Zero-waste pasta cutlets: Turn leftovers into gourmet treats
Are you looking for ideas for zero waste-style dishes? You'll love these cutlets because you can use leftovers from lunch, and they taste great. My kids always ask for seconds.
Perhaps soon, cutlets will no longer be synonymous with a typically meat-based dish. Increasingly, they are being made with grains, vegetables, mushrooms, and eggs. They are also a good way to use up excess pasta.
How to use excess pasta?
Who hasn't cooked too much pasta at some point? We often overestimate because we don't measure portions accurately. When there are leftover noodles, you must do everything possible to prevent them from ending up in the bin. You can store them in the fridge, but it’s better to use them the next day. Italians are masters of such dishes (even pasta experts sometimes cook too much). They use it for casseroles and one-pot meals.
How to make cutlets from pasta?
A good idea to use up leftover pasta from lunch is to make cutlets. It's a truly zero-waste dish because you can also use other leftovers from the fridge. Slices of cold cuts that have been sitting in containers or meat from soup will work perfectly.
Grated vegetables and chopped herbs will add flavour to the cutlets. Grated cheese will certainly improve their consistency. This is where you can get creative. However, you need to prepare the mixture so it's not too dry and can easily form cutlets. Of course, raw eggs will also be helpful here.
Cutlets with pasta
Ingredients:
- About 450 grams of small pasta,
- About 350 grams of cold cuts or meat from soup,
- 1 onion,
- Half a carrot (optional),
- Half a bell pepper (optional),
- 4 tablespoons of grated cheese,
- Finely chopped herbs to taste,
- 2 eggs,
- Salt and pepper to taste,
- Breadcrumbs for breading,
- Oil for frying.
Preparation method:
- Grind the meat in a grinder or chop it into small pieces. If you're using cold cuts, chop them finely.
- Peel and finely chop the onion, then sauté it in oil.
- Grate the carrot and chop the bell pepper. Add them to the onion and sauté briefly.
- Mix the meat or cold cuts, pasta, cheese, and vegetables together. Add the eggs, work the mixture and season it to taste.
- Form small cutlets from the mixture, then coat them in breadcrumbs.
- Fry in hot oil until they are nicely browned.
