Day 147.
Yes! Spaghetti Frittata, one of my all-time faves!
Jeff Smith, aka The Frugal Gourmet, was one of the first TV personality chefs with whom I completely fell in love. As a 12-year-old.
Yes, I'm a food nerd from way back.
My mom used to say I would grow up to become a "saucier" in a fancy restaurant. She was always envious of how I could throw together a new dish without a recipe and get recipes right on the first try.
I still stand by beginner's luck and my rebellious cooking nature. It's not always a good thing to be good at throwing things together. I've taken to writing things down while I cook recently so other people can actually reproduce what I made.
But sometimes pouring it in just can't be properly translated to a tablespoon or 1/4 cup. So alas, some of my best dishes are lost to my lack of memory and measurements.
But I digress. When I was in love with The Frugal Gourmet, one of our favorite dishes to make was his Spaghetti Frittata.
Talk about easy, and frugal! I made this for the first time (the original vegetarian, non-vegan version) at around age 11. So, this is definitely one you can get the kids in on. I highly recommend both versions.
Vegan Spaghetti Frittata
Adapted from Spaghetti Frittata in The Frugal Gourmet, by Jeff Smith (1984).
Ingredients
1/2 pound thin spaghetti, cooked, drained, rinsed and cooled
4 egg substitutes (vegan) or eggs, beaten (vegetarian) [I used 1 parts cornstarch to 3 parts water]
1/2-3/4 cup parmesan cheese substitute (vegan), recipe below, or parmesan cheese (real, not canned) divided
Parmesan Cheese Substitute
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup breadcrumbs or crumbled French fried onions (for a tangier cheese)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
House seasoning, to taste
Italian seasoning, to taste
Method
Turn oven on broil.
Blend parmesan cheese ingredients in a food processor until cashews are powdered.
Blend all ingredients (reserving a bit of "parmesan") together and fry in an oven-safe pan in olive oil until under-side is browned. Once under-side is browned (about 5-7 minutes over medium-high heat), top with reserved "parmesan" and broil until golden brown (about 5 minutes).
Eat it all before your husband sees it. Or be sweet and share (I won't tell if you don't).
Also, try this asparagus frittata recipe.
The Results
Holy parmesan. I adapted that "Walnut Parmesan Sprinkles" recipe out of a very cool book on vegan substitutions (The Complete Guide to Vegan Substitutions) and it is FANTASTIC.
I made the vegetarian version (the original "Frug" version) not long ago and I think this vegan version is very similar taste-wise.
And the cashews in the "parmesan" are a great protein source in lieu of the eggs. I loved this. And, yes, I shared, my husband loved it, too. I thought he may poo poo the lack of eggs and cheese, but he thought it was great. Our daughters both gobbled their portions up, too. We should've made a full pound of pasta.What's your favorite "childhood memory" dish?
This post shared at Fat Camp Friday, Crafty Friday, Friday Favorites, Potluck Friday,·Frugal Fridays, Foodie Friday and I'm Lovin' It.
Spaghetti Frittata
This vegan or vegetarian spaghetti frittata from The Frugal Gourmet is amazing made with walnut Parmesan substitute. I like the original vegetarian recipe, too!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound thin spaghetti, cooked, drained, rinsed and cooled
- 4 egg substitutes (vegan) or eggs, beaten (vegetarian) [I used 1 parts cornstarch to 3 parts water]
- 1/2-3/4 cup parmesan cheese substitute (vegan), recipe below, or parmesan cheese (real, not canned) divided
- Parmesan Cheese Substitute:
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or crumbled French fried onions (for a tangier cheese)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- House seasoning, to taste
- Italian seasoning, to taste
Instructions
- Turn oven on broil.
- Blend parmesan cheese ingredients in a food processor until cashews are powdered.
- Blend all ingredients (reserving a bit of "parmesan") together and fry in an oven-safe pan in olive oil until under-side is browned.
- Once under-side is browned (about 5-7 minutes over medium-high heat), top with reserved "parmesan" and broil until golden brown (about 5 minutes).
