Finally, something to do with your leftover pasta. Cookbook authors Margaret Fox and John Bear have devised an easy recipe for using cooked pasta in a frittata, essentially an Italian omelet. They say any variety of noodle will do.

Noodle frittata

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 ounces pasta, cooked and chilled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon grated dry cheese (such as Parmesan)

Heat the oil in a medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer the onions to a small plate, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan. Set the onions aside.

Add the pasta to the skillet, then season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until golden brown and crunchy. Return the onions to the pan. Mix well. Add the eggs, making sure they cover the noodles. Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs.

Cover the pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 minute. Remove the lid and place a large plate over the pan. Carefully flip the pan so the frittata lands on the plate. Return the pan to the stove and slide the frittata back into the pan to cook the other side for 1 minute.

– Recipe from Margaret Fox and John Bear’s “Morning Food” (Ten Speed Press, 2006, $19.95)