Can spaghetti be steamed? Guide to steaming pasta

Pasta is a universal comfort food. It’s easy to come by and is perfect to stock up on when you get a pasta craving, or when you need an easy-to-cook dinner.

There is a stigma about how pasta should be cooked, with boiling water until al dente, and a little olive oil so it doesn’t stick. Although this makes for some really good pasta, it’s not the only way to cook pasta.

Let’s narrow it down to spaghetti.

Can spaghetti be steamed? The answer is yes. Steaming spaghetti is really easy, and the pasta is just as delicious as if it were boiled. However, your results will be much better if you use fresh pasta. Fresh pasta isn’t as hard or dry as regular pasta, and it won’t need to absorb as much water.

steamed spaghetti

Steaming spaghetti is not complicated at all, but you have to use fresh spaghetti for the best results. If you were to use dry spaghetti, you would have a lumpy, gluey mess.

Here’s how to cook spaghetti with a steamer:

What do you need?

• steamer
• fresh spaghetti
• Olive oil
• Water

Method:

1. Place the fresh pasta in the steamer. Make sure you lay the spaghetti flat and try to spread it out as much as possible.
2. Add the recommended amount of water for your steamer, but then a little more to cover the pasta.
3. Close the lid of the steamer and allow the spaghetti to steam for seven minutes.
4. Remove the lid from the steamer and stir the pasta, returning the lid once done.
5. Steam the spaghetti for another seven minutes.
6. Take the spaghetti out of the steamer and put it in a deep bowl.
7. Drizzle a little olive oil over the pasta and strain through a strainer to remove excess liquid. After this steaming time, the pasta should be al dente. If you want the pasta to be softer, you can steam it for two more minutes.

Steaming dry pasta in a pasta steamer

Pasta steamers are slightly different from traditional ones. They offer a convenient way to cook pasta, especially when you are cooking a large amount of pasta.

However, the pasta steamer does not necessarily steam the pasta, rather it is a basket that holds the pasta when it is submerged in a pot of boiling water. The basket facilitates the draining of the noodles once cooked.

Pasta steamers can be used for both fresh and dry pasta and really make cooking pasta a doddle.

What you need

• Dry pasta
• pasta steamer
• Salt
• Water

Method:

1. 1. Fill the pot of the pasta steamer with enough water to cover just under two inches from the top. This allows you to submerge the pasta in the basket to prevent water from spilling over the top.
   2. Add a pinch of salt to the water, the salt helps the pasta cook evenly and gives it a light seasoning.

1. Bring the water in the pot to a boil.
2. Place the pasta in the steamer basket and put it in the pot of boiling water. The handles on the steamer basket allow you to place and remove the pot from the water without burning your fingers.
3. Let the pasta cook until done. Dry pasta takes eight to twelve minutes to cook, while fresh pasta takes a little less to cook.
4. Lift the pasta out of the water using the basket handles.
5. The pasta water will drain through the basket, removing excess water.

Serve the pasta hot.

steamed lasagna sheets

Making lasagna is treating yourself to one of the healthiest comfort foods out there. However, handling lasagna sheets can be tricky! When cooking the lasagna sheets before placing them in the sauce, you may be holding on to the hot pasta sheets that end up breaking or sticking together.

A helpful trick to prevent this from happening is to avoid boiling the lasagna sheets and steam them instead. Here’s how:

1. Place the lasagna noodles in a flat lasagna pan, or any other deep pan that will fit the noodles.
2. Pour hot tap water over the lasagna sheets, making sure that all lasagna sheets are submerged under the water.  Make sure the water is as hot as possible, as warm water won’t soften the pasta enough.  Use a fork or spoon to move the sheets around to make sure they are all fully submerged.
3. Cover the pan with the hot water and pasta with a lid, shallow saucepan, or some aluminum foil to retain steam and heat.
4. Let the lasagna sheets soak covered for 20 to 25 minutes . This gives them just enough time to steam and finish. After this time, the lasagna sheets will be pliable and ready to be layered with the sauce.
5. The water will cool down during this period, so there’s no chance of burning your hands removing the pasta sheets.

Reheat the steamed pasta

Reheating leftover pasta can be a huge disaster if not done correctly. If heated in the microwave, the pasta may become mushy, dry, burnt, or all of the above.

Most methods of reheating pasta cause the pasta to lose too much moisture, which ruins it completely.

So the best way to reheat pasta, without overcooking it, would be to give it just enough moisture to keep it soft, but not too much to make it mushy.

The best way to reheat pasta is therefore to steam it.  The pasta won’t be submerged in water, but it won’t be deprived of all its moisture either. Here’s a quick and easy way to reheat leftover pasta, even if it’s already in a sauce or casserole in the oven.

1. Place the leftover pasta on a small heatproof plate that will fit on the steamer tray you want to use. If you don’t have a proper heat-proof plate, you can make a temporary one out of aluminum foil.
2. Add about 2 inches of water to the pot, but make sure it doesn’t touch the steamer bowl.
3. Place the baking dish with the pasta in the steamer, cover with the lid and bring the water to a boil over medium heat.
4. Keep the pasta steamed until it is loose and sauced, if there is sauce. This should take about 10 minutes. If the pasta has a thick sauce, it may need to be stirred once or twice to get it to heat evenly.
5. Remove the pasta dish from the steamer and stir it again. You may want to add a drizzle of olive oil to the regular pasta to give it a little more life.

Related questions

Can raw pasta be cooked in a sauce?

You can cook raw pasta in a sauce like tomato.  You will have to dilute the tomato sauce with a little water, bring it to a boil and add the dry spaghetti.

You’ll need to cook them for about 15 minutes to cook them through, and you’ll need to stir the pasta and sauce regularly to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

However, this method obviously won’t work with steamed pasta, as the sauce will seep out of the steamer holes and into the boiling water at the bottom of the pot.

Should I cook pasta before baking it?

It is a good idea to cook the pasta before putting it in the sauce or in the dish to be baked. The best way to do this would be to steam the pasta earlier as there is less chance of it overcooking and becoming soggy.

You can also choose to place the pasta in hot water and then cover it with a lid. As the hot water steams and slightly cooks the pasta, the water will eventually cool down, making it easier to handle the pasta once cooked.

This will take about 20 minutes, so keep cooking time in mind.

steamed pasta

Although it may not seem like the most natural way to cook pasta, steaming it can give great results. You’ll have more control over how firm or tender your pasta is, plus it’s a pretty quick solution for cooking pasta.

You can steam pasta using your multi-purpose steamer at home, or by purchasing a pasta steamer attachment. They both work slightly differently, but they steam pasta perfectly. Forget mushy, soggy pasta and steam your pasta for the best possible results