Alex Guarnaschelli's Favorite Midnight Snack Is Actually A Full Entree

Alex Guarnaschelli has been letting home cooks in on her go-to Italian-American cooking tips and making impressive food more accessible for years. So, it comes as perhaps no surprise that this highly decorated chef's favorite late-night snack is a straightforward, timeless comfort food classic. Guarnaschelli has worked at the three-Michelin-starred Guy Savoy restaurant in France and served as executive chef at NYC's Butter Restaurant. She's also an Iron Chef and cookbook author. But when the late-night munchies hit, this chef eats with an Everyman's palate.

When asked what her favorite late-night snack is in an interview with FN Dish, Guarnaschelli playfully answered, "Polite answer: uh ... ice water!! Real answer: cold spaghetti and meatballs." The chef has had a longtime penchant for pasta. A simple pesto pasta is the dish she named the most memorable at France's La Merenda in an exclusive interview with Business Insider.

Pleasure-minded foodies know nothing hits like cold spaghetti and these special Italian meatballs after midnight. Happily, there's also a scientific reason why those leftovers seem to taste even better. It's all about food chemistry. "Aromatic ingredients tend to undergo a larger number of reactions that produce flavor and aroma compounds which in turn react with the proteins and the starches," Dr. Kantha Shelke of the Institute of Food Technologists tells Forbes. "In general, as the food cools and is left to sit in the fridge, and then re-heated, some of these reactions continue to take place resulting in improved flavor."

Guarnaschelli's spaghetti and meatballs fits the bill for primo leftovers, packed with flavorful proteins, starches, and aromatics. As she shares in a recipe from her official website, when she's making her homemade meatballs, the chef is reaching for ground sirloin, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, chili flakes, and chopped parsley. "This recipe is a complete throwback to childhood for me," writes Guarnaschelli, which might be part of the nostalgic comfort food appeal that makes spaghetti and meatballs her go-to snack.

We're all about reimagining aesthetic ways to plate classic spaghetti and meatballs – but, for a legendary late-night snack, chowing down right out of the plastic-lidded container works just as well. No-frills and high-reward is the name of the game here. "The leftovers will taste even better the next day when the pasta has had time to absorb the sauce and cheese," encourages Guarnaschelli, in her recipe. "I think if you make your own meatballs, you get a pass on making pasta from scratch." To cut down on prep time without sacrificing dimensional flavor, Carbone is our favorite store-bought pasta sauce brand, for the record. But, however you enjoy your midnight snack, the most important thing is to lean into the actual enjoyment part.