Reheated pasta and sauce tastes better than fresh because the pasta absorbs some sauce.
Reheating a pasta dish too quickly allows moisture to escape, pasta to dry out and cream sauces to separate. Opt for a slow, even rewarming method in the oven. Though time-consuming compared to a microwave, the results are much more palatable. Using a food thermometer to ensure the pasta and sauce have cooked is critical to keeping the pasta dish safe from food-borne illness. Even if the pasta and sauce was at room temperature and only needed to be rewarmed, it must be heated to at least 165 F for safety.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray the inside of the baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Transfer the pasta and sauce to the baking dish.
3. Stir the pasta and sauce together so the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce. Skip this step for layered pasta dishes such as lasagna.
4. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Lift the foil, and insert a food thermometer into the center of the pasta dish.
6. Remove the pasta from the oven only if the internal temperature is at least 165 F. Return the dish to the oven for another 10 minutes if it has not reached the correct temperature. You may also remove the foil from the pasta during the final five minutes of baking to brown the top of the dish.
Tags: pasta sauce, pasta dish, baking dish, dish with, food thermometer
