Fried Spaghetti is cheesy, crispy and such an easy recipe! Grab your leftover pasta out of the fridge, add some fontina and parmesan cheese then fry it to perfection!

Carb heaven! This is a pasta lover’s dream. It’s one of my favorite meals to make when I’m short on time and craving a comfort food meal.

Another one of my favorite pasta recipes that is quick, easy and great for date night or weeknight meals is Gigi Hadid Pasta. It’s a creamy spicy tomato and vodka sauce, full of flavor!

The crisp dark brown parts of the pasta after frying it in butter. Topped with shaved parmesan and fresh basil.

Never had fried pasta? Think it sounds a little funky? You’re going to LOVE it!

It’s a different way of eating your regular spaghetti dish. Frying the leftover spaghetti in a little bit of butter gives you a cheesy fried spaghetti with extra depth of flavor and the crispy bits that everyone loves!

My kids went crazy over this! My 2 year old asked for more three different times, haha! Music to my ears.

When I make the pasta the first time, I use a jarred pasta sauce. Usually Rao’s Marinara.

To start, I heat minced garlic in a little bit of oil, add a few spices then the jar of sauce. Mix the spaghetti in and boom! You have meal number 1.

The next day I shred fontina and parmesan in my food processor, mix it in the cold spaghetti then fry it in butter.

Add some fresh basil and you’re good to go! SO EASY! This will be one of your new favorite pasta dishes!

A few other pasta dishes you will love

Why you’ll love Fried Spaghetti

Simple Ingredients – This Fried Spaghetti recipe uses simple ingredients that you may have on hand or are easily accessible at the local grocery store.
Quick + Easy – This pasta recipe is SO quick and SO easy. It will be ready in less than 20 minutes!
Comfort Food – It’s a great comfort dish. If you’re looking to max out on carbs, this is your dish!
Crispy Bits – I don’t know about you but I love crispy bits of almost anything. This has crispy bits of pasta AND crispy cheese!! It’s a little reminiscent of pizza because of this!
Childhood Memories – For a lot of people this was a staple meal growing up. So get ready to walk down nostalgia lane! Rigatoni Bolognese is another pasta recipe that takes me down memory lane.
Vegetarian – If you’re trying to incorporate vegetarian meals, this is a great one!

A bowl of spaghetti with basil, parmesan and a bottle of wine.

Ingredients needed

Spaghetti Noodles – I typically use regular spaghetti for this dish.
Marinara Sauce – Use your favorite tomato sauce!
Garlic Cloves – I use large cloves of garlic so if yours are smaller then add a couple more.
Kosher Salt – Salt brings out the flavor of all the ingredients. Also, salting your pasta water is a must.
Black Pepper – I prefer to use coarse ground black pepper.
Oregano – Dried oregano is best here.
Crushed Red Pepper – I love a little spice in my pasta!
Fresh Basil – Definitely use fresh basil leaves instead of dried. Huge difference in flavor.
Fontina Cheese – Fontina is so delicious. It makes this cheesy spaghetti so good!
Parmesan Cheese – Parmesan is a staple in my spaghetti.
Butter – I use unsalted butter since I’m already adding my own in.
Olive Oil – Just a tiny drizzle in the pasta water.

Equipment needed

Large Stock Pot – You’ll need a large pot to boil the spaghetti noodles.
Colander – Use a colander or strainer to drain the pasta water.
Large Frying Pan – Fry the spaghetti in a large pan to get it nice and crisp!

Tips for this Easy Fried Spaghetti Recipe

You have 3 options when cooking this recipe. 1. You can make a double batch, eat half the first night without frying it then fry the leftovers the next night. 2. You can make this recipe then store it in the fridge until the next day to fry and eat. 3. You can make it and fry it right away. A lot of people say you need to wait until it sits for a day but I have done both and it’s delicious the first night as well!
For best results get your frying pan hot over medium – high heat then turn it down to medium. This will ensure the pan is hot enough to get some crispness to the pasta but also help to not burn it.
You can use any type of pasta you like. If you prefer angel hair pasta or fettuccini over spaghetti then those work too!
Mix it up with the cheeses! Although I do love the fontina and parmesan combo, you can add cheddar cheese or whatever you’re craving at the moment. The only thing I recommend is that you use shredded cheese.
Crispy spaghetti is what you’re aiming for. Without burning it of course. The crispness adds so much flavor and texture to this easy pasta dish.
You can do this with pretty much any pasta leftovers! I love using my leftover Rigatoni Bolognese for this.
Eat this Easy Fried Spaghetti right away! This recipe is best when it’s hot and fresh straight out of the frying pan.

Add-ins for Fried Spaghetti

This Easy Fried Spaghetti is perfect the way it is but it’s also a great recipe for add-ins. Here are a few of my favorite things to add into this pasta recipe:

Italian Sausages – Cut into small pieces.
Ground Beef
Crispy Prosciutto – Crumbled into bits.
Mushrooms – Sauteed first.
Olives – I’m a big fan of kalamata olives in my pasta!
Roasted Red Peppers
Broccolini or Broccoli – Sauteed with the garlic and herbs first.
Spinach – Sauteed then mixed in.
Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Feta Cheese
Marinated Artichokes

Any of these ingredients on there own or any combination of them would be delicious!

What to serve with Fried Spaghetti

Fried spaghetti on a plate with a fork, fresh basil, parmesan cheese and a glass of red wine behind the plate.

How to make Easy Fried Spaghetti

This is one of the best comfort food recipes and it’s so easy to make!

Making the fresh spaghetti

First, boil 1/2 box of spaghetti noodles according to the package instructions until they are al dente. Drain the noodles then set them aside for a moment.

Heat a small drizzle of olive oil over low heat in the same pan you just cooked the spaghetti in. Add the minced garlic and stir around until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Make sure to keep the heat low for this so you don’t burn the garlic. Add the salt, pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper.

Let the spices cook for another 20 seconds. Dump in the jar of marinara sauce then mix together.

Add the cooked spaghetti then remove from the heat. Stir in the cheeses.

Pasta mixed with the marinara sauce in a pot.

From here you can either fry the spaghetti immediately or you can store it in the fridge overnight to be fried the next day.

Frying the leftover spaghetti

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat until the pan is hot then turn down to medium heat. Add the butter, let it melt then add in the spaghetti mixture in one even layer.

Spaghetti being fried in a pan with butter.

Let the pasta cook for 3-4 minutes or until it starts to brown and crisp. You don’t want it to get black, just brown.

Flip the pasta over and repeat the process on that side. Once the pasta is hot and crispy on both sides, serve it immediately.

Top each serving with fresh basil. You can also use fresh parsley in addition to the basil if you like.

This is a great way to use up your extra pasta and feel like you’ve made a different meal!

If you love delicious pasta recipes then try Mushroom and Truffle Pasta, Shrimp and Lemon Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto and Garlic Chicken Pasta!

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FAQ

How to store Fried Spaghetti

BEFORE frying this recipe you can store the spaghetti in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. AFTER frying the spaghetti you can store it in an airtight container for 1 -2 extra days.

Once the spaghetti is fried, it is best eaten fresh. It tends to dry out more quickly after frying it.

However, if you do end up with leftovers after frying it, I would only keep them for a day or two.

Reheating Fried Spaghetti

Fried spaghetti is best eaten fresh out of the frying pan while it’s still hot. If you end up with leftovers and need to reheat them then I would suggest the microwave.

Reheat, covered on high, for 30-60 seconds. That is your best bet for not drying it out.

If you try to reheat the spaghetti in the pan, chances are it will get too crispy or dry.

Can you fry fresh spaghetti?

Yes, you can! This recipe is intended for leftover spaghetti but you can most certainly make it and fry it immediately.

I actually fry it fresh sometimes instead of frying leftover spaghetti.

Either way works just fine. A lot of people prefer to fry leftover but totally up to you!

Can I fry uncooked pasta?

That is not something that I would recommend and certainly not in this recipe. You need to use cooked pasta in this Fried Spaghetti recipe.

It’s super simple and easy to cook and and fry. If you attempt using uncooked pasta you’ll end up with hard burnt pasta.