Pasta Frittata Lots of Ways

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then finely grate in the Parmesan. Season with a little salt and a good twist of pepper. Whisk well, then stir in your pasta.

To cook the frittata, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a 26cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the frittata mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, or until crisp underneath, then place in the oven for another 5 minutes, or until firm. Carefully flip the frittata onto a large plate, then slide it back into the pan and return it to the oven for a further 5 minutes, or until crisp underneath. Serve with an extra grating of Parmesan.

If you’ve got about 400g of leftover cooked pasta which is already coated in sauce, you can swap that in for an easy twist on my basic recipe. Or try making a pizzaiola pasta frittata – make the basic pasta frittata (I like to use fusilli, but use whatever shape you have), then serve by slicing and layering over 6 ripe cherry tomatoes and 40g of fontina cheese. Scatter over a few fresh basil leaves, and finish with an extra grating of Parmesan.

Variations:

If it’s springtime, make the basic recipe extra special by adding peas and pancetta. Heat 1½ tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a 26cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan. Peel, finely slice and add 1 onion, then sweat for a few minutes. Very finely slice 6 higher welfare slices of pancetta and add to the pan for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 200g of peas, pour in 400ml of hot water, then turn the heat up to high and bring to the boil. Leave it to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated, then cool. Make the basic pasta frittata mixture, finely chop and add the leaves from 4 sprigs of fresh mint, squeeze in the juice from 1 lemon, then stir in the cooled pea mixture. Cook your frittata as above, and serve with an extra grating of Parmesan.