I had a reader suggestion for what to do with leftover pasta. A reader suggestion! How fun.

Pasta is something that can easily be stretched across a few meals, especially if you make a lot at a time.

Tip: if you don’t wish to make a lot of long pasta at one time, you know those pasta spoons that have prong -like tips all around and a hole in the middle? However many noodles will fit in that hole is about one serving.

Easy things to do with leftover pasta:

Fried spaghetti: Sauté some pressed garlic and some diced onion or shallot to taste, in olive oil. Toss in your leftover spaghetti noodles, add salt and pepper and heat through. Top with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. Variations: add sliced sausage or grilled chicken strips for some extra protein.

Taco salad pasta salad: skip the rice and use leftover short pasta (fusilli, rotini, farfalle…) and add seasoned taco meat, shredded lettuce, black beans, corn and salsa. Toss and enjoy!

Make a frittata using leftover sauced or dry spaghetti: sauté some aromatics (garlic, onions, herbs) in a nonstick pan (with long handle) or very well seasoned cast iron skillet. You can get fancy by cooking down some pancetta or bacon and using the rendered fat to sauté your aromatics. Add your pasta, and warm through. In a separate bowl, crack your eggs for your frittata. Depending on how many people you are feeding or how much pasta you have left, you’ll use about 2-6 eggs. Whisk the mess out of those eggs, add 1-2 tbs olive oil, Parmesan cheese and I like to add a good amount of chopped fresh parsley. You could also use dill.

Add the warmed noodles to the egg mixture and turn a few times in the bowl with tongs. Add everything to your hot skillet, adding a little extra oil or cooking spray as needed to make the flip easy. Cook until crispy on the bottom, about 3-5 minutes. Put on oven mitts. Take a large plate, place it over the pan and carefully invert the pan so that the frittata falls onto the platter. Slide it back into the pan and cook another 3-5 minutes. Slice into triangles and serve a mixed greens salad. This is great for a brunch.

Tip: if you love eggs and want to enhance their flavor, add a touch of nutmeg.

Chicken noodle soup: make your favorite recipe for chicken noodle soup and toss in your leftover cooked noodles at the end

Try a different sauce: sauce your leftover pasta with a whole different sauce. I love to have pasta tossed in a simple sauce of melted butter, lemon juice, capers, salt, pepper, and dash of smoked paprika.

Tuna pasta salsa: this is a favorite go-to for us when we go hiking, and want to have a picnic lunch beforehand. I use rotini or elbow pasta, but any leftover short pasta will work. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil, and salt, pepper and dried Italian seasoning to taste, plus lemon juice, canned peas, canned corn, and canned tuna. Mix until well combined and enjoy. Variation: instead of peas, use shelled edamame.

What do you do with leftover pasta?