Spaghetti Leftovers Stuck Together? Use This Trick That Doesn't Water Them Down

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Whether you're making ragu all bolognese from scratch or using your favorite pasta sauce brand, spaghetti and meat sauce is always a welcomed weeknight dinner. And leftovers are the gift that keeps on giving. To make the best of your leftovers, we spoke to Jake Peterson, chef and co-owner of Dēliz Italian Steakhouse, regarding how to reheat leftover spaghetti so that it's as saucy and flavorful as ever.

As spaghetti and meat sauce sit in a Tupperware container in your fridge, the pasta continues to absorb sauce, resulting in a thick, sticky clump of noodles. Not only do you need to tease the noodles to separate them, but the sauce needs some rehydrating as well. A splash of liquid is crucial to restoring the sauce to its original consistency. Peterson, however, opposes adding water to loosen things up. As he explains, "Water would dilute the flavor that the pasta originally had. Why not take the opportunity to make good leftovers great?"

Instead of detracting from the savory richness of the tomato and meat in your spaghetti sauce, you can add to it with the help of beef broth. According to Peterson, "Adding beef broth would help loosen everything up and help make it the right consistency again. It would also add some umami and make the sauce a little richer." We've got a ranking of beef broth brands to help you choose the most flavorful liquid for your leftovers — our favorite from College Inn is as cheap as Trader Joe's!

If you don't have store-bought beef broth on hand, you can always mix a little beef bouillon into water to bring savory decadence to leftover sauce. Otherwise, try an umami-rich mushroom broth — it's a vegan option that works great with marinara or a meat-free mushroom bolognese. If you have leftover spaghetti alfredo (or any other cream-based sauce), swap water for cream, half-and-half, or even milk to keep it as creamy and rich as possible when you warm it up again. If you're reheating pesto, a splash of water or olive oil would be a gentle yet flavorful way to rehydrate the sauce. In any case, be sure to use a shallow sauce pan over low to medium heat, slowly reviving the pasta and sauce so as not to burn or dry it out even more.

Of course, you can also repurpose leftover spaghetti by transforming it into a whole other dish entirely. Since leftover spaghetti is already sticky, you can turn it into a baked casserole by layering it with more sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella. You can also bind noodles further with eggs and parmesan cheese in a spaghetti frittata. Add spinach, pancetta, and mushrooms for a more well-rounded Italian brunch centerpiece. If you really want to take leftover pasta to new and decadent heights, cut dried-out mounds of leftover spaghetti into rectangles, run them through egg wash and breadcrumbs, and deep fry them.