Tinkyada Pasta

[sa1937]

Tonight I'm going to have some spaghetti using Tinkyada "spaghetti-style" brown rice pasta. Since I live alone, I already have some frozen single serving size containers of spaghetti sauce already prepared.

It seems like a lot of work to just cook a single serving of this pasta. Is it possible to cook the whole bag of pasta and then freeze it in single serving sizes? Maybe drain and rinse or add a bit of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together? I know I've frozen casseroles using pasta (in my pre gluten-free days) and have never had a problem with them.

Have any of you frozen single serving sizes of this pasta successfully (not sauced)? Thanks in advance for your input!

[nicolebeth]

We haven't ever frozen it. What I have noticed with the spaghetti and linguini that it needs to be stirred, even when cooking the "environmental" way--just letting it sit in the boiled water (but with the stove turned off). We have noticed clumps on day 2 bringing it out of the refrigerator. The other types of pasta (shells, etc.) are lower maintenance. If it makes it any easier in your mind, cooking it has been fairly easy. We are a gluten-lite household, and buy this type of pasta pretty much exclusively. I definitely recommend the boil for two minutes, let sit for 18-20 minutes, method. (Again, stirring a few times helps prevent the clumps.)

[sa1937]

I copped out and fixed only a single serving. I spent hours cleaning out my very gluteny pantry and could barely find my kitchen afterwards. Guess I'll try cooking the whole bag at another time and try to freeze it in single size portions.

In the past I have made a yummy spaghetti casserole and froze single-serving portions of it. It might be even easier to do it that way - instant prepared food ready to nuke. When I've done this previously, I doctored up a jar of pasta sauce by adding additional herbs, etc., browned hamburger or Italian sausage and sometimes even added a can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed). Add lots of Parmesan cheese on top and bake in a 9 x 13" glass baking dish. YUM!

[digmom1014]

I've found that if you do a single serve of pasta, always have it mixed in the sauce before you freeze it. Also, a little under cook it and when you heat it up in the micro add a touch of water and offset the cover.

I always cook this way and freeze leftovers of rice dishes, pasta dishes, veggies, etc. to pull-out later. It is so economical & I know I won't get cc'd by my own cooking-I hope!

[sa1937]

Thanks for the advice...I need all the advice I can get right now as I've been gluten free for only a week after my endo/biopsy on April 9 (still don't know the result of the biopsy and my GI doc will be out of town so I don't have a follow-up appt. until May 6, which will give me almost a month gluten free before I see him again). Within three days I felt better although not as good yesterday but then I cleaned out my pantry the day before.

If I freeze it with the sauce, I think baking it as a casserole would be even easier.

I agree that homemade is definitely better and I always have a stash of soups, chili, etc. in the freezer and have for years. I do know that it takes a lot more planning since I've gone gluten free and right now I have to make a really good grocery list as I hate to shop! No more grabbing something fast at the store anymore without even thinking!