Italian · Naples · snack

Frittata di Maccheroni

Name: Frittata di Maccheroni
Prep time: 33 min
Total time: 43 min
Cuisine: Italian · Naples
Ingredients: thin spaghetti — 400 g; eggs — 600 g; parmesan cheese — 80 g; pecorino romano cheese — 40 g; provola affumicata — 100 g; italian salami — 80 g; flat-leaf parsley — 15 g; freshly ground black pepper — 5 g; salt — 3 g; extra virgin olive oil — 55 g

Frittata di Maccheroni reads umami 7.6, salinity 6.4 and richness 6.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian · Naples snack, about 43 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 8.6 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.7 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.9 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 2.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.6 · Salinity 6.4 · Richness 6.3 · Funk & Ferment 3.7 · Smoke 2.4 · Herbaceous 2.2 · Nutty 2.1 · Bitterness 1.6 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Sweetness 1.3 · Heat 0.7 · Floral 0.7 · Earthy 0.6 · Sourness 0.6

What's in it (10)

thin spaghetti — 400 g
eggs — 600 g
parmesan cheese — 80 g
pecorino romano cheese — 40 g
provola affumicata — 100 g
italian salami — 80 g
flat-leaf parsley — 15 g
freshly ground black pepper — 5 g
salt — 3 g
extra virgin olive oil — 55 g

Time & effort: about 43 min (33 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 154.8 kcal, 10.4 g protein, 10.2 g fat, 4.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Beat the eggs well with both cheeses, the parsley, the pepper and the salt, for a good minute, until the mixture is homogeneous and slightly foamy on top.
Fold in the cold cooked pasta, the provola cubes and the salame, separating the strands with your fingers so every one is coated. Let it stand 15 minutes; the pasta drinks some of the egg and the frittata holds together far better for it. This dish exists because Neapolitan cooks refuse to waste yesterday's pasta, and cold pasta genuinely works better than fresh.
Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a 26 cm non-stick or well-seasoned frying pan over medium heat until it shimmers. Tip everything in and press it flat with the back of a spoon into an even cake.
Cook 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat, without stirring, shaking the pan every couple of minutes to be sure it is loose. The edges will set and pull in slightly and the base should be deep golden and crusted; lift an edge with a palette knife to check.
Slide the frittata onto a plate, cover it with the pan and flip the whole assembly over. Add the remaining oil and cook the second side 6 to 7 minutes, until it is equally golden and the centre is set with no wobble.
Rest 10 minutes, then cut into wedges. It is eaten warm or cold, and it travels: this is the food of Neapolitan train journeys and beach days, wrapped in paper.
Substitutions: bucatini can stand in for the cooked spaghetti.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Classic Spaghetti Carbonara — Italian
Pasta alla Gricia — Italian · Rome
Cacio e Pepe with Crispy Prosciutto — Italian
Mapo Tofu (Mapo Doufu) — Chinese · Sichuan
Cacio e Pepe — Italian

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.