Use-Your-Noodle Mini Frittatas

Aired on: October 12, 2011

You can make five lunches for under $15 that your kids (and wallet!) will love, thanks to Liz Vaccariello, Editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. Use the shopping list below for this recipe and her other lunch ideas:

PB&B Crunchies with Build-Your-Own Yogurt
Spaghetti Salad with Herby Breadcrumbs
Cock-A-Doodle Skewers with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce
Chicken Salad “Sushi” Rolls

Ingredients

From the pantry
Mayo
Salt and pepper
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pasta (we used spaghetti)
Dried herbs
Peanut butter
Jam
Cheese (we used part-skim mozzarella)
Honey
Eggs
Milk
Flour
Shopping List
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast $2.99/lb.
1 apple $1.15 ($1.99/lb)
Sandwich bread (we used soft wheat) $1.99/loaf
1 carrot $ .25 ($.99/lb)
1 banana $ .20
1 cucumber $.79
Cherry tomatoes $2.50/pint
Yogurt (2 single-serving containers with granola) $2.78
Sunflower seeds $ .99
TOTAL $13.64

Yields: 4 mini frittatas (2 per serving)

Preparation

Cut about 1/2 cup leftover cooked spaghetti noodles into 1-inch lengths. Optional: crisp noodles slightly in skillet with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 large eggs, 3 tablespoons milk, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in 1/3 cup grated low-moisture mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup (about 6) quartered (or cut into small pieces) cherry tomatoes.

Butter or spray 4 muffin cups in 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick vegetable spray. Divide spaghetti evenly among prepared cups. (For fun, you can also add a few cubes of mozzarella cheese to each cup). Ladle egg mixture over, filling almost to top.

Bake at 375ºF until puffed and golden, about 15-18 minutes.

Note: For a snack or breakfast treat, you can also bake these in a mini-muffin pan for bize-size frittatas.