Microwave Pasta

Skip the pot of boiling water, Microwave Pasta is the quickest dinner you’ll make during your short break from studying…or video games.

Looking for a quick, easy dinner that you can make in the amount of time it takes you to scrape the remains of the first meal your tried to cook into the trash? Pasta is really easy to make in the microwave, no stove top needed. 

Pasta has been the base for literally thousands of dishes for roughly 5,000 years (yes, really.) It’s been boiled, steamed, baked, fried, and dried since the dawn of time, and now, as of the past 70-ish years, it has been microwaved. You may think that microwaving pasta would make it dry and gross, and to be fair it totally does if you do it wrong. That’s why we came up with a quick and easy way to make perfect Microwave Pasta every time.  

MORE MAIN DISHES

Microwave Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese

Microwave Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese

Microwave Orange Chicken (4 ingredients)

Microwave Creamy Tomato Soup

HOW TO MAKE MICROWAVE PASTA

• Add the pasta to a large cereal bowl (make sure water is 2 inches above pasta).
• Microwave on high for 3 minutes.
• Stir well, microwave on high for 3 minutes.
• Let sit for 2 minutes, then drain water.

Toppings

Now that you have your pasta, what should you put on top? Here are some of our favorite sauces and add ins that you definitely need to try out.  

• • • • Marinara sauce  
      • Alfredo sauce
      • Peas, bacon, and eggs (carbonara) 
      • Chopped onions 
      • Meatballs
      • Chicken

SERVE WITH

Pasta has been BFFs with garlic breadsticks ever since it became popular in Italy in the 1400s, so we see no reason to break up a good thing. Take some leftover breadsticks from your last date and melt some garlic and butter over the top. Once the bread has fully absorbed the garlic butter, dunk it into your pasta sauce and enjoy. 

SAVE SOME FOR LATER

Pasta stays good int he fridge for up to a week, as long as you keep it sealed up in something airtight. You can also just cover the bowl you cooked in it with plastic wrap and call it good, as long as you get a tight seal on it.    

COST FACTOR

$: You just need elbow pasta for this recipe, and you can get huge bags of it at the store for really cheap. It lasts a long time too, as long as you keep it store in a dry place away from excess moisture. 

MICROWAVE TABLE

• 1,000 watts or higher: Higher wattage, lower cook time. Our microwave is about 1,250 watts, but if you have one with about 1,000 watts you will want to cook the pasta for 3:35 minutes, stir well and cook again for a final 3:35 minutes. 
• 700 watts: Microwaves under about 900 don’t heat things evenly or consistently, so don’t go anywhere while you’re cooking. Cook your pasta for 5:10 minutes, stir, and add another 5:10 minutes.  

Print Recipe

Microwave Pasta

Skip the pot of boiling water, Microwave Pasta is the quickest dinner you'll make during your short break from studying...or video games.  

Prep Time2 mins

Cook Time6 mins

Total Time8 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Microwave Pasta

Servings: 1

Calories: 260kcal

Author: Dorm Room Cook Staff

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup elbow pasta , short noodles
• 2 cups water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Add the pasta to a large cereal bowl (make sure water is 2 inches above pasta).
• Microwave on high for 3 minutes.
• Stir well, microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg