Is freezing pasta worth it?
I made eggplant parmesan last night - perhaps the best I've ever made it. However, my bf is out of town so no one was around to inhale half (or more) of it and I've got four full servings of it left, with three servings worth of spaghetti to go with it.
I have the pasta-less serving in the fridge, with the pasta-ed servings in the fridge ... but I don't think I can eat all of it before it gets too old. I would LOVE to just freeze the whole thing and have my own homemade frozen lunches on hand ... but a quick internet search has varying results for whether or not the quality of pasta reheated is worth the convenience.
What do you think? Should I toss the pasta and freeze the eggplant or just freeze the whole shibang?
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15 Comments:
The question should be what do you like? I have had pasta that had been previously frozen and loved it. If it were ME, yes I would freeze the whole thing and have instant lunches!
Just be cognizant of the way you are freezing it and the time in the freezer. I use a vacuum sealer. One trick I learned is to freeze the item partially first and then vacuum seal it. That way you don't end up with sauce spurting out during the vacuuming process.
Ezzie at 12:04PM on 02/24/09
Pasta does have a tendency to come out kinda creepy after re-heating, but like you, I hate to waste when I have leftovers.
I have found if I fully defrost the pasta first, then re-heat it slowly on low heat it does pretty good. Not fresh-from-the-pot good, but good enough for a personal lunch or dinner.
It works best if the pasta has no sauce on it, as if it does it gets soggy quick from the moisture. I can never get sauced pasta to come out well in the microwave though...always mushy.
sadiepix at 12:05PM on 02/24/09
When I make lasagna, I always end up freezing portions of it for later, and never had a problem.
Just the convenience of having the whole meat to heat and eat would put me in favor of freezing.
The other option would be to use the pasta in different dishes in the next few days and freeze the rest. But that wouldn't be as convenient for one of those mindless meals. Yes, I know that cooking pasta isn't a big deal, but when you're stupid tired, it's so much easier to pull packages from the freezer and plop them into the microwave.
dbcurrie at 12:20PM on 02/24/09
dbcurrie, my lasagna freezes great too.
NanaJoie at 12:33PM on 02/24/09
Freeze it. It will make your life easier, especially on that day when you are exhausted/headachey/lacking inspiration. You'll appreciate your ready-made home cooked meal much more than a store-bought version.
Kerosena at 12:45PM on 02/24/09
I want freshly made pasta, but I love spaghetti pie with leftovers, which freezes and reheats beautifully. It turns the pasta into a whole different species. Search for a topic called Left-over Spaghetti or click on my name and look under my favorites. You'll see lots of ideas and I posted my pie recipe there.
PerkyMac at 1:31PM on 02/24/09
if you freeze it, maybe just have some extra sauce on hand, i always find that the extra sauce jazzes it up a little more.
love eggplant parm, it's my favorite.....
pooch at 5:02PM on 02/24/09
Freeze lasagna all the time. Also have frozen pasta dough and it came out just as good as the night I made it. I do have friends who are single and will freeze spaghetti with no problem.
Have never frozen eggplant parm...there's rarely much left after a few days.
Ribster at 8:18PM on 02/24/09
You've probably done it already, but I also agree with everybody who says, go for it. My SIL once sent a large tray of baked pasta to her parents. They don't eat pasta (because they don't want to be fat. No, seriously), so they brought this tray to us. I divided it into small portions and froze, since there was no way we could eat that amount even if we ate it every night for 5 days. I didn't expect much when I defrosted it, but to my surprise, it held up amazingly well. I think that as long as it's sauced well, it should be just fine.
brooke29 at 9:06PM on 02/24/09
I went for it :P
joyyy at 11:07PM on 02/24/09
Frozen meals at the grocery store often have pasta in them....why can't yours?
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 10:42AM on 02/26/09
I freeze mac & cheese (Tyler Florence's recipe, sort of) all the time and it's great. Also, if I make any kind of stuffed pasta - lasagna or shells - I make a boatload and freeze it and it's pretty much as good as fresh. But I agree that having extra sauce isn't a bad idea.
RegrettableFoodie at 2:53PM on 03/07/09
For sure freeze it. Just look in a grecery stores frozen food cooler and see how many pasta dishes are available. Probably the most popular frozen ingredient in the case.
dmcavanagh at 3:38PM on 03/07/09
I've had generally good results with freezing pasta dishes, and the exceptions have still been good. The fresh from the oven experience won't be duplicated, but the reheated stuff will still be good. And what can beat a great batch of eggplant parm on a cold night when you've rolled in late from work and are starving?
MMinNYC at 3:58PM on 03/07/09
Just figured I would report back in case anyone is searching for freezer-friendly meals: It was fine. Not fresh from the oven/out of the boiling pasta water good, but a damn sight better than store-bought frozen meals. I've frozen stuffed pasta before (like the shells thawing in the fridge now for tomorrow's lunch) ... but I was delightfully surprised that the spaghetti froze and thawed and reheated just fine with the eggplant parm. Yum.
joyyy at 12:54PM on 04/02/09