Spaghetti and Vegetable Fritatta a` la Fran

Submitted by Fran (a delicious original!)

All vegetable amounts adjustable. Recipe easily doubled. You can use any veggies you like.  Great way to use up leftover spaghetti and veggies.

Ingredients

About 1/2 pound  spaghetti (linguine or capellini would work too)
2-3 zucchini sliced into rounds, after cooking reserve some to decorate the top.
8-16 oz. mushrooms various kinds (depends how much you like mushrooms) sliced
1 medium-large onion , cut in half and sliced
1 pound baby spinach
1 large bunch kale, large ribs removed
5 cloves garlic, chopped
About 1/2-3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used Parmesan -Gruyere would also be great)
Olive oil
1/2 dozen eggs
1/4 cup 2 % milk (can use whole milk or half and half but do not use skim)
salt, pepper, to taste, about 1 tsp dried or fresh thyme, extra garlic powder for egg mixture
1/4 -1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)

Directions

I used a cake pan with a removable bottom but any cake pan would do.  I lined with foil and sprayed with a canola oil.

In a large pan (not non stick- I used cast iron) heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering.  Add sliced zucchini in batches if necessary, sautéing undisturbed for about 3-4 minutes until browned.  Season with salt and pepper and  thyme. Flip and sauté other side. Place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.  Add onions to the pan and gently caramelize about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms. Add more olive oil if necessary. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook until nicely softened and very slightly brown.  Add garlic and cook until softened making sure not to burn. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile bring salted water for pasta to a boil.  Add the de-ribbed kale and cook a few minutes until bright green and softened.  Reserve water by removing kale with a strainer and drain. Slice when cooled. Add to the pan with the onions and mushrooms, garlic. Add the zucchini reserving some of the nice slices to decorate top of frittata.

Return kale water to a boil and add spaghetti. Cook until just al dente (about 2-4 minutes less than package directions- should be just cooked). Before draining reserve about 1 &1/2  cups of the cooking water.  Throw in the spinach and immediately drain the spinach and pasta together. Put back in the pot or a large bowl with reserved cooking water and mix in the vegetables. You could add some cheese now.

Beat the eggs with a fork until well blended and add the milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder if using.  You could add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you only used small amount in veggies.

Add pasta-veggie mixture by large forkfuls, twirling a bit after each addition.  I added cheese to the middle layer. Fill the pan evenly leaving room to add the egg mixture (I did not use all the pasta mixture). Decorate the top with reserved zucchini. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for about 1/2 hour.  Check to see if set by inserting a knife. Do not overcook. Cool and slide on to a decorative plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.