This pasta dish is not really risotto; it only refers to the similar technique used in that famous Italian dish. Like the grains of Arborio rice, pieces of broken pasta are tossed in hot butter or oil before the liquid is added, but here we're going even further, and toasting it to a gorgeous nut-brown. This gives the dish its signature look, as well as adds a subtle nutty flavor.

Broken Spaghetti Risotto

olive oil

spaghetti,

garlic,

chicken broth

red pepper flakes,

salt

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese,

flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add spaghetti and toast, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.


Stir garlic into spaghetti pieces and cook for 30 seconds.


Pour in 1/2 cup broth and increase heat to medium high. Stir spaghetti and broth until all the liquid is absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat this process until all of the stock is absorbed and noodles are desired tenderness, about 10 minutes.


Reduce heat to low. Season spaghetti with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Remove from heat.


Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley into spaghetti and serve.


OK, I could've totally ate this entire thing, lol...YES, IT'S THAT GOOD! Just be prepared...this took more time (and broth) than called for, which was no problem for me b/c I had the extra time, and this is soooo worth it, just wanting to let others know! Great flavor and method...I used 'Barilla Cut Spaghetti', instead of breaking my own, just b/c I had it. I will be making this over and over~YUM! Thanks for sharing. :)

Oh Yes Chef John!! This was delicious!! You can find a product called Fideo in the Latin section, which is small packages (8 oz.) of broken spaghetti, if you don't want the mess of breaking spaghetti into pieces. You can also add some chopped onion when browning the pasta, and a can of diced tomatoes with the broth to get a totally different flavor. Either way, you will be tempted to eat the whole pan yourself!! Thanks!!

Even though I have loved every single one of Chef John's recipes I have tried thus far, this one seemed too simple to be really "all that good" and the few negative reviews had me thinking I would have had to spice this up quite a bit. I was WRONG!! I only had linguine so I broke those up and other than that I didn't change a thing. This was SO very good. I didn't even had to add salt!!! I just kept adding a little broth at a time until it cooked down to the way I liked it. I sprinkled the red pepper flakes and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on top and voila!! If you think you can get away with putting the fake cheap stuff on top, nope! It sure won't be the same. This was great. I can see it being served at any Italian restaurant with some chicken and veggies on the side. I had it by itself because I'm "carbing up" for a long run tomorrow ;o)

I've been making home-made type "Rice-A-Roni" dishes for years.  It started out simple because I didn't have any when my kids asked for it.  Using the box technique of browning the spaghetti &amp; rice in butter, adding stock, seasonings, covering and simmering.  The kids never knew the difference.  As yrs have gone by, this is my go to for a quick and easy scampi dish.  Adding rice, lemon, shrimp, lots of garlic, red pepper flake etc.  You can make this dish into just about anything for either a side or main dish.  Serving with cooked chicken breasts (any way, think lemon chicken for one) on top with an array of seasoning options, fresh parsley...the possibilities are endless.  To give this a poor rating just means you have to broaden your imagination and not be afraid to try as written and experiment.  Excellent recipe to put out there...Thank you for sharing with others Chef John!

Added peeled deveined shrimp at end (Last 3 minutes)
I agree with an earlier reviewer  that it took a little extra Chix. broth &amp; cooking time then what recipe says! Will make again but will make extra for leftover's next time!

This dish was simple, but not as tasty as I had hoped. It was bland, so I ended up adding mushrooms, bacon, and pesto. I did enjoy the nutty flavor that was achieved from toasting the noodles. I will not be making this again.

We liked it! Quick, easy and made with ingredients readily available.

Outstanding! I used 8 Oz. whole wheat spaghetti and 2 cans chix broth, and lots more garlic. We think that this could masquerade as wild rice!

Here in Catalonia (Spain), this dish is called "fideuà"

I'm a big fan of Chef John's, but this fell short of his usually excellent recipes. It was bland, bland, bland. Instead of trying to figure out how to fix it, I'll just start by choosing a different recipe next time. Keep them coming anyway, Chef John!

I have made my won version of Rice a roni this way with broken Spaghetti adding rice to it when browning he spaghetti. I prefer to make it from scratch this way to control the amount of sodium that goes into the dish

My daughter and I have made this wonderful recipe several times now and it's always delicious.  The first time we made it exactly as written and loved it.  Since then we've added different ingredients to see how it turned out and one of our favorites is fresh sliced mushrooms that we sautéed with onions in a little olive oil.  The cheese at the end brings it all together.  We use whole grain spaghetti.  So so good!  Thanks for sharing Chef John!

Pretty good for a quick fix. I did reduce garlic down to 1 small clove.

Wonderful! EASY and delicious - and best yet so very versatile - I find I can add allllll kinds of different herbs and spices for a different take every time. Thanks!

What a great side dish!  Yes, I added more chicken broth and cooked it longer than the recipe stated, but it turned out so flavorful!   I didn't have fresh parsley.  Just used the dried stuff.  I also used a little wheat pasta mixed in with the regular. Fantastic!  Will be making again and again!

I'm Italian and (if allowed) I would eat pasta everyday. But, I do find myself looking for different "sauces" instead of the normal red sauce once in a while, and this recipe fits the bill for something different. It is sooooo good, I agree with the one reviewer who said they could eat it all. I loved how it came out "creamy" and the flavor, wonderful. So happy to have found this. Thank you Chef John!

This was amazing!! Easy and very tasty. Not sure if i can go back to making spaghetti the usual way now. A keeper for sure.

Although not overly difficult to make, I guess I was expecting more of a Risotto consistency. Some of the pasta was a little crunchy stuff (mainly due to the toasting maybe?) Anyway, it was worth a try, cool spices. I followed it as is with no modifications, I guess it just wasn't what I hoped it would be. I still recommend it, since it's worth a try  - but I don't know if I'd make this again. Happy cooking!

Well, I liked the idea of this and we’ve enjoyed other recipes that call for toasting pasta.  Instead of spaghetti, I made this using orzo pasta.  The orzo toasted beautifully, but when it came to adding the broth, it evaporated far too quickly.  Even after adding more broth than called for, the pasta still was not done.  Rather than continuing to add more broth, I added water to complete the cooking process.  In the end, this turned out well, but I doubt I’ll use this method again.  I think there are easier ways to cook this with equally good results.

I have prepared this a couple of times, first following the directions and then “free styling it” a bit.  The first time tasted very nice.  I used angel hair pasta, as that was all I had.
Then, the second time I added some of the Ladolemono to the pan while browning the broken pasta.  Even better.
Then, I cooked a thinly sliced onion in a separate pan until soft, added some shrimp while browning the pasta, adding in chopped sweet peppers in the final moments.  I also used the Ladolemono into the vegetables and shrimp. Combined the finished pasta to the shrimp mixture and MDH and I dove in. 
I know, making revisions and then rating is not looked upon with favor, but let me say my rating on this recipe is for the recipe as written.  It is a 4 star.  It is one of those recipes that makes a cook wonder, ”If I add ??, how will that taste?  The additions of Ladolemono, onions peppers and shrimp made a lovely, lemony dish.  
Oh, someone made the suggestion to break the pasta inside a zip bag.  Brilliant, as MDH was getting very exasperated with broken bits of pasta flying around the kitchen during my earlier cooking efforts. A muttering husband in the background while cooking is not conducive to cooking genius.
So, original recipe is a 4 star.  My free styling recipe is up to you how you rate it.  But, please enjoy and thanks for sharing all the recipes.

This is something different to do with boring spaghetti noodles. I really enjoyed this new take although risotto always leaves my arm tired from constant stirring.

This was the weirdest method for using spaghetti but turned out really good!  I did not have Parmigiano-Reggiano and used plain Parmesan instead.  I also added some Italian style turkey meatballs and used both chicken and beef broth.   A little seasoned salt, pepper and red pepper flake and this was surprisingly really tasty.  I have a high pressure job so easy during the week is better and this was about perfect.  The recipe timing is a little off so just go with it and test your pasta.  Like Arborio rice, the pasta does slowly absorb the liquid so only use 1.5 cups at a time.

AWESOME! Something different and delicious. Threw some prosciutto in for good measure. Will definitely make this again. My family couldn't get enough!

Very good; very flavorful, as written. Took 3+ cups of stock and about 30 minutes to reach al dente. 

My advice for making this kid friendly: cut out the red pepper flakes entirely (I reduced it, but it was still a bit hot for my very little ones); reduce the garlic to 1 clove or leave it in larger pieces that can be removed (again, to reduce the heat for the very little ones); don't think you can get away with the cheap, "green can" cheese because you're serving this to kids (go for the good stuff -- it makes a difference here). 

No, this isn't blue box mac 'n cheese. It's way, way better. Give your kids a chance to love it.

I was skeptical at first about this recipe but it tasted awesome!. It took longer to cook than the recipe said it would and I ended up using more chicken stock than stated and I added some peas and carrots from the can toward the end. It tasted great!!

I will be making this again! It ended up taking 1 and 1/2 cans of broth and closer to 30 minutes to make but it was easy and delicious. I added a little extra red pepper flakes and cheese, and served with grilled chicken. For the cheese I used the Kraft shredded parmesean, Romano, and asiago cheese from the refrigerated pasta section and it was delish. I definitely recommend.

Not much taste had to add double chicken broth

YUM!! Quick and easy.  Old school rustic comfort food.  The only change I made was to use butter instead of olive oil, I just prefer butter.

Splendid. Good as a side dish, better as a springboard for one-dish dinners. The method is clearly written and easy to follow. My Mexican neighbor put this dish in my head years ago. She made it a meal with chorizo and black beans, called it "Fried Spaghetti". The review from pvpba on July 15th made me try shrimp. Like pvpba, I would say: stay away from the green shaker-can of parmesan cheese... use a good, sharp Reggiano or Romano from the deli. Adjust the liquid, adjust the garlic, but it's definitely a five-star recipe.

I found the chili flakes to be WAY too spicy.  Next time I make this recipe I'll only add a pinch.  Other than that, thought, this was DELICIOUS!!  I also made it with fake chicken stock (I'm a vegetarian), and it was still really good. (not that I have anything to compare it to....)

I tried this recipe today. For me it took about twice the amount of broth but I had it so that was not a problem. I loved it, my husband liked it. I also used Barilla cut spaghetti. I will definitely make it again and may try adding shrimp or possibly leftover chicken and vegetables some time. Thanks Chef John.

Not very tasty.  Kids and husband not interested
in even trying this pasta.

This was so incredibly good!!!  I made it as a side dish for London Broil on the grill.  My whole family really enjoyed it.  Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!

Just love this. Thanks for another wonderful recipe Chef John.

This turned out very well in spite of me. I over-browned my spaghetti, which somehow didn't detract from the overall flavor that I could tell. Also, I didn't measure exactly the amount of spaghetti so I needed a lot more liquid than the recipe called for. Other than that, though, it's great to have the recipe on hand in a pinch, but it's quicker &amp; easier to use something like Rice a Roni. It's still going in my recipe box, though! Thanks, Chef John!

We LOVED this. I used Aldi gluten free brown rice pasta. That actually makes it better for you with the whole grain , although I have no choice. It takes quite a bit more broth. I kept adding more. Otherwise I made it as the recipe calls for. I will definitely make this again. I don’t know how wheat pasta is with this, but mine was very creamy with the starch left in and not drained off as with other pasta dishes.   Thank you for the recipe!!!

I loved it, hubby sort of liked it. I like crunchy so this was perfect for me. It is supposed to end up sort of crunchy and chewy isn’t it?  Somebody please let me know.

Great to have something as a side other than rice or potato. Tastes good and easy to prepare

This dish was absolutely delish!!  Both my boys gobbled it it in 5 minutes!

I changed it up a little. I needed to take this from a side dish to a main dish.  I made the recipe as writen while I sautéed mushrooms, onions and carrots separately.  At the end of the cooking time, I added them and some frozen peas.   I also added sautéed garlic lime shrimp.  YUMMY

I have made this twice now and it is really good.  Very good flavor.

If you're a beginner cook, don't try this, even if you've tried other recipes of Chef John's that turned out. It was hard and even after all the work, it was bland and other things needed to be added... not entirely impressed, I might try it again later though.

My family loved this! Even the picky eater...he asked for more! I added italian seasoning to the chicken (didn't have any fresh parsley) and it still tasted wonderful. Will definitely make this again. Thank you!

I didn't think this was anything special, very plain.  I followed the directions exactly, and it took longer than 10 minutes for my spaghetti to get tender.  Not worth all the trouble.

Very nice, but as mentioned before you will need more stock than is asked for.  I can definitely see myself eating the entire pot! 
I made it without cheese as my son is anaphylactic to it, and just put cheese on the side for the rest of my family.
Works out great!

I made it, but tossed in some chopped sweet red and orange peppers for color, a tbsp of chopped scallions, and then added some diced grilled chicken breast which I cooked up while the spaghetti was softening in the broth, and this made for a colorful and delicious all-in-one meal.

I won't even bother, I'll buy a box if organic risotto instead. Why waste 30 mins on noodles and broth?

really tasty! i used orzo because it looked better and did a little squeeze of lemon at the end. you can add veggies too, v good

This is a great recipe, unfortunately, I only eat  whole grain pasta, and it does not work well  with that type of pasta. For some reason whole grain pastas do not absorb flavors as well as regular pasta, they need a thick sauce for their flavoring, like a marsala, picata  bolognese, or marinara !

Yum! I used a big pan - 12" nonstick - reduced the oil to 1/2 T, and probably could have skipped oil all together if not for the garlic. I needed a full 2 C of liquid. When I was tasting it from the pan, it wasn't anything special, but after adding butter and lemon - yum!

I made this a couple nights ago and thought it was really good! Anyone who says it has no flavor probably did not put any red pepper flakes into theirs! I will say that I think the half teaspoon called for was a bit much and I really love spicy foods! Next time, I might add some mushrooms to it and maybe some shallot would add some nice flavor as well! Thanks Chef John!

Easy and tasty way to get my Spaghetti fix! I added authentic Italian Prosciutto and result was a creamy pasta dish. Will make often for myself as husband won't eat pasta but I could live on it! Thank you Chef John.

Very quick and easy, I made it exactly as directed except I added some sliced button mushrooms.  I have to say the red pepper flakes made it spicier than I would have liked.  Next time I prepare it I will cut back on the red pepper flakes somewhat.  Overall this tasted really nice, and I will prepare it again.

I loved this! I wanted more even after I was full, it was hard to resist eating more than I should! We followed the recipe, except for the fact that we added bacon. I treated my parents to this, and they loved it as well!

I use make this recipe somehow forgot about it. so glad they sent email with this recipe going start making today

It is a good easy recipe . The next time I will add a little more broth as I added too many noodles. This would be good with chicken or pork mixed in it.

In a word, AWESOME.  I made this for dinner last evening as a side dish with some greek baked chicken breasts and a green salad for some colour.  This is very easy and I normally would make a recipe without changes first time around but, as I always read reviews first, another reviewer said they added mushrooms and onions.  I added some sliced fresh mushrooms because they needed to be used and a sliced onion.  I sauteed them first and set them aside while I followed the recipe then put them back in at the end to reheat.  As other reviewers have said, it does take a little longer to cook than the stated time, maybe 10 minutes.  This is a very delicious dish and I will make it again with or without the additions.  I love it when I am a hero in the kitchen!

Other than using gluten-free brown rice noodles and lemon pepper and tarragon in place of the red pepper flakes, I followed it to a "T" and LOVED it!

This dish is amazing as is. But, I prefer to make a few changes and turn it into a lovely entree. I chop about half of a medium onion, slice some mushrooms, an additional clove or two of garlic and slice a chicken breast into cubes. Cook the onion in two tablespoons of olive oil until it starts to soften. Add some of the garlic and let cook for a minute or so, then add the chicken. When the chicken is about halfway cooked, add the mushrooms and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Let this all cook together, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through. Remove this mixture from the pan and set aside. I then prepare the pasta exactly as described in this recipe. When the pasta is almost done, add the chicken mixture back to the pan. Throw in a handful of pine nuts and cook until the noodles are at your desired texture. Remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley and cheese and serve. I have served this to many guests and received rave reviews. Another awesome Chef John recipe!

I was looking for something different pasta wise and this looked intriguing. It was really good but took at least 20 minutes to cook and used at least 3.5 cups chicken broth to get cooked. I’ll make it again.

I used brown rice noodles, so a bit longer/harder to make (rice spaghetti is challenging for me - but have to use it for dietary restrictions).  I also added other spices, was boring without it.

Made with bacon and chilli and extra garlic, wasn't that tasty or filling :(

Kept pretty much to the original recipe. A little tricky breaking spaghetti but the end result was a good side dish. Will make this again

This is the third Chef John recipe I've made and hubby is in love all over again. We had leftover grilled salmon, tossed that with the pasta. Delish!!!  We will be serving this again

I used vegetable broth instead and it tasted a bit bland but was still good. Snap all of the pasta before turning on stove or else some pasta ends up burned

We love this so much, I fry hamburger and add, and make it a main dish! My grandson loves cooking the noodles.

Good basic recipe but not much in it.  The nutty flavor of the pasta was excellent, though.  I added some grape tomatoes cut in half, chopped asparagus, some diced bell pepper and shrimp.  Knocked it outta the park!

I changed this a bit by using arborio rice instead of the spaghetti, and I added basil.  I also increased the liquid a bit because it seemed to dry out before the arborio was cooked.  My husband and I loved this, however it was a bit dry. I will definitely cook it again.

This recipe was OK.  It lacked flavor.  I would add lemon juice or lemon pepper.  I did try to make it with extra chichen broth, ground chicken and some diced bacon.   It definately needs some tweaking to taste.

Made this tonight EXACTLY as the recipe was stated.  The whole family liked, and I will make again! :)

Enjoyed the nutty flavor.  I didn't measure out the chicken stock, had some leftover and used what was in the container.  Didn't have quite enough so I added a little water near the end of the cooking till the pasta was done.  Its a little more work then watching water boil, but worth the effort.  Good on its own or as a side dish.  Lots of  possibilities for different pasta dishes with a deeper flavor.

Simple and tasty. Nice alternative to tomato-based pasta dishes!

This was a nice change from regular cooked pasta.

Simple and delicious! I ended up squeezing some lemon slices (about 3-4) for this dish, which added a very lemony fragrance and taste—it was wonderful! Also added some shrimp (and a total of five garlic) into the recipe. In the chicken broth, I used regular stock with added onions. I don't know how the original tastes, but I like my tweaked version. Would definitely make it again! ;}

Chef John.  Great recipe, but when you describe the origin of this type of recipe, it most likely tastes and resembles Paella from Barcelona, Spain... It is more like Rice-a-Roni noodles... Will make this again..

This was the best thing I have tasted in a long time! Honestly it tasted restaurant quality. I agree with other reviewers that it needs more broth and a slightly longer cooking time. I followed the recipe almost exactly, the only major change was that I used vegetable stock

Followed the recipe to a t and it was delicious, and easy to make .  I highly recommend it.

Fit the bill! I was looking for a recipe I had all the ingredients for &amp; that I didn't need to use the oven (it was a hot day). I doubled it up and added broccoli and it was great! Definitely a keeper!

Thank you Chef John, this was so tasty. The only change I made was to use gluten free pasta and the family liked too.

Made a couple now and everyone has enjoyed it. The nice thing is - it is easy to change up the spicing if you are missing something or someone can't take the heat.

Bland and needed more broth. And flavor. 
How do I remove this from my favorites?

This turned out great! My husband loves pasta, but he agreed it was a nice change from tomato sauce and a good spin on risotto! We left out the pepper flakes, but it was still very tasty!

Delicious.. I added fresh herbs from my garden 
 ( spicy oregano , basil , thyme)

I used basil from garden, wonderful and easy.

This was very easy and quick. I made this just as written but adjusted for 3 people.  I found cut fideo in my local market so I used that instead of breaking spaghetti.  I needed about 3 1/2 cups of broth to get the pasta al dente for 3 servings. Once it was done I tasted it and it was good as is but it tasted flat. I used homemade chicken broth so the dish needed more salt - about 1 tsp. It still tasted too lean for a main dish so I stirred in 2 tablespoons of butter.  With the addition of more parm at serving it was very tasty.   Next time I think I will add the salt with the broth so the pasta absorbs the salt for more flavor throughout.   Will definitely make again with my changes.

This recipe is super delicious. My husband and I love it, and it will now be a regular in our home.

It was awesome! The only thing I added was mushrooms, yum!!!!!

Great recipe..added black olives..no other changes!

I added some sautéed zucchini, onion and yellow squash to the cooked spaghetti and it was delicious! It would be good with grilled or baked chicken.

I started out making this for my husband and myself. We ended up having a couple friends join us at the last minute and I got rave reviews all around the table. The only thing I didn’t use was the parsley as I had none on hand. I will definitely add this to my go to dinner list

This was a super easy side dish to make.  I probably overdid it on the red pepper , so be careful.  I did find that I needed to add more liquid than suggested, or the noodles would have been a little bit hard.  But that should be common sense ;0)  The kids and hubby enjoyed this, and I will make it again for sure (minus a shake of red pepper flakes).

A bit time consuming as you have to stir constantly while adding broth.  It is worth the effort, I also add a few extra like slivered carrots/ mushrooms...almost anything

See how to make a fast and super-easy pasta dish.

broken spaghetti risotto

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Servings: 2

Author : Chef John

Ingredients

Instructions

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