After refrigerating your lasagna, it might not look as appetizing but reviving it is possible. Reheating a plate of lasagna is not easy but you have to master the correct way of reheating it so that it doesn’t overcook, dry out or become gooey.
Contents
Lasagna
Lasagna is a popular Italian dish made of stacked layers of flat pasta, topped with vegetables or cheese and baked in the oven. Usually lasagne is served in single-serving square portions.
How to reheat lasagna
Lasagna is hard to reheat as mentioned above, reason being, the pasta absorbs the sauce as it sits in the fridge. It is also prone to drying while being reheated, that is why you should not rely on time when reheating it. You need to be alert and take note of bubbling cheese and seared surfaces, and other physical factors which indicate that your lasagna has been heated through.
Using the oven
The oven is not the quickest way of reheating your lasagne which you just took out of the fridge but it produces the best results.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees: Avoid setting the heat higher than the suggested time as that will not help reheat the lasagna faster but the high temperatures will dry it out more quickly.
- Get an oven-safe dish in which you shall place your lasagne.
- Cover your lasagne with aluminium foil: This helps trap in all the moisture, ensuring that the pizza does not dry out.
- Stick a toothpick at the centre of the lasagna allowing it to stick out, keeping the aluminium foil from touching the lasagna.
- Bake your lasagne for 15 minutes. It takes less time to reheat if it is from the fridge as compared to when it is from the freezer.
- Check if it has been heated all the way through. If not bake it for an additional 5 minutes.
You will know the lasagne is heated through when its internal temperature reads 165 degrees or more on your kitchen thermometer. If you decide on baking the lasagna at a temperature lower than the suggested, that will yield better results, but you will have to adjust the cooking time to 20 or more minutes. Also be aware of the size of pan or oven-safe dish from which you reheat your lasagna as its size also affects the time your lasagna takes to cook. When your lasagna is about to be ready to serve, you can remove the foil and allow the cheese to become bubbly and golden brown.
Using the microwave
The microwave is convenient to reheat lasagna from the fridge as it is quick. However, it is important to know how long your lasagna should be in the microwave so that you keep it from becoming a rubber mess. If not in a hurry, you can reheat individual portions of your lasagna one at a time.
- Place a single serving of lasagna in a microwave-safe bowl. If you place two servings on a single bowl or plate, make sure the slices aren’t touching each other.
- Drizzle a little extra sauce or water on top of your lasagna to keep it from drying out as it cooks.
- Use a tube shaped apple corer to open a hole in the middle of your lasagna. Place the piece of lasagna you would have removed next to the initial lasagna piece. This step is optional as it is done to ensure equal distribution of heat, ensuring that the heat gets to the centre of your lasagna and heats it through. If you decide on trying this out, be sure to only use a tube shaped corer as it is the only corer that won’t make a mess.
- Insert a tooth pick at the centre of your lasagna and allow it to stick a little. This is done to keep the plastic wrap from being in contact with your lasagna.
- Cover your lasagna with a plastic wrap which is microwave safe. The covering is done so as to keep the moisture in, while it cooks.
- Microwave the lasagna at medium heat for 2-5 minutes in 60 seconds increments. Note that 2 minutes is enough time to reheat lasagna from the fridge but the ingredients you use in the lasagna can alter the reheating time. If your lasagna has many layers and has heavy dense ingredients, it will need more minutes to reheat. You might need to add 5 minutes to accommodate a thick, dense lasagna.
- Check your lasagna; it has to be reheated to 165 degrees.
- Use oven mitts to remove the plate from the microwave.
- Allow the heat to distribute evenly by leaving the lasagna to sit for 60 seconds.
- You should also leave the lasagna to rest uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, allowing it to set. Giving it time to set prevents it from being soggy and looking like lasagna soup instead, the layers remain nicely separated.
Using a skillet
It is possible to reheat your lasagna on the stovetop. However, be warned that this method will not retain the shape of your lasagna.
- Take your lasagna from the fridge into the skillet.
- Add a few tablespoons of sauce or water to the skillet so that your lasagna doesn’t burn.
- Set the stove to medium heat.
- Cover the skillet and allow the lasagna to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- When the pasta has absorbed all the liquid you would have, it will be safe to serve.
- To make it a bit crunchy, remove the lid from the skillet and cook for 5 minutes until the crust is perfectly scorched.
Using the air fryer
An air fryer can be great if you wish to reheat your lasagna from the fridge as it is faster than an oven.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees.
- Place your lasagna in a loaf pan. Using the loaf pan is handy here as it fits perfectly into the fryer and it keeps the cheese from melting into the basket.
- Cover the loaf pan with an aluminium foil to keep the moisture from escaping.
- Air fry your lasagna until it is heated through. You can check the temperature after 10 minutes, it should be at 165 degrees: if not, keep cooking in 5 minutes’ increments until your cheese is melted and glossy.
Avoid reheating your lasagna multiple times as that degrades its quality: reheat it only once. Remember, cooked lasagna lasts 3-5 days in the fridge and three months in the freezer if in an air tight container. Beyond the mentioned time, the quality of your lasagna degrades when in the freezer and when it is in the fridge, it begins smelling funky and discolouring: you will need to throw it out.
