The Best Way to Reheat Lasagna So It's Just as Delicious as the First Time Around

One way to reheat your leftover lasagna stands out from the rest.

A great lasagna can be even better the next day, when the layers of sauce, cheese, and noodles start to meld together even more. So it's no wonder that a lasagna is often a make-ahead meal favorite, that you can simply reheat in small or large slabs for busy nights.

Related: 7 Secrets for Making Better Lasagna

But what's the best way to reheat your lasagna to preserve that decadent gooeyness without drying out the pasta? Try our favorite way to reheat your leftovers, plus other options that can help you when you're in a hurry.

The Best Way to Reheat Your Lasagna

To make your leftover lasagna as delicious and gooey as it was the first time, the oven should be your go-to reheating method. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake your lasagna it in a baking dish, covered with foil. Depending on how large your leftover lasagna portion is, it could take up to 45 minutes to heat it to warm and bubbling if it's been in the refrigerator, or about 90 minutes if you're baking it straight from the freezer.

Top it off with fresh ingredients

Add a little extra sauce or a sprinkling of additional cheese to your leftover lasagna to avoid that overdried leftover vibe.

To help the cheese bubble and brown, take the foil off and place the lasagna back in the oven for another five to 10 minutes after it's heated through.

To make sure you don't end up with bubbly sides and an ice-cold middle, pop in an instant read thermometer, and look for a temperature of 165 degrees at the center before you take it out of the oven. If you don't have a thermometer, the signs of a well-done lasagna are lots of bubbling and sizzling along the sides of the lasagna, and melted, slightly bubbly cheese at the center.

Other Ways to Reheat Your Lasagna

Of course, there are plenty of other options for reheating your leftover lasagna—though many of these work a little better for smaller portions.

Related: 11 Delicious Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal

Microwave

The microwave is your best bet for fast-and-easy reheating, though it's a smart choice for small portions, such as a single helping. To reheat your lasagna in the microwave, put your lasagna in a microwave safe dish, and cover it with a damp paper towel to retain lasagna's signature gooeyness. Microwave for 90 seconds, then check to make sure it's hot all the way through. If not, add 30 seconds at a time until the cheese is melted and it's as hot as you'd like.

Related: Simple Microwave Lasagna

Air Fryer

One of our favorite multi-tasking kitchen appliances can help you heat up leftover lasagna much quicker than the oven, though you may need to cook it in several batches if you're reheating lasagna for a crowd. To use the air fryer, preheat it to 375 degrees, then minimize the mess by placing your lasagna in the air fryer on heavy duty aluminum foil, or in a small baking dish or loaf pan. After 10 minutes, check the internal temperature, then recheck every five minutes until you hit the 165-degree mark.

Stovetop

Yes, you can reheat your lasagna in a pan—though you'll need to break it up into individual slices, and you'll end up with a crispier lasagna than you will with other methods. Preheat the pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, place the slice in, and heat and flip until it's hot all the way through.

How to Store Leftover Lasagna

Lasagna can easily be stored in the fridge for up to five days, or in the freezer for months—though obviously, in both cases, the sooner you enjoy the leftover lasagna, the tastier it will be.

Air is the enemy of freshness whether you're storing it in the fridge or the freezer, so wrap your leftovers tightly in plastic wrap or foil, and store in a sealed container or the original baking dish.

How to Prep Leftover Lasagna for Reheating

While you can take the lasagna right from the freezer or refrigerator to the oven, microwave, or air fryer, it's best to have it a little less chilly when you start. Take a refrigerated lasagna out of the fridge and let it warm up on the counter while the oven preheats.

For frozen lasagnas, ideally, you'll let the lasagna thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then have it out on the counter to warm up while the oven does. You can also use the defrost function on your microwave to thaw it out, or if you're really in a hurry, put the lasagna right in the oven—though it will take much longer to reheat than a refrigerated lasagna.

Watch out for sudden temperature changess

If you're putting your lasagna straight from the freezer into the oven, use a metal or foil pan—not glass (even tempered Pyrex-style glass!). The shock of going from the freezer to the oven could cause thermal breakage, which could lead to a dangerous mess of shattered glass and lasagna.

Once again, you'll be looking for an internal temperature of 165 degrees—or plenty of bubbling cheese—before you dig into your leftover lasagna.

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