Reheating leftover pasta is not only a smart way to avoid waste in the kitchen. But indeed it is a real “art” with which we can give new life to our dishes. Here’s how to reheat pasta without mistakes.
More than a dish or a simple recipe, pasta is the undisputed symbol of the Italian culinary tradition. The dish that brings everyone together, the ingredient that can never be missing from our cupboards. Sautéed in a pan or cooked in the oven, according to some pasta is even tastier the next day, provided it is heated to perfection. But how do it?
How To Reheat Pasta? 4 Different Methods
To reheat the pasta and give it new life it is important to pay attention to the type of sauce. The quantity we want to bring back to the table, and also the time that we have available before choosing the most suitable method.
Whether it’s left over from Sunday lunch, you’ve miscalculated the portions or you’ve prepared it extra to take it to the office. Whatever the reason you find yourself heating pasta, it’s important that you do it with love and attention. We are here to give you all the advice to do it in a workmanlike manner.
In a pan
To reheat already seasoned pasta dishes, preferably with meat or fish-based sauces. The pan is undoubtedly the best and most effective choice. Choose a non-stick frying pan that is not too small and that can hold all the amount of pasta. Add a drizzle of oil and turn on the flame, after a few seconds add the pasta and distribute it evenly.
Choosing the pan to heat the pasta means paying close attention to the flame. It must in fact be of medium-high intensity, but not too high, to prevent the pasta or sauce from sticking and burning. It takes no more than 5 minutes to heat the pasta in a pan. When in fact the sauce begins to “melt” and soften, stir with a wooden spoon. Also, make sure that the heat is distributed evenly and served immediately.
In the oven
There is only one way to heat up quantities of pasta larger than one or two portions or to give new life to leftover Sunday lasagna and it is called an oven. A very simple heating technique develops according to the following steps:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C for at least 10 minutes, it must be hot before placing the pan;
- Place the tray or saucepan on the central shelf of the oven. On the lowest one, you risk burning the bottom of the dough. On the highest one, you will get the cold dough in the center and burnt on the surface.
- Leave the pasta to heat at 180 °C for 10 minutes in static mode ;
To prevent the pasta sauce from drying out, you can cover it with aluminum foil. Make sure that it is not in contact with the pasta but only with the pan, for the last 5 minutes.
Microwave oven
The microwave oven is the ideal choice for heating single portions and Schuette. Perhaps those brought to the office for a break that does not taste like a sandwich. Get a container suitable for the microwave oven and not too deep so as to obtain the most uniform heat distribution possible. And heat the pasta for 2-3 minutes at medium power. To avoid the risk of having mushy dough, be careful to keep the lid slightly open so that the steam can escape.
Second cooking
It may have happened to you too that you didn’t season all the pasta and left at least one portion blank. Perhaps because there was too much pasta or because the sauce was too little. What to do in these cases? Can it be heated and reused?
Absolutely yes, all you have to do is cook it again for a few seconds. To give new life to cooked but not yet seasoned pasta, boil it in unsalted water. Take care to immerse it with a sieve so you don’t have to drain it a second time, 30 seconds will suffice. And your pasta will be ready to make your lunch special.
Other Tricks to reheat pasta (well).
However, to avoid getting a dish that is too soggy or too dry, here are some suggestions to follow.
White paste.
If it’s just pasta, without sauce, the trick is to use a sort of second boiling. By heating the water and bringing it to a boil, put the already cooked pasta in a colander, to be lowered into the boiling water in several batches. With a couple of passages of about fifteen seconds each, the pasta will be perfectly revived, resulting in neither dry nor soft.
Pasta with sauce.
Another method, to be used in the case of a seasoned dish, is to heat it by adding a small part of new liquids. Not in the microwave, because it doesn’t heat evenly, but in a pan. Just pour the pasta, add broth, milk, and water, and revive everything. No lid, however: the pasta would tend to cook again in the steam.
Pasta with fish sauce
In the case of fish sauce, the best choice is to add broth. Of fish, in fact, if you have it available, vegetable if you don’t have it. The broth (hot) should be added gradually to the gravy as it heats. Always be careful not to overdo it.
Rusted pasta
A classic of Neapolitan cuisine is pasta arruscata, which was created to reuse leftover pasta from the day before. Indeed, arruscare means to toast, to scorch. And that’s what you have to do by pouring the leftover pasta into a pan (greased with oil or non-stick) and heating it until the pasta has a crispy crust all around. For those with a sweet tooth – if the sauce permits it – we recommend adding an egg, even a hard-boiled one.
Pasta omelet
Speaking of eggs, the pasta omelet comes from the same latitude. Just add the eggs, grated cheese, pepper, and salt to the leftovers from the day before and transfer everything to the pan. Once cooked on one side, when the crust appears, the pasta omelet must be turned over to finish cooking on the other side.
Mess
A similar method, in which the oven intervenes, is that of creating a new dish starting from the old one: here, therefore, is the pasta pie. Ideal for short pasta and classic sauces, to prepare it just butter a baking dish, add some breadcrumbs, then the pasta, alternating with béchamel and mozzarella. The last layer, just like baked pasta, is covered with cheese, breadcrumbs, and curls of butter. And off to the oven at 180°C.