Spaghetti - and any pasta, for that matter - is a highly satiating dish. Sometimes though, when you’re exceptionally hungry, you may be tempted to cook a little more spaghetti than you actually need. You are set with a dilemma - you have a lot of spaghetti remaining after your meal.
The last thing that anyone wants to do after a well cooked meal is to throw away the leftovers. So, in this circumstance, what is one to do?
Thankfully, you need not fear. Your days of wasted leftovers are long gone. You can indeed freeze spaghetti.
If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to freezing spaghetti, we’re here to help you. Here’s how you freeze and defrost spaghetti. We’ve also included a couple of things that you should think about before freezing spaghetti.
How to Freeze Spaghetti
Freezing spaghetti is actually a fairly simple task. It is important, however, to think about how you are cooking the pasta before you freeze it. You don’t really need to freeze uncooked pasta because it has a long shelf life, so we’re only covering cooked spaghetti.
First of all, when you are cooking your spaghetti, you should attempt to cook it al dente. It’s good to strike a balance, as noodles that are too soft can turn out badly when you try to reheat them. It’s also worth adding some olive oil to the noodles after you have cooked them to ensure that they don’t group together in the freezer.
Then, wait for the spaghetti to entirely cool down, after which point you can put the spaghetti into a freezer safe bag or container. It’s worth making sure before hand that you put the spaghetti into a little ‘nest.’ To do this, just twirl the fork in your pasta. It’s best to store the pasta in portions, mainly because the storage will be easier but it’s also easier for you to portion it out later on this way.
Label your freezer bags with the name of the food and the current date. Then, squeeze out any air inside of the bags. Then, simply put your spaghetti into the freezer. It really is as simple as that!
How to Defrost Spaghetti
Defrosting your spaghetti is equally as painless, but it’s best to prepare in advance if you wish to eat your spaghetti. The best thing to do when you are defrosting spaghetti is to give it plenty of time to completely thaw rather than trying to rush it.
The first way that you can defrost your spaghetti is in your refrigerator. All you need to do is grab your spaghetti container from out of the freezer the night before, then transfer it to the refrigerator. It should be completely fine to eat by the time the morning comes around, meaning you can eat it for lunch without a hitch.
You can also allow the spaghetti to thaw at room temperature. If you have a single serving of spaghetti, bringing it to work in the morning then eating them around lunchtime after thawing them at room temperature means you have a lunch all ready for you. Then all you need to do is reheat the noodles inside of the microwave. This is best if you are planning on using all of the spaghetti at once.
If you are a little bit stuck for time, you can also dunk the freezer bag into a container of cold water. You just need to leave it in the water for a while until it thaws out. This is a little bit faster than putting it in the refrigerator.
You can actually freeze spaghetti and pretty much any other kind of pasta for a number of months if you wish. Most people say that it’s best to eat the pasta within three to six months if possible, however.
Factors to Consider Before Freezing Spaghetti
In case you are wondering, it is in fact totally possible to freeze spaghetti along with meatballs or sauce. The dish has already made so you can just freeze it in a similar way to the method mentioned above. Again, it is best to make sure that you break the dish into little serving sized portions. This makes defrosting a lot easier later on.
Before you try to freeze your spaghetti, it’s a good idea to put a little bit of olive or vegetable oil into the spaghetti. This means that the strands of spaghetti won’t stick together when you are cooling them.
If you have meal prepped in advance, you can also freeze the spaghetti sauce into little ice cup shapes. This is a better method than just putting it straight in with the pasta that you’ve already cooked.
As already mentioned, it’s also best that you cook the spaghetti al dente before you choose to freeze it. This stops the spaghetti from becoming too mushy.
Summary
You need not worry about wasting those glorious golden noodle strands any more. While we would all love to be able to eat our weight’s worth in spaghetti every day, it’s often not always the best option. When you freeze spaghetti, it means that your leftovers aren’t wasted. You even have a great meal prepared for work.
This is ideal if you’re busy and don’t have a lot of time for meal prepping during the week! You really don’t have a lot to lose as freezing pasta is pretty simple - in short, it’s just a matter of cooking the pasta al dente, waiting for it to cool and putting it in a freezer bag. You can even defrost it fairly quickly. With this, all of your greatest pasta dreams can come true without a drop of waste.