Cooking question: reheating baked pasta

[marbel]

Next week I'm serving lunch for about 25 people after church.  I do after-church lunches a lot but this is a bigger crowd than usual and I'm thinking of doing something different but am not sure it will work.  So, here I am because surely someone here has done this and it's either worked or not.

 

I want to make some baked pasta dishes.  I can make them ahead and put them in the fridge.  But I will have a limited amount of time between getting home from church and needing the food to be ready to eat.  I can't delay lunch because we eat before we go to a nursing home to hold a worship service there.

 

So, I could get home at 12:45.  Need to serve food by 1:15. In my experience, baked pasta (will prob have one ravioli and one ziti) takes longer than 30 minutes in the oven to get hot when it's been refrigerated.

 

Here's what I was thinking:  bake the pasta according to directions except leave off the cheese topping.  Put in the fridge overnight. 

 

In the morning before I leave for church, scoop the pastas out of their pans and into the crockpot and reheat on low.  That would be about 3 hours. 

 

Then, when I get home, scoop the pasta back into the 13x9 pans, put the cheese on top, and put in the oven to melt the cheese and crisp things up a bit.  (I can set the oven to come on shortly before I get home, so it will be hot.)

 

I'm a bit concerned that the pasta will be way overcooked with all that heating.  I could undercook the casserole in the oven, but don't want to undercook meat.  Hm, that wouldn't be a problem with browned sausage though, right?   (Stream of consciousness typing here.)

 

I have never been happy with pasta dishes made completely in the crockpot.   But maybe an alternative is to do a crockpot recipe before I leave the house, then when I get home, put it in a pan and finish it in the oven?  Has anyone done that?

 

Advice, recipes, etc., welcome. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kewb]

I would just take the pastas out of the fridge before you leave for church. They will be room temperature when you get home and will reheat faster. I would have them in the oven while it preheats.

 

Is there any way you or a friend could get home a little earlier to start reheating the food?

[marbel]

I would just take the pastas out of the fridge before you leave for church. They will be room temperature when you get home and will reheat faster. I would have them in the oven while it preheats.

 

Is there any way you or a friend could get home a little earlier to start reheating the food?

 

I love this idea but I was thinking they'd get to room temp too soon and be sitting there in the "danger zone."   It's winter but it's in the 60's right now where I live. :-)   3 hours isn't too long? 

 

[kewb]

I don't know if it would be in the danger zone. All I can tell you is I have done it and everyone lived to tell the tale. I am going to assume your thermostat isn't set to a tropical temperature.

[marbel]

I don't know if it would be in the danger zone. All I can tell you is I have done it and everyone lived to tell the tale. I am going to assume your thermostat isn't set to a tropical temperature.

 

LOL. We keep our house pretty cool! 

 

[Annie G]

Do you have a Nesco oven (or maybe a friend has one you can borrow?)  You could stack two 9 by 13 pans in one of those and reheat it while you are at church, just like you would in a crock pot but without having to scoop it in and out of a container.  You cover your casseroles with foil, and I have put a small container of water in the bottom (ovenproof ramekin) to keep it moist in there.  When you get home, crank up your regular oven, take the foil off, add some cheese, and pop it in to finish it. Ten minutes tops. 

 

I like the idea of letting it come to room temp while you're gone and heating it up once you're back but in my cold house it takes longer than 30 minutes to get the inside of a casserole hot and bubbly even after sitting out so long. I think my house is so cool that it takes a LONG time for the center to get to room temp. 

 

Good luck- sounds like a fun but hectic day!!

[Word Nerd]

I don't know if it would be in the danger zone. All I can tell you is I have done it and everyone lived to tell the tale. I am going to assume your thermostat isn't set to a tropical temperature.

Yes, the food would definitely be in the danger zone (40 to 140 degrees F, hardly just "tropical" temps) for too long.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/danger-zone-40-f-140-f/CT_Index

Edited December 13, 2015 by Word Nerd

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'd pick something else to make. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Another possible idea is to keep the sauce hot in the crock pot and boil the pasta when you get home.  Then just have pasta with sauce. 

 

 

[goldberry]

I always take things out of the fridge to get closer to room temp before re-heating.  Usually about 3 hours.  Never had a problem.

 

However... I will say I might be more hesitant feeding a group.  If my family pukes, so be it.  If a whole church was puking because of me...   :leaving:

[SparklyUnicorn]

I always take things out of the fridge to get closer to room temp before re-heating.  Usually about 3 hours.  Never had a problem.

 

However... I will say I might be more hesitant feeding a group.  If my family pukes, so be it.  If a whole church was puking because of me...   :leaving:

 

I do too.  I would be more careful with feeding a group though.  I've had years of experience eating food of questionable safety, but who knows if they have too.  LOL

[knoxinsox]

I know you are looking for an alternative to crockpots, but I would do a crockpot of each and make it easy for yourself, unless you are willing to leave early from church to run home and put pans in the oven.  I would assemble the day before and refrigerate or in the morning.  Start the crockpots before church and you will have a lovely hot meal ready when you get home.  Just be sure to undercook the pasta for the ziti and do it in layers.  Baked ravioli, at least my recipe, is wonderful in the crockpot.  I just layer premade ravioli with a meat sauce, and top with cheese and cook.  

 

The only time I've ever had a problem was when I used someone else's funky crockpot lasagna recipe so we would have all the same main dish for a lunch after church.  It tasted awful to me, personally, and nothing like my Mom's homemade recipe which is the gold standard, IMO.  The next time they asked me to make that recipe, I just quietly made my own, and it tasted perfect.  :-) 

[marbel]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

I do worry more about food safety when it's people outside my family.  :-)  Two pregnant women... yeah, got to be careful.  We have a lunch here once a month but it's usually just about 12 people so easier to manage. 

 

This morning I found out that two people who are coming have recently started eating dairy-free.  So I would need an alternative to cheesy pasta casseroles!  My husband says I should do pulled pork and a big salad and/or veggie tray.   He is not being entirely altruistic; he doesn't feel he gets enough pulled pork. :lol:  (I know pork is not healthful. :-) ) 

 

So... maybe I should do some experimenting with crockpot pasta recipes before I try it for a huge group.  Coming home early from church is an option too, but I was hoping to avoid that. 

 

Thanks for helping me think it through!

 

 

 

 

 

[marbel]

I know you are looking for an alternative to crockpots, but I would do a crockpot of each and make it easy for yourself, unless you are willing to leave early from church to run home and put pans in the oven.  I would assemble the day before and refrigerate or in the morning.  Start the crockpots before church and you will have a lovely hot meal ready when you get home.  Just be sure to undercook the pasta for the ziti and do it in layers.  Baked ravioli, at least my recipe, is wonderful in the crockpot.  I just layer premade ravioli with a meat sauce, and top with cheese and cook.  

 

The only time I've ever had a problem was when I used someone else's funky crockpot lasagna recipe so we would have all the same main dish for a lunch after church.  It tasted awful to me, personally, and nothing like my Mom's homemade recipe which is the gold standard, IMO.  The next time they asked me to make that recipe, I just quietly made my own, and it tasted perfect.  :-) 

 

Is your recipe easy to share?  :-)

 

[knoxinsox]

Is your recipe easy to share?  :-)

 

Yes ma'am.   http://www.familycircle.com/recipe/baked-ravioli/

 

I get the large containers of ravioli at Sam's Club and keep in the freezer.  If they are meaty, I don't use meat in the sauce.  I don't boil the ravioli either and I assemble it frozen.  Sometimes, I make a batch of homemade marinara and use that. I'd double this if I was making a crockpot full--3-4 hours on high.  I never put it under the broiler either.  So easy and my family loves it!!  

Edited December 13, 2015 by knoxinsox

[Carol in Cal.]

Note to self:  next time I buy an oven it should have a timer and maybe two programmable settings, one for cooking and one for keep things hot.

 

My secret for meatballs for a crowd is to make them in advance and bake them at a very high temp (500) on jelly roll pans (so the grease is contained) until just done.  I also make the sauce/gravy in advance, using more than usual.  Then when I'm ready to serve them I dump everything together in a big Dutch oven type covered pot and heat on medium heat on a burner while we are having chips and dip.  Doing it that way it only takes about 35-45 minutes for everything to warm up.  A crock pot would probably also work but would take longer.  Then I serve them in a chafing dish or a big covered casserole.

 

[KungFuPanda]

I would borrow lots of crockpots and cook the pasta in them that morning. Prep everything, including precooking noodles until a bit underdone the night before, then dump them in to cook while you're at church. When you get home, add that last layer of cheese and finish in the oven.

 

Another plan is to use foil pans and bake them in the church oven. Bring them home wrapped in towels and carried in laundry basket. Then, just keep warm in your oven until guests arrive.