A cheese toastie is a tasty lunch or indulgent snack, but on its own it is not particularly filling. Adding one super-cheap tinned ingredient can turn it into a proper meal.
This ingredient is tinned spaghetti. It might sound odd, but the tomato sauce adds depth of flavour, and the spaghetti makes the toastie much more filling. It is a staple in New Zealand, where the reporter grew up.
How to make the toastie
To make two sandwiches, you will need half a tin of canned spaghetti in tomato sauce, half a cup of cheddar cheese, four slices of bread, and two teaspoons of butter.
Preheat your toasted sandwich maker, or melt some butter in a pan over low heat. Butter the slices of bread, then turn them so the butter is on the outside, and add the cheese and spaghetti evenly over two of the slices.
Cooking and serving
Place the other slices on top, ensuring the butter is facing out. Either pop the sandwiches into your toastie maker or into your pan. If using a pan, toast them for about four minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the spaghetti is hot.
Allow the sandwiches to sit for a minute after taking them out, then slice them in half and serve. This quick, cheap and filling lunch was a staple during university years, and can be made in a deep-fill toastie maker, panini press, regular toastie maker, or frying pan.
