How to Keep Pasta Warm in a Crock-Pot

Pasta serves as the basis for several hearty, economical meals suitable for feeding a crowd. Estimate needing 1 pound of pasta for every four to six guests. Match the pasta shape with the sauce you intend to serve over it. Flat pastas like fettuccini are suited for thin sauces while chunky pastas with nooks and crannies can catch the pieces of chunkier sauces. Ideally, you should prepare pasta just before serving it, but there may be instances when you want to make warm pasta available during an extended period.

A Crock-Pot can help you serve warm pasta to a crowd. (Image: OlgaMiltsova/iStock/Getty Images)

Step 1

Cook pasta on the stove according to package directions.

Step 2

Grease the inside of the Crock-Pot generously with olive oil, or spray it with non-stick cooking spray while the pasta cooks. This will prevent the pasta from sticking to the sides.

Step 3

Pour the cooked pasta into a colander. Allow it to drain thoroughly.

Step 4

Toss the hot pasta with your desired sauce or with enough olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together as a solid mass.

Step 5

Place the hot pasta in the Crock-Pot and turn it on to the "warm" setting. Put the lid on until serving time.

Things You'll Need

• Colander

• Pasta sauce or olive oil

• Crock-Pot

Tip

You can cook pasta sauce in the Crock-Pot and then add half-cooked pasta to the sauce during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Once the dish is fully cooked, turn the Crock-Pot to the “Warm” setting until it is time to serve it.

Warning

Don't reheat pasta in a Crock-Pot, as the appliance is not designed for this purpose.