Freezing lasagna

[ctyler]

What's the best method for freezing and then using homemade lasagna? I have a group of people from church coming next Saturday night for dinner - I want to serve a couple of pans of lasagna but would like to make them ahead if possible.

 

[DaveSoMD]

Were you planning to cook it first and reheat it or just make it and freeze it then cook it next week?

 

[61Grampyjoe]

I made two fully cooked pans of a white lasagna in foil pans and froze them two days in advance. To reheat, I put foil on top and baked in the oven(frozen) for three hours at three fifty. Used a quick read thermometer until the center got up around, I don't know, 160-180 and everyone loved it. The critical stuff is to watch for drying out,(add chicken broth or maybe some more marinara) and if you want to bubbly-up and brown the cheese to remove the foil the last 10-15 minutes and watch closely. Oh yeah, this was a church group also. ps: don't freeze this stuff twice, send it home with your friends for their lunch....

 

[ctyler]

Did you cook for the full recommended time before freezing? This sounds like the easiest method if it turns out to be satisfactory after re-heating.
Thanks for the advice about not re-heating after the initial re-heating.​

 

[ctyler]

I'm wanting to do whatever produces the best results. Do you think it is best to cook fully first or freeze, then cook?

 

[Claire]

I usually bake it first and invite a couple or so people over to have it the first time around. Then I slice it into squares, cover, and freeze. Once it is frozen, I scrape out squares of it and put in baggies. I have a couple of shut-ins who I like to bring food to, and this is perfect for them; their care-giver can just nuke it for a couple of minutes for a fast dinner.

 

[DaveSoMD]

If I am going to cook then freeze it I let it cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap then foil and freeze. When I want to cook I defrost it in the fridge for 24 hours then unwrap, cover with foil and bake at 350 about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

 

[Mama]

I think it's really just a matter of preference whether you freeze before or after you bake it. I assemble mine in foil pans leaving off the final layer of mozzarella cheese, cover the top with plastic wrap pressed onto the sauce, then cover with aluminum foil and freeze. I then defrost for 24 to 48 hours (depending upon how large the pan is), add the remaining cheese and bake. If you put it in the oven cold, you may need to allow up to double the baking time. Use an oven thermometer or instant read thermometer to check that temperature in the middle is 160 degrees.

 

[CharlieD]

Cook, freze, it might be a good idea to defrost, but you can reheat frozen. And what mama said, adding the last layer of cheese before reaheating might be good.

Lazagna neds to seat and set after baking. It shuold not be served right after cooking, that is why you it needs to be cooked first. Reheating is different than cooking.

If you search here you'll find couple of threads about this werry subject.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I'll make two or three pans of lasagna at a time, using one that night and freezing the other(s) after they cool. The ones that go into the freezer are about 8" square. (Mama, I wrap like you do but never thought to leave the last layer of cheese till later...thanks for the hint!) When I'm ready to reheat the previously frozen I'll sometimes put it in the microwave on a very low power (3 or 4) for quite a while, till it's fully defrosted. If I'm in a hurry I'll cut the lasagna into quarters partway through the defrosting and rotate it within the pan so that what was "corners" is now touching in the middle...helps with more even defrosting. Good luck with whichever way you try, and have a nice time with your church friends next weekend.

 

[Alix]

Freeze before cooking. And I never thaw before cooking, just toss it in and check it after an hour.

 

[61Grampyjoe]

I tried to under-cook, but it came out looking beautiful! So I didn't have to "brown" the cheese. So yes, it was fully cooked.