How to Reheat Leftover Pasta so It's as Delicious as It Was on Day One (2024)

FAQs

How to Reheat Leftover Pasta so It's as Delicious as It Was on Day One? ›

Microwave It (With Water)

The best way to reheat noodles that haven't been tossed with sauce is to place them in a metal strainer and dip them into a pot of boiling water until they're warmed through, about 30 seconds. This will not only keep them from drying out—the quick hit of intense heat will prevent them from getting mushy, too.

Spread your leftovers out evenly on a baking tray and bake at 350 for about 15 to 20 minutes, flipping once about halfway through. This will give you evenly heated pasta and some nice crispy bites of toasted deliciousness. To take this up a notch, add a little cheese on top.

While controlling the heat is what helps the fat (oil) not separate from the sauce in the first place, adding cream to your leftovers is what helps to revive the dish. This leaves the pasta nice and creamy again and makes sure that it's not dried out.

One simple trick to enhance the flavor of pasta is to add a dash of salt to the boiling water before cooking the pasta. This will infuse the pasta with salty flavor and help it to taste better. Additionally, try tossing the cooked pasta with olive oil, herbs, and Parmesan cheese to add more depth of flavor.

Food develops new flavour molecules, and for us, that means it tastes better. According to the study, proteins may further breakdown when the leftovers are reheated, producing new flavours which wouldn't have been there when the food was freshly cooked. Think of spaghetti bolognese. Or a pot of curry.

Prep and Store Pasta.

Drizzle the pasta with a little bit of olive oil, 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil per pound of pasta. Toss to coat and spread the pasta in a single layer on a sheet pan to cool. Once completely cooled, put the pasta in an airtight container or ziplock bag for storage in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

It takes many hours for simple starches to convert to resistant starches. Ideally, and for maximum benefit, pasta and rice should be chilled for a full 24 hours before eating or reheating. It's important to refrigerate foods soon after cooking to avoid the possibility of bacterial growth and food-borne illness.

To freshen things up a bit, I like to add a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, or maybe some chopped fresh herbs depending on the dish, but it's totally up to you. Even a few cracks of black pepper will do the trick!

How to jazz up pasta? ›

Fresh or dried herbs will also add flavor to pasta dishes.

"I use a lot of parsley, either fresh or even dried," Montillo said. "Oregano, garlic powder, onion flakes, black pepper all work well in a variety of sauces."

Tips For Maintaining Pasta Quality When Reheating

If it's just plain pasta, the quick boil method is best. If it's a saucy dish with protein and vegetables but no cheese, the skillet is probably your best bet. Pasta casseroles and similar-type dishes do best reheated in the oven.

Bake It. If your pasta dish is already coated in sauce, reheating it in the oven could be the best option. Simply place your pasta (sauce and all) in an oven-safe baking dish, cover it with foil and bake at 350℉ for 15 to 20 minutes. This method offers the added benefit of making your dish a little crispy and bubbly.

Sautéeing in a skillet works best for sauced pasta.

“This means that you heat up a stainless steel skillet, pour a teaspoon of [olive] oil into the hot skillet, add the pasta to be reheated, and constantly toss the pasta, 'sautéeing' it for three or four minutes,” he explained.

When using up rice and pasta leftovers, make sure to heat to 165°F all the way through and eat right away. Do not reheat whole dishes more than once and do not keep either for more than few days even if properly stored and refrigerated.