Veggie Spaghetti Fritters for Dogs and People

As a child growing up, refusing to eat vegetables and leftovers was not an option in our family. I’m sure I’m not the only one who had this problem. Lucky for our mom’s creative cooking, we (including our dogs) never really felt being forced to push the food down our throats.

If you have challenges getting your dog to eat his vegetables or have a family who hates eating leftovers, here is one recipe to the rescue.

Firstly, it is easy to prepare. Secondly, it’s economical—utilizes the typical leftover found in any average family’s fridge. Last but not least, it’s nutritious—gets your children and dog to eat their vegetables without fuss.

Servings: 4 veggie spaghetti fritters (depending the size of your egg ring)

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
• 1½ cups leftover spaghetti
• 1 cup of frozen mixed vegetables
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup of minced chicken or leftover meatballs, mashed (optional)

Note: If your dog is allergic to corn, you might want to use only carrots and peas. As for the leftover meatballs, make sure the ingredients used are safe for dogs’ consumption.

Method:

1. Combine the spaghetti, mixed vegetables, eggs, and minced chicken/meatball in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and place a metal egg ring in the pan.
3. Fill the ring three-quarters of the way to the top with the spaghetti mixture.
4. Fry for two to three minutes, or until the bottom half is golden brown.
5. Carefully remove the egg ring. The patty should just hold its shape.
6. Flip the patty and fry for another two minutes, or until it turns a lovely golden brown.
7. Drain on paper towels.
8. Let them cool before serving.

Egg Ring DIY: If you don’t have egg rings, you can make a mold out of an empty tuna tin. Wash the can thoroughly, remove paper wrapper if any, then remove the tops and bottoms of the can with a can opener.

Special notes: The beauty of this dish is that you can omit and replace ingredients as you please. So, feel free to add your favorite garnish (coriander, scallion, chilli) on a separate mixing bowl. In addition, you could serve the patties as they are or with any drippings of your choice. For me, I like it hot. I add a little wasabi into my Japanese mayonnaise dripping.