Freezing Pasta And Pasta Dishes

[missy'smom]

I had an Amy's Pasta bowl and it was good! so I thought "I can make them myself!" I cooked the pasta(Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne) as close to aldente without being hard, drained and cooled and tossed lightly in the warm sauce in the pan and put in pyrex dishes and cooled completely and then put on the lids and froze. When I reheated one of them the other day the pasta was broken and mushy.

What is your experience and advice?

[JNBunnie1]

I had an Amy's Pasta bowl and it was good! so I thought "I can make them myself!" I cooked the pasta(Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne) as close to aldente without being hard, drained and cooled and tossed lightly in the warm sauce in the pan and put in pyrex dishes and cooled completely and then put on the lids and froze. When I reheated one of them the other day the pasta was broken and mushy.

What is your experience and advice?

I haven't tried freezing pasta yet. We eat it too fast. I'll let you know how it goes if I ever have opportunity to try.

[tarnalberry]

different pastas (brands) will freeze differently, but it's probably going to be difficult to avoid the ice crystals from causing damage that makes the pasta mushy. the best thing to do would be to make sure the pasta freezes as quickly as possible (dry ice can work here, but probably isn't worth the cost).

[lpellegr]

It helps to use good quality pasta. I have frozen lasagna made with Tinkyada noodles with good results. If your pasta dish will stay edible for a few days in the fridge then it should be okay in the freezer. If it is gross in the fridge by the next day, don't attempt to freeze it. Some pastas just can't cut it. Always test the noodles for doneness well before the time on the package, too. I use Tinkyada elbows for homemade mac and cheese, and I only cook them 12 minutes. I think the package says 16-17. This keeps well in the fridge and also freezes well.

[kenlove]

One of the problems with freezing dishes like pasta is the air thats still in the pyrex or other freezer containers. At restaurants they either use special containers, vacuum sealers or zip-lock bags. After it cools, you have to make sure the air is gone completely from the bag.

I use 2 zip-lock bags. Also, as tarnalberry said you need to freeze it ASAP. Often at restaurants they will still get it into the freezer when still hot. Or, you can mix it all and have it ready but don't cook the sauce until your ready to eat and then make the pasta fresh. It's only 15 20 minutes.

Ken

I had an Amy's Pasta bowl and it was good! so I thought "I can make them myself!" I cooked the pasta(Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne) as close to aldente without being hard, drained and cooled and tossed lightly in the warm sauce in the pan and put in pyrex dishes and cooled completely and then put on the lids and froze. When I reheated one of them the other day the pasta was broken and mushy.

What is your experience and advice?

[sparkles]

I never freeze the pasta with the sauce. I freeze it in plastic bags and then when I am ready to use it, I just put it in a colander and run very hot water over it until it thaws in only a minute or two. I have found that reheating it makes it mushy. This method doesn't seem to do that. I add the warmed up sauce and it is good to go!