Is it really true or does it just seem that way: is the pasta you reheat and eat for the second time even tastier than the first time…?
Making a much larger pan of pasta than actually needed is without a doubt one of the biggest guilty pleasures in the kitchen. It’s a lovely thought to have a few extra portions in the fridge or freezer, isn’t it?
Reheating pasta is easy, healthy and incredibly delicious! Below we briefly explain what you need to bear in mind when reheating pasta.
Can you heat up pasta?
Yes and no. It is important to distinguish between heating up pasta and heating up pasta sauce. Heating up pasta sauce is no problem at all. More about that in a moment.
Reheating the cooked pasta itself is also possible, but we are not big fans of it. To prevent the pasta from sticking together you should add a few drops of olive oil before storing the pasta in the fridge or freezer.
Moreover, in the fridge or freezer, moisture is added automatically and so the pasta loses its ‘al dente bite’ (check out our blog pasta cooking does you so) that we love to give it.
It is not really necessary to heat the pasta yourself. You can work out exactly how much pasta you will need that day by calculating 100 to 125 grams per person. This is always right.
Moreover, you can store dried pasta almost indefinitely in a dry, dark cupboard. That is why we say: keep the sauce and cook the pasta fresh.
What is the best way to heat pasta?
If you have pasta in the fridge or freezer, the best way to heat it is to bake it. Together with the sauce in the frying pan to get the moisture out.
Another suggestion is to turn it into an oven dish. Then you do not notice the changed structure. When reheating pasta in the oven it is a good idea to add a dash of water. This prevents the pasta from drying out and sticking to the oven dish. Is the pasta from the freezer? Then first let it thaw gently in the fridge.
Heating pasta sauce
It is easier to save pasta sauce and reheat it later. You can simply put it in the fridge for a day or two or keep it in the freezer for a longer period of time (as a rule, we recommend a maximum storage time of three months).
You can heat up the pasta sauce in the microwave. Just remember to put a plate on it. Otherwise, you’ll spend longer cleaning than eating….
The safest option is to let the pasta sauce warm up gently in the pan. You can then let the pasta cook separately and then heat it further by stirring it into the sauce.
That way, the pasta can completely soak up the flavor of the sauce before you scoop it up.