Instead of trying to restore leftover pasta to its just-cooked texture, it is easier to use it while firm. Pasta that firms up when chilled holds together through a second cooking, so it works better than fresh pasta in baked pasta, pan-fried pasta, and omelets. The best use depends on whether the leftovers are sauced or plain. Refrigerate leftover pasta within 2 hours, use it within 3 to 4 days, and reheat it until it reaches 74°C / 165°F throughout.
When pasta cools, its starch reorganizes and firms up; that is why pasta left in the refrigerator overnight looks hard and dry. This firmness makes it less suitable for serving hot, but useful for a second cooking. Freshly cooked pasta keeps softening in the oven or pan and eventually falls apart, while cooled pasta withstands this second heat while holding its shape. The best use for leftover pasta is a dish that cooks it again, rather than one that tries to restore it to its previous state.
Plain leftover pasta works best in a pan. Heat a little oil in the pan, add the pasta, and leave it undisturbed for a while; stir it once the underside has browned and formed a crust. Cold pasta does not absorb too much oil or stick together, so it fries well; fresh pasta turns mushy in the same pan. Pour beaten egg, cheese, and chopped greens over the browned pasta, and it becomes a pasta omelet. Once the omelet has cooked on one side, turn it with the help of a plate and cook the other side too.
The second option is the oven. Spread the pasta in a baking dish, pour béchamel sauce or a milk-and-egg mixture over it, and cover it with grated cheese. Cold pasta absorbs sauce slowly and holds its texture in the oven, which is why pasta cooked one day ahead works well for baked pasta. Remove the dish from the oven once the top has puffed and the edges have browned, then let it rest briefly before cutting; otherwise, the slice will fall apart. The sauce must cover the pasta completely; exposed ends will dry out and harden in the oven.
Sauced leftover pasta behaves differently because it has absorbed the sauce and softened. It does not work for pan-frying; it falls apart in oil and sticks to the bottom. The oven is the better place for it: transfer it to a dish, add a little milk or hot water if the sauce has thickened, cover the top with cheese, and bake until browned. Adding béchamel to tomato-sauce pasta combines the two sauces and brings the dried-out sauce together. Cream sauces may release their fat when reheated, so keep them in the oven for only a short time and remove them as soon as the top browns. Let the dish from the oven sit for a few minutes so the sauce clings to the pasta again.
Cold pasta salad is also a natural use for leftover pasta, and its firm texture is exactly what you want here. Loosen the pasta with olive oil, mix it with chopped vegetables, cheese, and greens, and add the dressing shortly before serving. The pasta shape also guides the choice. Short, thick shapes such as rotini, penne, and farfalle work well in baked dishes and salads; long, thin pasta is better suited to gathering into a nest in a pan and frying. Very thin pasta such as vermicelli falls apart quickly during a second cooking and is better added to soup.
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