy. The tricky part is figuring out how much spaghetti you have to make. Have you ever asked your loved ones “How hungry are you?” in hopes they will tell you precisely how hungry they are so you make the exact amount of food. Usually the answer is “Sorta hungry” or “Very hungry” which both aren’t that helpful. So into the boiling pot goes the entire box of spaghetti. 9 out of 10 times, there will be spaghetti left, which then goes into a glass storage container into the refrigerator until someone decides they want to eat leftover spaghetti. Many times, I’m afraid to admit, noone wants to eat that leftover spaghetti and it goes bad. I hate wasting food. It’s the worst. So I set out on how to bring leftover spaghetti back to life, so it wouldn’t go to waste anymore!
Hack to bring leftover spaghetti back to life:
Put 2 cups of water in a large skillet. Bring to a boil. Add leftover spaghetti and cook 30 seconds. Drain water. Serve!
.
Now you’re all done and ready to make this delicious Leftover Spaghetti Skillet with Tomatoes and Green Peppers!
This dish is quick and easy (it takes 5 minutes to make). It’s full of diced tomatoes and fresh green peppers which makes it great for a vegetable filled Winter or Summer meal. Sometimes in the Winter we can get dragged down by heavy casseroles or soups, but this dish is the opposite of that. Along with the vegetables, this spaghetti is coated in olive oil and Parmesan cheese which makes you feel like you’re eating a Summer time meal!
Serve with some crusty Italian bread. Bread makes everything better, don’t you agree?
Hope you enjoy this quick 5 minute meal and that you’ll never let your leftover spaghetti go to waste again!
Ingredients
- 1 pound leftover spaghetti
- 1 15 oz can of Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes I used the Basil, Garlic and Oregano variety
- 1 green pepper - chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
How to bring Leftover Spaghetti back to life
- Put 2 cups of water in a large skillet. Bring to a boil. Add Spaghetti and cook 30 seconds. Drain water. Put spaghetti back into skillet.
Recipe
- With drained spaghetti in skillet, add diced tomatoes, green pepper, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.
- Stir so pasta is evenly coated with olive oil and cheese.
- Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese on top if desired.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Ronda says
I have leftover spaghetti in the frig right now and this sounds amazing!! I think I might add some cooked and crumbled bacon to it also.
Pamela says
That sounds delicious Ronda! Enjoy your leftover spaghetti! đŸ™‚
Kathy says
Do you drain your can of diced tomatoes? I am making your green pepper casserole recipe tonight and it is currently in the oven. I was unsure about that can of diced tomoatoes as well and I went and drained them. Now I am wondering if there will be enough liquid for the rice to cook.
Pamela says
Hey Kathy, no I don’t drain the tomatoes – for this recipe or the green pepper casserole. Hope this helps!
Lesley says
Since I’m not a Parmesan lover, I adapted your recipe and used grated mozzarella and some fresh basil. Lots of freshly ground pepper and a dash of salt later and I’m in pasta heaven! Thank you for the tip about bringing my spaghetti back to life!
Jess says
Wow, talk about delicious! I am totally pinning đŸ™‚ have a great day! xo
Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says
Brilliant! I can’t tell you how many times I have thrown out leftover pasta! I never thought to do something like this! Great tip and love the recipe too…so easy!
handmade by amalia says
Looks like a quick and yummy dinner. Great idea.
Amalia
xo
Ashley says
What a great tip for using leftover spaghetti! I’m usually okay when it’s just the husband and I … but I seem to always have extra when I’m using it for more than just us!!
John/Kitchen Riffs says
Leftovers? Heck, I’d make this as a firstover (that doesn’t sound right, does it?!). Love the color — and flavor — in this dish. Really nice — thanks.
grace says
i feel like we never have leftover spaghetti, but it’s good to know how to revive it! great tips, even better recipe. đŸ™‚
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
We are bit fans of using leftover spaghetti like this. I love making a spaghetti omelette too.
mira says
Such a great tip! This pasta looks fresh and delicious!
Tandy I Lavender and Lime says
What a great tip about bringing the pasta back to life with boiling water. I used to make 100g per person of pasta, which always resulted in left overs đŸ™‚
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
Since I always cook way too much pasta this is just what I need! Nobody would even know we are having leftovers! Very clever idea!
cheri says
Great tips Pamela, I’m trying not to waste so much food this year, though have not been so successful, beautiful dish with the tomatoes and peppers.
Norma Chang says
Great idea, thanks for sharing. I have often used left over spaghetti as a substitute for lo mein noodles in sesame noodles or stir-fry noodle dishes.
Suzanne says
Love it Pamela, that is a fresh, quick and delicious recipe.
Asha says
This is really a good way to use up the extra pasta. I love to cook more and leave it in the refrigerator for lunches next day. So good.
xx
Mason Canyon says
A handy tip for us spaghetti lovers. Now I’m hungry for a plate of this delicious looking food.
Monica says
Great tips! Man, I’m craving spaghetti right now! It never fails to make a great meal. Hope you’re enjoying this awesome weather!
Dawn (Nana) says
This looks really good! I think I would saute some crushed garlic in the oil before adding the rest of the ingredients. And some fresh basil leaves, diced and tossed in right before serving. We always like lots of garlic with almost everything! And I have a thing about fresh basil! Yum!
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
I actually sometimes have trouble determining when the pasta is done – I’m so afraid I’ll over or under cook it! But I agree it’s tricky to know how much to make. How great to know how to “save” leftovers next time. This looks great đŸ™‚
dixya @ food, pleasure, and health says
im always making more pasta than i need to..this is a really good reminder đŸ™‚
Laura ~ Raise Your Garden says
Eeekkkk. I just threw out some spaghetti last night! And truly, I do feel guilty about it. Ugh and I always justify it in my brain. That needs to stop! Time to be more frugal. Anything with tomatoes looks scrumptious to me =)
Mary Frances says
Yum!! This looks delicious and it’s such an easy recipe. Thank you for sharing this with us.