Frugality and deliciousness are the best of bedfellows.

We've talked about leftovers here before, and I've made my feelings known: I actually kind of like them. They force me to be creative, and to think about my food in a new way. They provide building blocks for future meals. They help me make quick, easy dinners on busy evenings. And, frankly, they're major money-savers.

On Sunday night, my friend Cristin and I got together at her place to try out Kerry Saretsky's (as it turns out, awesome) recipe for drunken angel hair with leeks and cream. It was delicious - but even a half recipe was too much for the two of us. We were brainstorming ways to use the leftovers, and hit upon the idea of using a tuft or two of the pasta and leeks as filling for baked eggs.

I had steak for dinner on Monday, so I thought Tuesday would be a good night for some lighter fare. I piled a bit of the leftover pasta into a buttered ramekin, cracked an egg over it, seasoned it with salt, pepper and parsley, and baked the whole thing in a hot oven.

The result? A rich, delicious meal, ready in pretty much no time flat, and made for mere pennies. Sure, you factor in the green salad I ate on the side, and we're probably talking a dollar or two total. But, I mean - still: you can't beat that.

Baked Eggs with Leftover Pasta

You should by no means limit yourself to including pasta in this dish. Do you have leftover roasted vegetables? A bit of chicken or steak? Chili? Throw that in instead!

Unsalted butter, for greasing the ramekin
1/4 cup leftover pasta, sauce included
1 egg
1 tbs milk or half & half
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Using a bit of unsalted butter, lightly butter the bottom and sides of the ramekin, all the way up to the lip. Pile the pasta evenly in the ramekin, and crack the egg over it, taking care to keep the yolk as centered as possible. Pour the milk over the egg (it will fall to the sides and into the pasta).

Season the contents of the ramekin with the salt, pepper and most of the parsley. Place in the oven and bake until the white is just set, but the yolk is still a bit...jiggly. Top with the remaining parsley and dig in!

Serves one, though, obviously, it easily multiplies to serve many!