How to turn pasta odds and ends into a winning bake – recipe | Waste not

Mixed-up pasta bits and stale crisps combine with beans and cheese ends to make a fun and nutritious meal

The Northern Pasta Co’s new cookbook, Pasta For The People, includes a recipe for my pasta mista fritatta, a super-easy, child-friendly way to use up the end of a bag of pasta; it’s also a great vehicle for giving kids a filling, protein-rich meal with a portion of veg. I’ve come up with today’s dish in much the same spirit, and it ticks all the boxes.

Bean and pasta mista ‘mac and cheese’

Mac and cheese will always be a family favourite, but how can we make it more nutritious? Well, I add beans for protein and micronutrients. Butter beans are lovely and creamy, as are cannellini and haricot, but, really, any white beans will do.