Is there any way to add pasta to soup without the pasta doubling in size and getting mushy in the fridge later.I've even tried putting uncooked pasta in with the same result.
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There might be a solution for the 'mushy' part: acidity. (and egg noodles). See cooking.stackexchange.com/q/51629/67– JoeFeb 15, 2019 at 16:42
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6 Answers
First cook the soup. When it is ready get the amount you need and cook the pasta in there, then serve. You can add more pasta to the soup you put in the fridge when you reheat it.
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The only problem with this method is that if you mistake the amount of soup that you'll need, and you cook the pasta in that separate pan of soup, then you either end up with leftover soup with the pasta in it, or if somebody wants seconds, and you're out of the soup with cooked pasta, then you have no easy recourse, unless they want to wait 8-10 minutes while you make another batch with pasta.– FauxcussFeb 6, 2012 at 3:12
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I also don't like the way that cooking pasta in the soup makes for a starchier soup.– FauxcussFeb 6, 2012 at 3:18
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@MarkS: I guess that goes down to taste. I actually like to cook pasta in soup... Otherwise Doug's answer is probably fine (although my brain refuses the concept of storing plain pasta in my fridge... pasta has to be cooked at the moment :D).– nicoFeb 6, 2012 at 7:36
Negative!
As soon as cooked pasta is added to liquid, it keeps growing and growing and growing.
The only way to work around this is to add the cooked pasta at the last minute, so it can warm in the hot liquid.
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3I agree with this. I cook the pasta separate, and then combine the pasta and the soup in the bowl. The pasta remains al dente and the soup doesn't get starchy. Left over soup and pasta goes in the fridge separately. For lunch the next day, I can still head up a portion of the soup and at the last minute, add the pasta and I still get al dente pasta in my soup.– FauxcussFeb 6, 2012 at 3:15
If you're going to hold soup with pasta in the fridge, store the pasta separately, and add it when reheating the soup. This also goes for soup with dumplings.
This does mean that you'll need to cook the pasta separately from the soup, which is another pot. If you look, though, this is what a lot of recipes recommend.
answered Jan 29, 2012 at 20:25
I like to cook pasta al dente, then chill it in the fridge. Once cooled, add the pasta to the finished soup. This is not perfect, but in my opinion, close to perfection.
Use egg noodles. They seem to do better and not get mushy. I once even froze some chicken noodle soup made with egg noodles and after it was reheated, the noodles where not mushy.
answered Jan 30, 2012 at 5:55
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I just recently cooked pasta before putting in the soup, but did not chill. It ballooned up like crazy and had to add more beef broth to compensate. I think chilling the pasta will def work! Thanks for the thought process.