Convert this staple into a multitude of meals

Pasta salad

  1. Did you cook too much pasta for dinner? Allow the leftover pasta to cool and mix with some pesto, pine nuts and cherry tomatoes for a tasty pasta salad for lunch the following day.

  2. Have you got lots of different-shaped pasta to use up? Cook it and use it in a pasta bake made with a jar of tomato and Italian herb sauce, a small tin of beans or tuna, topped with Mozzarella slices and some grated Cheddar. Cook in a hot oven for around 25 minutes.

  3. For a simple seafood supper, melt some butter in a pan with some raw prawns and garlic. Fry and then add some lemon juice, a slug of white wine and some parsley, and serve with spaghetti.

  4. Want to make your fresh tomato or vegetable soup more of a meal than a mouthful? Add some cooked pasta shapes to fill you up.

  5. Pasta can even be used to make cakes! Cooked spaghetti added to a melted butter and sugar mix, some dried fruits, nuts, flour and spices can be cooked in an oven dish in a hot oven for 35 minutes. It should be left to cool before serving.

  6. Are your kids at a loose end? Different-shaped pasta can be painted and glued onto paper to make fantastic pictures.