Can cooked pasta be frozen?

[Anau]

I'd like to make a precooked frozen dinner of some kind of pasta in a tomato sauce. Will the pasta be ok if I freeze it in the sauce?

[auntieshelly]

Absolutely ~ I freeze cooked pasta (lasagna, rigatoni, stuffed shells, etc.) all the time. You may reheat the pasta in the microwave or cover the casserole with foil and heat in a 350ºF oven until bubbling. Always have extra sauce and grated cheese available to add to pasta.

[Haggis]

It will be fine as Auntie Shelly said but I wouldn't, the end result is far inferior to freshly cooked pasta that is al dente.

I would be much more inclined to freeze the sauce and cook the pasta fresh each time, it only takes 10 minutes.

[urmaniac13]

I'm with Haggis. Thawed pasta may be still edible but it is a far cry from the piping hot al dente pasta. Pasta is so easy and simple to prepare, it is not worth it to sacrifice the full flavour and texture. Just freeze the sauce/condiment....

[Caine]

Originally Posted by urmaniac13

Pasta is so easy and simple to prepare, it is not worth it to sacrifice the full flavour and texture.

Try explaining that to your boss as you boil macaroni on your desktop hotplate.

I always make extra macaroni and freeze it in microwave-safe covered plates for office lunches, along with a meat ball and/or Italian sausage link, and some garlic bread.

[Haggis]

Try explaining that to your boss as you boil macaroni on your desktop hotplate.

I always make extra macaroni and freeze it in microwave-safe covered plates for office lunches, along with a meat ball and/or Italian sausage link, and some garlic bread.

That, I can understand. But I would much rather cook the pasta and refrigerate it instead of freezing it (most offices have refrigerators that you can use, unfortunate if your's does not). Avoid the expanding water crystals that destroy the texture of the pasta.

[Michael in FtW]

Originally Posted by Anau

I'd like to make a precooked frozen dinner of some kind of pasta in a tomato sauce. Will the pasta be ok if I freeze it in the sauce?

Yes! I do this sometimes when I'm making lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti/canelloni, or extra spaghetti and meatballs for my step-mom (who only cooks in the mircowave these days) and know I'm going to have a surplus to freeze.

I cook the pasta about 2-3 minutes short of the cooking time on the package, plunge it into an ice bath (to stop the cooking) and then assemble the dish in the dish(s) I'm going to freeze it in. Just make sure your ingredients are all at room temp, or cooler, before assembling if you're making a freeze ahead dinner. When reheated the pasta will not be over cooked.

Of course - you can freeze leftovers, too. The texture of the pasta will suffer a bit ... but it still beats a can of Chef Boyardee!

[Anau]

Thanks, I agree fresher is better but I might not be able to cook the pasta immediately before eating so I think I'll try cooking it a little short.

[Hungry]

My only thought on this is to look at the frozen pasta products in the supermarkets.

I have found,to me, that spagetti that has been frozen and Nuked to serve, is as good as or better than the freshly made.

But, I have found this true with other dishes as well.
Charlie

[Haggis]

My only thought on this is to look at the frozen pasta products in the supermarkets.

I have found,to me, that spagetti that has been frozen and Nuked to serve, is as good as or better than the freshly made.

But, I have found this true with other dishes as well.

I find this very hard to believe.