The Spaghetti Problem

Spaghetti is one of the easiest dinners to make — and one of the easiest to misjudge.

Make too little, and someone is looking for a snack an hour later. Make too much, and the refrigerator is full of leftover pasta for three days.

The good news is that there are a couple of reliable tricks for getting the amount right. There is also one very good reason not to worry too much if you make extra.

A standard serving of dry spaghetti is about 2 ounces. Once cooked, that becomes roughly 1 cup of pasta. The problem is that dry spaghetti is not easy to measure by sight. A handful may look small before it goes into the pot, but pasta expands as it cooks.

One old kitchen trick is to use your hand. Bundle the dry spaghetti together and hold it upright. If the bundle fits through a circle made by your thumb and index finger, about the size of a U.S. quarter, that is about one serving.

There is an even easier method: use a standard 20-ounce soda or water bottle. The opening is close to the right size for one serving of dry spaghetti. Stand the bottle on a flat surface, slide the spaghetti through the opening, and what fits is about what you need for one person.

Use one bottle of spaghetti for each person at the table.

Dry spaghetti roughly doubles in weight and volume when cooked, so 2 ounces of dry pasta becomes about 4 ounces on the plate. Add sauce, meatballs, vegetables, or salad, and that serving is usually enough for an average meal.

But leftovers are not always a bad thing.

Reheated spaghetti is fine, but leftover spaghetti can become something even better: spaghetti frittata.

To make one, beat two or three eggs for each cup of leftover pasta. Stir in a handful of Parmesan cheese and any herbs you have on hand. Basil, parsley, oregano, or chives all work well. Add the leftover spaghetti and mix until the pasta is coated.

Heat a little oil in a skillet, then pour in the mixture. Cook on the stovetop until the edges begin to set. Then place the skillet under the broiler for two or three minutes, until the top is golden and firm.

The result is like a savory pasta cake. It slices neatly, reheats well, and works for breakfast, lunch, or a light dinner.

So the next time spaghetti is on the menu, do not guess wildly. Use the quarter trick, the bottle trick, or a kitchen scale if you have one.

And if you still make too much, call it tomorrow’s frittata.