Calculating the right amount of pasta needed for a dish is a challenge for many people. So, many prefer to have leftovers and make sure that they are not short of pasta. This is a good solution to make sure we have enough, and even more so knowing that many pasta dishes keep perfectly well in the fridge and can be reheated days later. But, to make sure that pasta doesn’t lose its flavour and texture, it is important to know how to properly reheat noodles and pasta. Pay attention!
The first thing you need to know is that it is not the same thing to reheat pasta for soup or a pasta that has been previously cooked and without a sauce. When dealing with pasta without a sauce, the best way to reheat it without losing its texture is to immerse it in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove it, strain it right away and then add the sauce. If you want to reheat pasta for soup, the only thing you need to know is that it is not necessary to bring it to the boil again.
Ways to reheat pasta
Using the microwave
This is the best method to reheat leftover noodles or pasta in its sauce or in a finished dish from the day before. To do so, you just need to place the pasta in a microwave-safe container (such as a glass bowl) and heat it up for a few minutes at medium power. To avoid pasta getting very hot on the sides and cold in the centre, you need to evenly spread it out on a wide plate. And to make sure it doesn’t dry up, it is best to cover it with a microwave-safe plastic lid to allow steam to come out. It is better to do more minutes at a lower power. An alternative to the microwave is to place the pasta under hot tap water in a strainer until it reaches the desired temperature, and then mix it with the sauce.
Using a pan
For this method, you will have to add a little oil in a pan and then add the pasta, stirring every once in a while. Add a little more sauce if the one it had is very dry.
Using the oven
The oven is by far the best way if you need to reheat large portions of pasta. To do this, preheat the oven to 180ºC and place the pasta in a tray. Add a little water (ideally, use previously saved cooking water) or sauce. Cover the tray with aluminium foil to keep humidity better and wait 15 minutes.
How to reheat gluten-free pasta
Unlike durum wheat pastas, gluten-free pastas have a special rheology that makes it inadvisable to reheat once cold. The only exception is if the gluten-free pasta has been kept in some sauce or in soup. Then, you can reheat it normally, but when it is reheated on its own, it will lose its texture and flavour. The same thing happens with pasta made 100% from legumes: if it is reheated in soup or sauce the result will be good, but not so much if on its own.
As you can see, it is very easy to learn how to reheat noodles or any other type of pasta. And if you do it following our advice, you will enjoy a delicious dish with practically the same flavour and texture as if just cooked. This is one of the greatest benefits of pasta, don’t you think? Join the 0% food waste trend by enjoying your pasta leftovers days after having cooked it!