The Muffin Tin Trick To Help You Meal Prep The Perfect Pasta Portion
It seems like there's no shortage of hacks for cooking pasta, like well-known tips such as salting the water or incorporating pasta water into your sauce. There are a plethora of pointers for the best methods of cooking pasta or the biggest mistakes you make with pasta. When it comes to the best way to portion pasta, some advice is centered around splitting it into single serving portions prior to cooking, as recommended by Livestrong. Or the tips focus on measuring it dry with a scale or pasta spoon to figure out the proper amount to cook (via American Café).
But once you've cooked pasta, what's the best way to ensure everyone receives an equal serving? According to Taste of Home, a single serving of pasta measures about two ounces dry and yields around one cup when cooked. Beyond grabbing a measuring cup, is there another way to portion out a cup of pasta once it's prepared?
Muffin tins are the perfect size
Believe it or not, there is an easy way to measure cooked pasta and all you have to do is use an everyday baking tool, and that item is likely already in your kitchen cabinet. As reported by Reader's Digest, Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis has a tip for getting the perfectly cooked pasta portion each time you're in the kitchen. De Laurentiis recommends filling a muffin tin to portion out cooked pasta, such as spaghetti noodles, to equal the perfect amount of around one cup.
Additionally, the article points out that this method is also helpful for meal prep since you can cook a box of pasta, portion it into muffin tins, and store the cooked pasta in containers in the fridge or freezer. The next time you're making pasta for dinner, or looking to make meals ahead of time, try using a muffin tin to portion the pasta and save yourself time and a little effort.