Serves 4 as a light lunch or brunch dish. This old farmhouse dish is made with leftover spaghetti and its sauce, a meal invented by practical cooks. Ideally, the omelet should contain only enough eggs to hold the spaghetti together. Unsauced spaghetti tends to stick together, so make sure all the spaghetti is tossed with some sauce (or with olive oil).

3 c. leftover spaghetti and sauce
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. butter

In a bowl, toss together the spaghetti and sauce, eggs, cheese, and pepper.

In an 8-inch skillet, melt the butter and add the egg mixture. Follow the directions above, and ease a little of the edges into the center. The omelet will be much thicker than an ordinary cheese omelet, and it won't be necessary to move the mixture around much. When the bottom and edges are set, bake as directed.

Slide the omelet onto a large round plate, cut it into quarters, and serve it with toasted bread rounds.