I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Leftover Remake: Pasta frittata & multi-grilling
Contents: (upper) Mini frittata made with leftover pasta (recipe/tutorial below), hard-boiled egg shaped like a car, and grapes. (lower) Leftover grilled shrimp with wasabi bread crumbs, cherry tomatoes, grilled zucchini and butternut squash, and cheese triangle.
Morning prep time: 15 minutes. The zucchini and squash were already cut and prepped from a Mother’s Day picnic; I microwaved them in a covered bowl with a splash of water first to speed up grill time (no-cost substitute for a microwave mini steamer). A friend made the shrimp on Mother’s Day, so that was leftover too. I’d made a batch of eggs before, so it was waiting in the fridge in the mold. The frittata was the most labor-intensive thing in the morning.
Packing: Lettuce can also act as an edible food divider (instead of hard-to-find plastic food dividers). I cut the tails off the shrimp for neater eating.
Japanese bento cookbooks often show the speed technique of cooking different kinds of food together in the same pan, pot, broiler pan, etc. This is a variation: multi-grilling on a stovetop grill. Similar to a Japanese fish grill, this one has finer mesh on the top so that vegetables don’t fall through, and is marketed as being the right size for bento lunches. Just put it on your stove, heat, oil the grate and grill food (veggies, meat, fish, etc.) as if you were outside — much faster than firing up the outside grill in the morning (yeah, who’s going to do that?). Mini stovetop grill bought for US$1.50 at Daiso (Japanese dollar store with stores internationally). Amazon carries a slightly larger Japanese stovetop grill here. (Edited to add: Don’t put in the dishwasher as the white coating on the bottom will flake off.)
Contents: Bug had a mini pasta frittata, grape, leftover grilled shrimp with wasabi bread crumbs, and little skewers of leftover grilled zucchini, butternut squash, green bell peppers and cherry tomatoes.
Morning prep time: 15 minutes. The shrimp and the vegetables were leftover from a Mother’s Day picnic, and the pasta in the frittata was also leftover. The only dish made especially for this lunch was the mini frittata.
Packing: Lettuce can also act as an edible food divider (instead of hard-to-find plastic food dividers). Little Anpanman-character picks make it easy for little hands to manage the grilled vegetables, and the blue pick is for the slightly messy shrimp. I cut the tails off the shrimp and halved them to make it easier for Bug to eat. The lone grape acts as a gap filler to keep the lunch from shifting during transport.
Pasta Frittata Recipe
- 2 cups leftover pasta with sauce (any kind, although long pastas like spaghetti work particularly well, and pesto sauce is particularly nice)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 Tb Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 Tb Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (if not available, substitute Parmesan)
- 2 Tb parsley, chopped
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- In a bowl, beat together the eggs, cheeses, parsley and pepper. Add leftover pasta and stir well.
- Pre-heat broiler, and heat a mini frying pan (8-inch or similar) on medium heat and oil pan (with cooking spray, vegetable oil or butter). Pour in the egg and pasta mixture, and stir with a heatproof spatula until curds have formed in the egg. Use the spatula to pat the pasta down and shape the sides into a disc (will look like the fourth photo above).
- Run the pan under the hot broiler until the top is golden brown, remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes. Residual heat will continue to cook the inside of the frittata without turning it rubbery.
- If necessary, run the rubber spatula under the frittata to loosen it from the pan, and turn it out onto a cutting board. Cut and serve (additional sauce optional).
I threw both lunches into the blue “Polarer Bear” insulated lunch bag below (gotta love the Engrish — my bear is polarer than your bear!). Both zippered bag and lunch wrapping cloth (furoshiki) are lined with insulated material to keep food cool or warm. The 41 x 41 cm lunch cloth holds up to a 600ml two-tier box, with an easy elastic & button closure. I quite like the insulated lunch cloth — it’s compact and keeps multiple boxes tightly wrapped, so I can toss the whole secure bundle into my diaper bag. Bought for $1.50 each at Ichiban Kan in SF.
I also picked up a larger bag made of insulated material with an adjustable buckle. Holds larger boxes up to 1000ml: either a one-tier (max. size 21 x 16 x 5 cm) or a two-tier (max. size 20 x 9 x 8 cm). These kinds of products are indicative of the trend in Japan toward insulated lunch bags and better packed lunch food safety.
Lunch in a Box is nominated for Best Food Blog in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. If you’d like to cast your vote for speedy lunch packing, click here (you can vote for multiple blogs in the same category).
RELATED POSTS:
- No egg or onigiri molds? Use ice cream sandwich molds instead
- Need for speed: A mommy’s lunch manifesto
- How to pack a bento lunch and use “gap fillers”
- Choosing the right size bento box
- Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews
May 14th, 2007 | Categories: bento, eggs, equipment, fish or seafood, for kids, leftover remake, pasta or noodles, recipe, tutorial or how to | 
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May 15th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
If you don’t happen to have a handy oven-proof frying pan, what do you do instead of putting the frittata under the broiler? Would it be fine to just flip it (like an omlette)?
May 15th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
I ran into that problem too, so I made a make-shift circular aluminum foil pan and quickly poured the pasta mix into that, place the aluminum foil w/ pasta mix into the oven and let it turn golden brown for a few minutes. (:
May 15th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
That frittata looks delish!
May 15th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
that looks great
i think I’ll try the fritta out myself ^^
May 15th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Absolutely. You could also make little mini-frittatas in muffin cups and freeze them for later — I may do that later this week with the rest of the leftover pasta (we had a houseful of people, so lots of leftover food!).
May 15th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Very inventive. Bravo!
May 15th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Thanks! Pasta frittata is my favorite way of using up leftover pasta — it’s great with Lizano sauce (or additional pasta sauce) for breakfast.
May 15th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Ehehe… Thank you ^_^! But it’s mostly all your credit because of this lovely recipe… I made it earlier this afternoon because there was leftover spaghetti in the fridge so I i tweaked the recipe a little (we only had two eggs! and I didn’t have a lot of cheese…) and it turned out very tasty! My little sister almost ate it all! And it tastes wonderful at room temp, so it’s perfect for lunches (:
May 15th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Another great tutorial. Thanks. Where do you get Lizano sauce locally? Also, please say more about “wasabi bread crumbs”.
May 15th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Do try it — I think it improves the flavor of leftover pasta.
May 15th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
I get Lizano sauce at Latin American markets like Casa Lucas Market or El Chico Produce Market #4 in the Mission (around 24th & Florida), and I think I saw it at the Mexican market in San Bruno just down the street from Lullaby Lane. I didn’t make the shrimp myself, but my friend put powdered wasabi (not reconstituted) in with flavored/spiced bread crumbs, breaded the shrimp, skewered them, and my husband grilled them outside. It was Mother’s Day — we moms were in charge of kicking back and being served!
May 15th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Thanks. I’ll give International Blvd in Oakland a shot- kind of E. Bay equivalent of the Mission
May 16th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
I use nonstick frypans for frittata and make them when I have some spare time, so they can cook slowly as God intended. A good nonstick pan will allow you to invert a plate onto the pan, wrap it in a thick folded towel, and flip the whole thing over so the omelet drops out wet side down. Then you slide it back into the pan to cook what used to be the top. (I know you know all this, Biggie, I’m just playin’ to the new cooks here.)
one more bento fan
May 16th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
OMBF! Nice to see you over here too, not just on Flickr! Everyone, you should check out her photostream on Flickr if you have the chance; she does creative things with alternate grains and world food.
I find your method works well when my nonstick pan is newish and lovely; once it’s worn more it needs much more help to flip the eggs. However you make a frittata, it’s “good eats” (especially for a packed lunch).
May 17th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Got one of these Mini stovetop grills for my daughter today at Daiso. Please translate
How is it used on the stove top and can it go on gas and electric? (Daiso also had a couple versions of the slicing multi-tool you used in your quick cucumber salad.)
May 18th, 2007 at 4:43 am
May 20th, 2007 at 9:54 am
mmmm, frittata! That’s one of those dishes that always sounds marvelous to me and yet I never remember to make it when leftover pasta-time rolls around. Now that I have bento boxes and your recipe, that might change!
May 20th, 2007 at 11:28 am
I made a pasta dish the other day that didn’t turn out too hot…this is a perfect idea for packing into lunch this week!
May 20th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Can that daiso griller work on a smooth cooktop I wonder? I just moved into a house with one of these…
May 20th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
I hope you like it, stubbleglitter! You can really use any kinds of pastas or veggie leftovers in a frittata, they’re so flexible (and good at room temperature too).
May 20th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Second chance at life!
May 20th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
I’m not that familiar with smooth cooktops as I haven’t cooked on them before. If the bottom of the pan/pot needs to be smooth for the element to heat up, I would think the griller probably wouldn’t work as the bottom is kind of a coated metal mesh. Anyone else want to weigh in on induction cooktops?
May 24th, 2007 at 1:30 am
mlouise, tell your daughter not to put the grill in the dishwasher, otherwise the white coating on the bottom will start to flake off. Hand wash this type of grill. Other models don’t have the coating and are dishwasher-safe.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Thanks for the warning. You could have a whole site translating these Japanese labels
Speaking of translations, I bought some gift bags at Daiso for one of my husband’s birthday gifts. There are 2 darling kittens with the message: “I love cat. Only imflowing you don’t flowing imflowing. I must go to you stay a place.” Got any guesses? I’m an interpreter and can often figure out what is meant in the translated-into-English-that-makes-little-sense version. Japanese, I know 4 words so no idea of meaning and syntax that might explain this imflowing message, LOL. I thought hubby would love the kittens and the Engrish. At our age one would guess the writer was on acid or magic mushrooms 
May 24th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
So I prowled International Blvd today without success. Is Lizano sauce in a jar like hot sauce or in a can like tomato sauce?
May 24th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
I don’t have experience but suspect with you, Biggie, that the fact the grill wouldn’t be in full contact with the surface would mean it wouldn’t heat up.
This weekend someone was talking about being in a competition and finding that his sugar wasn’t heating up at all. He had it in a copper saucepan and apparently they don’t work on an induction cooktops either, which his kitchen in the competition had.
May 24th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Looks like this: Lizano Salsa
. If you can find it locally, the big bottle should be about $3 to $4.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Muchas gracias!
May 25th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
i love all of your bentos! it has inspired me to start a bento blog of my own. your tips have really helped me. i especially like your pasta fritta tip today because i just love pasta!
i have a question though: how is it that you can pack cold and hot items in the same bento boxes? and do you reheat the boxes at lunch time?
i try to pack a bento lunch for my brother everyday (he’s in high school). please check out some of my creations when you have time!
May 25th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Thanks littopyro! I just friended you, so your bento entries will turn up on my packed lunch Friends page.
Bug and I tend to eat lunch outside at playgrounds, the zoo, etc., so we eat our food at room temperature unless I’ve packed it in a thermal jar or used ice packs in an insulated lunch bag (i.e. when packing yogurt or lettuce). Japanese bento cookbooks recommend spicing food to be eaten at room temperature more heavily than food to be eaten hot, BTW.
May 25th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Hmm, a mystery. I’m not sure what the “flowing” part is, but imflowing is probably “I’m flowing” — “Only I’m flowing. You don’t flow. I’m flowing.” Is there a ball in the picture? Could be “throwing”. “Stay a place” could possibly be English for something like “kimi no uchi ni tomaru” — stay overnight at someone’s house. It’s a fun game, though! Reverse-engineering Engrish.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Very fun and inspirational site, thanks! You mentioned that plastic dividers are hard to come by. Couldn’t you make your own? Flexible cutting mats, plastic notebooks, and placemats are possible sources of plastic light enough to be cut with scissors but rigid enough to separate food. Then having dividers for each of your boxes would be a piece of cake! LOL
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:53 pm
@32 from auntiemichal:
Thanks for the kind words, auntiemichal! Excellent idea for DIY plastic dividers (just need to make sure that any plastic you use is food-safe)! Just brilliant. Did you find your way here via one of the DIY sites?
October 3rd, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I’m a little nervous about the white coating on the bottom of that grill. That is the bottom side, right? What is it made of? It looks like it would melt. What the heck is it for, anyway?
If you can reassure me, Biggie, I am *so* buying a little grill at the Union City Daiso next week.
October 4th, 2007 at 10:07 am
@34 from OMBF: You know, I believe the white coating is asbestos, but I’ll double-check the package the next time I’m at Daiso. It absolutely doesn’t melt, but DON’T put it in the dishwasher (I learned this from hard experience — the coating kind of crumbles/flakes if you do). I think it’s meant to diffuse the heat, but again, I’ll double check the package when I’m next there.
October 4th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
@35 from Biggie: ASBESTOS??? I’ve changed my mind! But thank you so much for the warning!
October 7th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
@34/36 from One More Bento Fan: I went to Daiso today and replaced my little stovetop grill. Turns out the white coating is ceramic, of course, and not asbestos (d’oh!). The package does warn that the first time you use it, you should heat it empty without having washed it first. And it also warns against using scrub brushes or anything else rough on the ceramic coating when washing.
October 7th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
@37 from Biggie:
All right, then, one more tiny appliance to find room for. Friday is my usual Daiso day, but I might just go tomorrow. And I’ll have to google grilling recipes, of course…
Hmm, grilled/roasted bell peppers…
April 12th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Auntiemichal’s suggestion is good. I cut a strip from a flexible cutting board and it does make good dividers. Presumably they’re food-safe (though I suppose the rules might be different for something intended to be in contact with food for a short time versus all day). And they’re cheap enough to make as many different shapes as you want. I got 3 for about $3 at Wal-Mart, and then I saw a package of 2 at Dollar Tree. Conveniently enough, cutting a strip off one side of the ones I bought makes then narrow enough to fit in a good place in my cupboard. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep them handy to actually use as cutting boards.
One thing though: Biggie’s plastic dividers look like they’re pretty thin and flexible, so that you can use one that sticks up a bit and it will probably curve gently over when you put the lid on the bento. Flexible cutting boards are not quite that flexible.
Sadly, using the thicker material doesn’t make them much more dishwasherable. I can do one in my little basket, or two if I have other stuff in there to keep them separate. But two or more together just stick together and don’t get clean.
April 13th, 2008 at 6:48 am
@39 from Sunflower: Good point on the flexible cutting boards not being as flexible as the disposable — it’d be good to cut a variety of heights from one boards, depending on the boxes you have.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Your link to amazon for the stovetop grill doesn’t work anymore. They don’t carry that one now.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:23 am
@41 from Amanda: Grr, you’re right. I can’t locate a similar one on Amazon or Ichiban Kan right now, but I’d say keep an eye on the Ichiban Kan online store as I think I’ve seen them there before. http://ichibankanusa.com
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:06 pm
The fish roaster is back in stock now (4 left) at Amazon. I just grabbed one after waiting months for it come back in stock.
April 17th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
It’s impossible to find leftover pasta at my house. After I cook it, before my family can devour it,I’ll have to set aside two cups of it, and mark it DO NOT EAT in the fridge.
May 31st, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Hi. I just found your site and have been on it for hours. My husband is in the Marine Corps and we’re living in Okinawa right now. We haven’t been here long so I have yet to learn Japanese. I want to go to the 100 yen store or San A to buy a grill. Can you tell me what it would be called in Japanese so I can ask if I don’t find it myself?
August 9th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
[...] any rate, I was eagerly going on about a recipe for pasta frittata that I wanted to try, as well as one for paneer that has piqued my interest, and expressing a [...]
October 14th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
[...] kannte ich noch nicht, aber mit der Anleitung fand ich es ganz leicht
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March 5th, 2013 at 6:53 pm
[...] idea is not mine. It comes from the wonderful Biggie at http://lunchinabox.net/2007/05/14/leftover-remake-pasta-frittata-multi-grilling/ (pretty link tool not working today). I adapted it a little: 1 cup of pasta in marinara sauce, 1 [...]