It’s easy to turn your favorite pasta night dinner into a quick weekday lunch or I-don’t-feel-like-cooking dinner the next day.
Just follow these easy tips to bring your favorite creamy pasta dish back to life in your oven, stove top, or microwave.
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Pasta with Alfredo sauce is a popular dish for good reason: it’s a delicious meal, super comforting, and really easy to make at home. Because isn't the best way to eat pasta at home in your jammies? Or is that just me?
You're Going to Love This
The thing about making pasta is that it's really easy to make way more than we can possibly eat in one sitting! That's why these easy reheating tips are so valuable!
- Leftovers you'll look forward to. A fridge full of leftover pasta with Alfredo sauce means you can dig into a warm and cozy bowl of comfort food at any given moment.
- No overcooked, mushy noodles. You definitely don’t want to reheat your pasta the wrong way and end up with something that's just not enjoyable.
- Sidestep separated sauce. Find out the trick to keeping the Alfredo sauce from separating during the reheating process.
With my easy tips, you’ll learn how to reheat your leftover pasta the right way.
3 Best Reheating Methods
Revive last night's pasta with Alfredo sauce by reheating it in one of these three different ways using these kitchen appliances:
1. Oven Method
Using the oven is an ideal way to reheat your pasta, even if it is kind of a slow method.
- Preheat the oven to 350. Place the pasta in an even layer in a shallow oven-safe baking dish to allow it to reheat evenly. Cold pasta with Alfredo sauce will clump together, so just do the best you can here.
- Add a tablespoon or two of milk and tightly cover the dish with aluminum foil to keep it from drying out.
- Heat for about 15 minutes or until heated through. Give it a good stir halfway through and add another tablespoon of milk -- or more, or less -- as necessary, until it's nice and creamy.
2. Stove top Method
Your stove top is another good way to breathe new life into that leftover dinner from last night.
- Add about a tablespoon of butter to a small saucepan or skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Be careful not to use high heat. High temperatures can fry the noodles. You just want to warm them up.
- Once the butter has melted, add the pasta in Alfredo sauce and stir until warmed through. If needed, add a splash or two of milk until the sauce is creamy.
3. Microwave Method
The microwave oven method works best for reheating a single serving of pasta with Alfredo sauce. Slow heating is your friend with this easy method so you don't end up with mushy noodles.
- Place the pasta into a microwave-safe bowl with a little milk (1-2 tablespoons).
- Cover the dish with vented plastic wrap or a damp paper towel, to keep it moist.
- Heat at 50% power for one minute. Stir and add more milk, if necessary.
- Continue heating and stirring at 30-second intervals until warmed through, adding more milk, as needed, until it is creamy.
Expert Tips
Regardless of which of these three different methods you use to reheat leftover pasta with Alfredo sauce, there are a few tips to remember:
- The most important thing to remember about reheating pasta with Alfredo cream sauce is to use a gentle heating method so the pasta doesn’t overcook.
- The keys to keep Alfredo from separating are: low heat, adding milk, and frequent stirring.
- The best way to revitalize the Alfredo pasta sauce back to its original creamy texture is with little splashes of milk as needed along the way.
- The amount of milk you add will depend on how much pasta you are reheating. Start small with a tablespoon and add as you go until you achieve your desired results.
- Feel free to add your favorite seasonings like a splash of lemon juice, a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese, or some chopped fresh herbs to help awaken the flavors.
How to Make Spaghetti with Alfredo Sauce
If you’re looking for a great pasta Alfredo recipe, this recipe for spaghetti with Alfredo sauce comes together in less than 20 minutes for a fast, easy, and delicious dinner.
The homemade Alfredo sauce recipe is rich and creamy, thanks to cream cheese! Try it and you may never buy jarred sauce again. Click here for the recipe.
And with these easy reheating tips, you can enjoy it the second time around!
Make any pasta dish a complete meal with these delicious sides to serve with pasta.
FAQs
Yes, absolutely! You can definitely reheat pasta with Alfredo sauce by using low gentle heat and adding a little milk to make it nice and creamy again. And the best part is you can use your oven, stove top or microwave!
The trick to keeping the Alfredo sauce smooth and creamy when reheating it is to use low heat, stir frequently, and add a little milk along the way.
If your Alfredo sauce is bland it might just need a little salt. You can also try adding more garlic or more Parmesan cheese — which is also salty and may eliminate the need to add salt.
If you’re looking to take the flavor in a whole new direction, try your favorite dried herbs like oregano or basil, Italian seasoning, or any of your favorite seasoning blends.
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How to Reheat Spaghetti with Alfredo Sauce: 3 Ways
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 stick butter, cut in slices
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ¾ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- dash black pepper
Instructions
- Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Save 1 cup of pasta waater.
- Melt butter in a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Add the cream cheese and whisk it into the butter as it melts. Whisk in the garlic powder, then the milk a little at a time until it is all incorporated.
- Whisk in the Parmesan cheese until it has melted and fully incorporated into the sauce. Add the nutmeg and black pepper and whisk until combined.
- Remove the sauce from the stovetop. Toss the drained pasta with sauce until completely coated. If the sauce is too thick or the noodles stick together, add a little pasta water to loosen it up. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, if desired.
Reheating Instructions
- Oven: Preheat oven to 350. Place pasta in an even layer in a shallow baking dish. Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk and cover dish with foil. Warm for 15 minutes or until heated through. Stir halfway through and add more milk as needed until creamy.
- Stovetop: Melt one tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium-low to medium heat. Add the pasta and stir until warmed through. Add milk as needed until creamy.
- Microwave: Place pasta in a microwave-safe bowl with 1-2 tablespoons milk. Cover dish with vented plastic wrap or damp paper towel. Heat at 50% power for one minute. Stir and add more milk if necessary. Continue to heat in 30-second intervals until warmed through, adding more milk as needed until creamy.
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