Frittatas were created as a way for Italians use up left over pasta from the day before. Just about anything goes. They simply beat up some eggs, cream and cheese, added it to the pasta and there you go, another meal is born! In this case, there are no leftovers so we are cooking up some spaghetti. We call them bird’s nests because we make them in muffin pans and they look like little nests. This recipe will also fit in a 9X13 baking dish. You can cut the frittata up into squares instead of the individual “nests”.

Ingredients
1 Lb. spaghetti
4 eggs, beaten
1 pint ½ and ½
1 cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for topping
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella or fontina cheese
1 package frozen baby peas
½ lb cubed ham or cooked crumbled bacon
4 TBS butter, melted
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
In a large pot cook spaghetti in boiling salted water till just al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside. Meanwhile in a large bowl beat the eggs. Add the ½ & ½, cheeses, frozen peas, ham or bacon, butter and salt & pepper and mix well. Add the drained spaghetti to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.
With clean hands pick up small handfuls of the mixture and place in each muffin slot twisting the strands in a circle as you go. Top each “nest” with some of the cheese, ham and peas which tend to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Top with more parmesan and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until set and top is slightly golden. Cool 10 minutes and use a butter knife to remove from muffin tins. Can be served hot or at room temperature.
#pasta #spring #appetizer #fingerfood #easy #ham #peas #cheese