How to Reheat Lasagna?

Lasagna is one of the best pasta inventions ever made. As heavenly as it looks coming piping hot out of the oven with the sauce oozing from each layer, to replicate this to a day-old lasagna can be delicate. But don’t worry! We got you covered. We discovered the best ways to revive it is to make use of convection oven, microwave oven, or even the stovetop. We’ll show in greater detail how to reheat lasagna and even share some tips for better outcome.

How to Reheat Using The Convection Oven?

The oven method is undoubtedly the best way to reheat lasagna as it actually clones the original method of cooking it. This technique, when done properly, results to an even heating of the whole block of pasta –from the top to the bottom, from the sides to the center – without compromising the texture of the end product. This is the top choice – and probably the only one – for reheating large batches. Learn how to reheat lasagna using the following simple steps:

1. If it isn’t yet, transfer leftover lasagna to a baking pan or any oven-safe container.
2. When reheating lasagna, letting it warm from chilled state to room temperature is central to all techniques whether it uses convection oven or other equipment. This allows easier reheating of the dish minimizing its exposure to heat.
3. While waiting, preheat the oven to 375 ֯F. Even if you’re in a hurry, do not attempt to go a temperature higher. It will indeed heat your lasagna faster but there will be a high probability of getting the surface scorched but the middle layer will still remain cold.
4. Once ready, cover the pan with aluminum foil from edge to edge to prevent moisture from letting out.
5. Pop it in the oven and heat. The cooking time is generally 15-25 minutes but it varies depending on the batch size and the manner of stacking of each layer.
6. You’ll know when it’s done by means of two tests. If you have a baking thermometer, check if the temperature of the core reaches 165 ֯F. If none, you can do a visual check by scanning the surface if it appears hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

How to Reheat Using Microwave Oven?

If your priority is time and efficiency, your best option is to reheat leftover lasagna in a microwave oven. In a couple of minutes, you have your sizzling meal ready. Be warned that if you’re a newbie on this department, it may take a couple of tries before you get it perfectly. The microwave method, while quick and easy, is not as supreme in terms of quality as the convection oven. If you need to practice, here’s the base of it:

1. As a protocol, allow the chilled lasagna to sit at room temperature.
2. Make sure that the container is either glass-based or microwave-safe.
3. At all cost, avoid heating a whole pan in a microwave. Heat only a single serving or two at a time. Yes, it will test your patience but it will surely pay off when you see the consequence of chucking a huge batch in a microwave.
4. Drizzle a bit of water on the surface to prevent it from drying.
5. Place the lid loosely on top of the container. An alternative is plastic wrap if there’s no container cover.
6. Set the microwave to 90 seconds and reheat. You may need to adjust and add a slight turn on the knob if the desired doneness is not yet achieved.

How to Reheat Using The Stovetop?

If both microwave and convection oven are not available at home, the skillet and the stovetop are among your last friendly options. Note though that it will not be easy to retain its shape anymore; the layers will not be perfectly stacked as well. In fact, it’s almost impossible. Check out these procedure on how to reheat lasagna using the stovetop:

1. After thawing lasagna, transfer it to a skillet on a stovetop.
2. Turn the heat on to medium.
3. Add a few ounces of water on the sides to prevent the pasta from drying. If you have excess sauce, you may use this as well.
4. Cover the pan and let it simmer.
5. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. It’s done when the noodles have fully absorbed the moisture you added.
6. This step is optional but if you prefer for the crusts to have a bit of a crunch, remove the lid of the skillet and cook for a couple of more minutes. When the crusts are perfectly scorched as you preferred it, stop heating.

Useful Hacks and Notes for a Successful Reheating

Leftover pasta with sauce mixed on it proves to be a challenge in reheating because the noodles tend to absorb the sauce as it sits on the fridge for days. And this is not the only issue you’ll face with lasagna. This pasta dish, with its special type of noodles arranged in layers, may be prone to drying especially on the sides. Whatever reheating technique you choose, make it a point to keep the container completely covered to salvage moisture on your pasta while warming. Sometimes, it’s not enough to rely on time when reheating. You need to keenly notice physical factors to know when it’s done like bubbling cheese, seared surface, hardening starch, and others. If the leftovers still have another round of leftovers, resist the urge to put it back to the fridge for re-reheating for the next meal. You will face quality and food safety issues for doing so more than once. 

Pay close attention also to storage procedure because reheating may be rendered useless when you fail to do well in storing. Food safety is our priority so leftover lasagna should be stored on the fridge not later than two hours of staying at room temperature. For longer retention, you can store them on freezer and it can be kept longer than a month. However, when reheating, be mindful of keeping it evenly warm, making sure to reach an internal temperature of 160֯F.

Reheating lasagna is possible and it will surely come easier with more tries. We hope this helps you get more confidence in recovering your leftover lasagna to make it as good as day one.