Can you freeze spaghetti? If you’ve ever thought about freezing the leftovers after a good meal of spaghetti, I have good news for you. You can freeze spaghetti just as easily as many people regularly do.
In terms of taste, frugality and appeal, nothing beats a spaghetti dinner. With or without the meatballs, spaghetti and sauce are great for a big family dinner, a lunch for the kids and even a quick snack for the avid pasta lover.
However, the best cooks will admit that they often misjudge the amount of spaghetti to cook for one meal. So much depends on the package directions (which can be wrong with true serving size) or Grandma’s traditional plate of spaghetti and meatballs (which can be “way too much” even for a soccer player). This begs the question of freezing spaghetti to deal with leftovers.
How to freeze spaghetti
There are two ways to freeze cooked spaghetti. Some people prefer one while others swear by the other. To find out which one is best for you, test both and compare the results.
Separate freezing of spaghetti and sauce/meatballs
How to freeze spaghetti noodles:
- Cook the pasta al dente. You’ll reheat the noodles later so they don’t have to cook through.
- Strain the liquids.
- Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil into the al dente spaghetti pasta. The oil prevents the pasta from sticking together.
- Season the noodles as needed.
- Let the noodles cool down.
- Divide the noodles into portion packs.
- Place the pasta in freezer bags or containers and place in the freezer. If using freezer bags, squeeze as much air as possible before sealing the bag.
Meatballs or meat sauce should be frozen like this:
- Prepare the sauce or meatballs as usual and allow to cool.
- Divide everything into portion packs for easier thawing.
- (Optional) Coat the inside of freezer bags or containers with olive oil to keep the tomato sauce from turning them bright orange.
- Transfer everything to bags or containers. Add a label with names and date if needed.
- Place the bags or containers in the freezer.
Frozen spaghetti with sauce/meatballs
Freezing everything together is as easy as it gets.
- Prepare spaghetti and meatballs or meat sauce as usual. Keep the pasta al dente.
- Combine everything and divide into portion packs.
- Wait for the food to be cold daily.
- (Optional) Coat the inside of freezer bags or containers with olive oil to prevent bright orange stains.
- Decant into bags or containers. If using pouches, remove as much air as possible before sealing. Add labels with names and dates if needed.
- Place the bags or containers in the freezer.
Read also: Can you freeze spring onions?
How do you thaw frozen spaghetti?
If you decide to use your frozen spaghetti, there are several ways you can go about it. Just remember, like defrosting frozen food, it’s best done slowly.
- In the refrigerator. Put in the fridge in the evening. It’ll be ready in the morning. Plus, you can reheat some of it and refreeze the rest.
- Take it to work. If you serve single-serving spaghetti and sauce, simply take them to work in the morning and leave them at room temperature to thaw by lunchtime. Then reheat in the microwave.
- On the countertop. If you only have a few hours to defrost the spaghetti, laying them out on the counter should do the trick. Please note that this route is only recommended if you plan to fully defrost the spaghetti immediately after defrosting. To speed up the process, submerge the freezer bag or container in cold water.
- Microwave. When time is of the essence, the microwave is the best option.
FAQ
How to freeze leftover spaghetti with sauce or meatballs
If you’ve cooked too much spaghetti for you and your family to eat, freezing is the easiest way to avoid wasting it. Since the dish is already prepared, all you have to do is place it in freezer bags or containers and place it in the freezer. Consider dividing the dish into portion packs so you can easily defrost as much as you need for your next meal. Consider attaching a name and date label, especially if using a freezer container.
Can you freeze cooked spaghetti pasta?
Sure, you can freeze both cooked spaghetti noodles and leftover spaghetti noodles. One thing to note, however, is that the pasta must be frozen before freezing. If you prepare spaghetti before freezing, you need to cook the pasta al dente, or just halfway through. That way, the spaghetti noodles don’t turn into mush after defrosting and reheating. Also, don’t forget to drizzle olive oil and then toss the pasta so it doesn’t clump together as it cools.
As for the leftover spaghetti noodles, there is no other choice but to freeze them as is. Just check if you need to add more olive oil to the cooked pasta before packaging for freezing. Then you can either divide the batch into manageable portions or bag the entire batch of cooked spaghetti pasta for freezing.