Spaghetti has been the go-to for family dinners across generations. The best part about it? You can cook lots of spaghetti cheaply and easily. However, this means you’ll have leftovers that will need to thaw and be reheated later on.
Most people take the simple route of throwing leftover spaghetti into the microwave and setting the knob on ‘high’. This route, however, does little to maintain the quality of the spaghetti.
It is possible to reheat spaghetti and keep it tasting just as good as it did the night before. How you go about it depends on how the spaghetti was cooked and stored. You can use, not just a microwave, but an oven, a pan, or an air fryer.
As long as the spaghetti ends up piping hot, it is safe to eat. Germs thrive in warm temperatures, but higher degrees of heat will kill them off.
Keep in mind that you need to mix the spaghetti frequently, especially toward the end of the heating process. This ensures that cooler areas will get heated as well, killing off any lurking germs.
Can you reheat frozen spaghetti twice?
Remember that germs and bacteria thrive in warm temperatures. When the spaghetti is in the freezer, the cold slows down the growth of germs. When it’s hot, the pathogens are killed.
However, keeping food to reheat will likely leave the food at the ‘perfect’ temperature for these germs to multiply. To minimize illness from eating reheated food, only reheat spaghetti once.
How to thaw frozen spaghetti
Before you can heat frozen spaghetti, it would need to thaw first. Transfer the spaghetti from the freezer to the refrigerator to defrost. You can leave the spaghetti in the fridge for a few hours, or even overnight.
How to reheat frozen spaghetti
There are a number of ways to reheat spaghetti while maintaining the quality of the meal. Let’s take a look at a few:
Reheat frozen spaghetti in an oven
This option is perfect if you have to reheat a large portion of leftovers. However, it depends on if you had cooked your spaghetti in the oven originally. If your spaghetti was baked, re-baking it will affect the taste a little.
To reheat spaghetti with an oven, here are the steps:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat an oven-safe pan with oil or line it with parchment paper.
When reheated this way, the spaghetti can get crispy or crunchy on the outside.
Reheat frozen spaghetti in a microwave
When you need to warm food up quickly, the microwave can certainly be your buddy.
To reheat spaghetti with a microwave, here are the steps:
Set out a microwave-safe container and a loose-fitting lid.
Add a tablespoon of water to the bottom of the container.
Add your spaghetti serving.
Set the lid on top and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Remove and stir the spaghetti for a bit.
Put it back in for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Repeat until the entire dish is heated through.
Microwave tips
Adding water creates steam which adds water to dried, leftover spaghetti.
Stirring frequently will prevent the spaghetti from getting too much or too little heat.
Do not snap the lid on tight or else the container will explode.
How to reheat spaghetti in an air fryer
Keep in mind that air fryers will make your spaghetti crispy, which might not be to your taste. However, they are great when you need to reheat your spaghetti and meatballs. It’s important to keep the meatballs separate from the spaghetti so they can be air-fried separately.
Here are the steps:
Heat your air fryer up to about 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
Stick your meatballs in the fryer basket and cook for about 5 minutes.
Check them and ensure they are heated through.
Then, it’s time to heat up your spaghetti:
Add a layer of foil to your air fryer basket.
Place leftover spaghetti into your air fryer basket.
Air fry for 8 minutes at 360 degrees.
Air fryer tips
Avoid a high temperature when reheating in the air fryer.
Cooking at 400 degrees will dry your spaghetti.
Single portions are the perfect size for most air fryers.
Reheating spaghetti on the stove
Using a stove can be the easiest option depending on how urgently you need to reheat the spaghetti. It’s also great with any size of spaghetti you’re working with. However, there are two ways to reheat it, depending on how you stored the spaghetti.
If you kept your sauce separate from the spaghetti, here are the steps:
Start off with a boiling pot of water.
Add your plain spaghetti to the pot and stir for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Drain the spaghetti.
Add the spaghetti back to the warm pot then add the sauce.
Cook on low until the sauce is heated through.
If you kept your sauce and spaghetti together, here are the steps:
Add a few tablespoons of water to a pot.
Add the spaghetti and sauce.
Put a lid on and heat on medium-low.
Stir every couple of minutes until the food is heated through.
It is also possible to reheat your spaghetti and sauce in the oven. As long as you keep the moisture in, your spaghetti and sauce will come out fine. Use foil to hold moisture in and reheat with the aforementioned instructions for using the oven.
Reheating different spaghetti dishes
While it is fairly straightforward to reheat spaghetti, different spaghetti dishes can have different methods of reheating.
How to reheat Fettuccine Alfredo
Similar to spaghetti, there are a few ways to reheat this popular pasta-based dish: the oven, microwave, and stove.
How to reheat Fettuccine Alfredo with the oven
The oven is perhaps the best way to reheat your dish, as it will come out evenly heated. The oven will also keep the flavor in without burning if you follow these steps. Here are the steps:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Put the spaghetti in an oven-safe baking dish.
Add a tablespoon of water to the dish.
Add another tablespoon if there’s a lot of spaghetti.
Cover the dish securely with foil to trap steam.
Reheat the spaghetti in two 10-minute cycles.
Place the dish in the oven and heat for 10 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven and stir to heat the spaghetti evenly.
Replace the foil cover and put the dish back in the oven to heat for another 10 minutes.
Double-check and reheat until thoroughly heated.
How to reheat Fettuccine Alfredo with a microwave
Using a microwave is often the quickest route. However, it’s important to note that your dish can dry out quickly if you’re not careful. Although it’s faster, it’s best to warm just one or two servings with the microwave.
Here are the steps:
Put the spaghetti in a microwave-safe bowl.
Add a small amount of water to the dish and stir well to combine.
Seal the bowl with plastic wrap.
Put two holes in plastic wrap to allow steam to escape.
Reheat the spaghetti in one-minute intervals.
Place the dish in the microwave and heat for 1 minute.
After a minute, remove the dish from the microwave and mix.
Put the dish back in the microwave and reheat again for another 1 minute.
Continue this way until the spaghetti is thoroughly heated.
How to reheat Fettuccine Alfredo with a stove
The stove takes more time than the previous two methods, however, it is an effective route. The stove’s relatively lower heat means the sauce will blend well and remain creamy. Here are the steps:
Place your leftover spaghetti in a saucepan over high heat.
Continue doing so until the spaghetti is well heated.
How to reheat macaroni and cheese
While this is a very popular dish, reheating it can be rather tricky. However, it is still possible to reheat mac and cheese properly so the dish is as good as new. Just like normal spaghetti, an oven, microwave or stove can be used to reheat. There are a few differences though.
This is arguably the best route to reheating your dish, especially when you have large leftover portions. Ovens spread heat evenly, which means your dish is least likely to burn in this scenario. Here are the steps:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place your mac and cheese in a casserole.
Pour a few tablespoons of the milk you added to the cheese sauce.
Mix the milk with your mac and cheese.
Cover the dish with foil and leave the dish in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and return the dish to the oven for another 10 minutes.
How to reheat mac and cheese in the microwave
Reheating with a microwave is great if you’re working with one or two servings. If the servings are more, there’s a chance the heat won’t spread evenly. The microwave might be a quick route, but food safety should always come first. Here are the steps:
Place your mac and cheese in a microwave-safe container.
Add a few tablespoons of the milk you added to your cheese sauce.
Mix it in with the dish.
Cover the mac and cheese with a microwave-safe wrap.
Leave one corner slightly opened to allow the steam to blow off.
Set the microwave to medium and heat the dish for 1 minute.
Remove the dish from the microwave and stir.
Continue heating in 30-second intervals until the dish is thoroughly heated.
It’s important to ensure the heat spreads evenly. Stirring it consistently will limit overheating in some parts as this can affect the quality of your dish.
How to reheat mac and cheese on a stove
This is much faster than using the oven. However, you have to constantly stir the dish so it doesn’t burn. Using a stove works great for smaller servings or portions. Here are the steps:
Place your mac and cheese in a saucepan or skillet.
Add a few tablespoons of the milk you added to your cheese sauce.
Mix it in with the dish.
Over low heat, reheat the dish while stirring frequently.
Add little milk to keep it moist.
Continue for about 10 minutes or until the entire dish is heated thoroughly.
When you’re using the stove, don’t preheat the pan. This could burn the dish. Remember to stir to ensure the heat gets distributed.
Reheating frozen spaghetti
What if you haven’t thawed your spaghetti and you hardly have the time to do so? Here are steps to help you reheat your spaghetti from frozen with an oven:
Add your frozen spaghetti to an oven-safe baking pan.
Top with aluminum foil.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cook for about 30 minutes.
Rotate the pan and cook for about 30 minutes more, or until the spaghetti is heated through.
For lots of spaghetti, you may have to cook longer than 30 minutes. Smaller portions will cook through quicker and therefore require less time.
In conclusion
There are many ways to reheat your spaghetti, but keep in mind that using the oven is the best method. The microwave is great for smaller servings, but the oven ensures heat spreads around evenly.
The stove is also a very good method, arguably better than the microwave. It will also allow more servings than the microwave.
