Do you love Lasagna, but can never eat an entire pan in one sitting? Don’t worry, this article is for you. In this article, I will cover everything on how to freeze lasagna so that you can have a delicious meal for later.
Lasagna is a popular Italian dish known to be delicious, hearty, and a great way to use up leftovers. But lasagna is also a perishable food. Fortunately, lasagna can be frozen and used whenever you need it. The secret is to freeze it perfectly so that it reheats as well as it did when it was originally made.
Without much ado, let’s go into why you’re here; learning how to freeze lasagna the right way.
1. Allow it to Cool Completely
Lasagna is best at room temperature, but not in the freezer. If you try to freeze lasagna while it’s still hot, it can result in some pretty gross sogginess when you take it out of the freezer. Therefore, make sure the dish has cooled completely before putting it in the fridge or the freezer.
SEE: The Complete List of Foods You Can Freeze
2. Use Freezer-Friendly Baking Dish
If you want your lasagna to last longer than three months in the freezer, use glass or plastic containers instead of metal baking pans. Metal pans may corrode when frozen over such a long period of time.
Also, note that some plastics may leach into food during cooking or storage; choose containers made from polypropylene or polyethylene instead of other plastics like polycarbonate or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).
3. Wrap It Up
Once the lasagna has cooled completely, wrap each piece of pasta individually in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, using about 1 inch of overlap all around each piece. Then wrap the entire pan with more aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place it in freezer bags for storage.
Before proceeding with this step, make sure neither of these containers has any fractures or dents, as these might create leaks in storage, potentially destroying other goods nearby.
SEE: How to Freeze Papa Murphy’s Pizzas and Bake Them After
4. Label and Date Your Lasagna
Record keeping cannot be overemphasized in your cooking journey. When you keep records of some information, you are bound not to make mistakes; how much more forget where and when you placed an item.
To get used to keeping records start by placing a calendar in your kitchen. A magnetic notepad for your fridge is also a good option. Write whatever is worthy of being written. In a short while, you will get used to keeping records in your kitchen.
When you are set to freeze your lasagna, the storage packs can take stickers where you write the date you put them in the freezer. Do not be like me who boasts in my retentive memory. Only for me not to remember the date I kept my lasagne in the freezer.
The assumption tactic is bad and can make you miss track of when you kept your food. Avoid it but keep dating your lasagna either marking it on a calendar or including stickers in the storage packs.
SEE: How to Freeze Baked Potatoes
5. Use a Foil Cover
To prevent exposure to air, use a foil cover for your baking dish before placing it in the fridge. If you plan to bake your lasagna after freezing it, you should not joke with a foil cover. It helps to keep the lasagna compact making it easy to be removed before the baking begins.
An aluminum foil cover will alter the taste of your lasagna, do not use it. If you cannot get a non-aluminum foil cover, get a freezer-safe plastic wrap.
SEE: Last-Minute Substitutes for Anchovy Paste
6. Make a decision
An interesting thing is that you can freeze your lasagna before and after baking. The time of freezing does not change the taste. Decide to hasten your cooking process. If you decide to freeze before baking, assemble the lasagna before placing it in the freezer till when you are ready to bake.
However, if you want to eat immediately, freezing before baking is not an option to go by. Pick up your baking dish and get set to cook your meal.
Nutritional Facts About Eating Lasagna
- It is a good source of carbohydrates.
- The dietary protein and fat content of lasagna is good for humans
- Ingredients such as cheese, tomato sauce, and pasta make Lasagna rich in vitamin B; a good source of metabolism for the body.
SEE: Can You Freeze Marshmallows to Extend Their Shelf Life?
Knowledgeable Facts About Eating Lasagna
- The plural form of Lasagna is Lasagne.
- July 29 is celebrated as National Lasagna Day.
- Lasagna originated from the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy.
FAQs
What temperature is best to bake my lasagna?
After freezing your lasagna, before you bake defrost it for about 24hours if you’re using a freezer and about 12 hours if it is a fridge. Set your oven to hear in 375 degrees. Take note that the ingredients used in making your lasagna determine how long it bakes.
Can you bake your lasagna without defrosting?
Yes, you can but not advisable if you are very hungry. Except you are ready to wait long hours, baking frozen lasagna immediately without defrosting is a bad idea. You can be sure to wait 2 hours or more. However, do not increase the recommended baking temperature in the process to lessen your waiting time. You will end up spoiling your tasty lasagna.
How can you tell if your lasagna is bad?
Watch out for the smell and color. When these two changes, trash the food quickly. A bad lasagna has a nightmare enhancing poor smell. Trash when you notice this.
What are the types of lasagna?
Lasagna is made available to people’s specifications. It is a meal customizable for all and sundry. There are three types: the vegetable lasagna ( If you are vegetarian this is your option), the fancy lasagna (for mothers cooing on a budget), lasagna rolls, and the Ragu.
How long does frozen lasagna last?
Frozen lasagna will last for up to three months in your freezer without any problems — just make sure that you store it properly so that no moisture gets into the package.
Conclusion
You must know that how long your lasagna lasts is also dependent on the content used in cooking it. Ingredients like tomato sauce and cheese put in your lasagna can give you an idea of how delicate your food is if not stored and stored properly.
For uncooked lasagna, attention should be paid more to the producer’s estimated date of expiration. There are however instances when your lasagna can be cooked even after the expiration date. But it is not advisable unless situations call for it.
Most of the expiration dates given are times the producer can claim that the lasagna is good. So the best option is to cook hour lasagna before the expiration date as expired food items can be highly poisonous.
Once you’ve assembled your lasagna, it’s time to freeze. But again be careful: Not all dishes are freezer-friendly, so follow the steps above to make sure your lasagna stays delicious and doesn’t become a science experiment in the freezer.
I hope you found this guide helpful. You should also check out how to preserve different food items the right way.
Thank you for reading.
