What’s even easier than pasta? Pasta that’s already cooked!
As quick and easy meals go, it’s hard to beat a pot of pasta. It takes less than half an hour to boil the water, cook the noodles, and toss them with sauce. Throw together a salad while they’re cooking, and you’ve got a complete dinner.
Yet there are occasional times when you’re so rushed, or so hungry, even the half an hour it takes to make pasta is half an hour more than you can spare. You just need to eat and go, NOW.
At times like those, the freezer is your best friend. With its help, you can keep pasta on hand that’s already cooked-so all you have to do is zap it in the microwave and it’s ready to eat. I saw this idea on What Lisa Cooks and had to give it a try!
How To Freeze Pasta Portions
All you have to do is portion out your pasta-about half a cup at a time-onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place baking sheet in freezer for about 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is hard enough to pick up and the bunches don’t fall apart. Then just put them in a zipper bag and stick them in the freezer for later use.
When you need a quick meal, just grab a pasta ball, run it under warm water, and microwave it in a damp paper towel for 20 seconds. Or, even easier, dump it straight into a pot of your favorite sauce.
You can plan ahead for emergencies by cooking up a whole pot of pasta and freezing individual portions for later use. Or you can use this method as a way to save leftovers from a pasta dinner, rather than leaving them in the fridge to be forgotten.
Either way, you’ll have a quick meal on ice that’s literally ready in a minute.
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How To Freeze Pasta Portions
Ingredients
- 1 box of your favorite pasta cooked
Instructions
- Portion out your pasta-about half a cup at a time-onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Flash freeze it for about 10-15 minutes, until it is hard enough to pick up and the bunches don't fall apart. Then just put them in a zipper bag and stick them in the freezer for later use. When you need a quick meal, just grab a pasta ball, run it under warm water, and microwave it in a damp paper towel for 20 seconds. Or, even easier, dump it straight into some hot tomato sauce.
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Katharine in Brussels says
Corey, do you know what else you can do with these? Make Asian noodle nests to serve instead of rice in an East Asian meal. You need a nest of precooked noodles like you have here and a medium-hot skillet with a bit of vegetable oil, then pan fry the noodles like they are burgers, pressing down with a spatula to cook. I have never tried it with a frozen noodle nest but it could work, and if the interior of the nest is still cool one could put a lid on the pan. It would probably taste better with a minute shaved off the noodle boiling time to keep the texture interesting. Noodle nests are really good.
Corey says
These noodle nests sound like so much fun! I’ll have to give those a try 🙂
Katharine in Brussels says
Excellent! Hope your family likes them. My DSS cooked an entire box of whole wheat angel hair pasta and fried them up, he was so enthusiastic. Corey, I just boiled an entire package of pasta last night with dinner and am freezing it as you suggested for easy noodle bowl lunches with frozen Asian medley veggies, chick’n pieces and various Asian broths for an easy, one-handed lunch to put in the mini slow cooker on high in the morning while I’m on maternity leave. THANKS!!!
Katharine in Brussels says
Hi Corey! Noodle nests from frozen noodles works, I made them from frozen whole wheat capellini/angel hair pasta. Even my husband liked them, and he is not a fan of pasta. Oh and typing this with a two-week-old baby girl on the Boppy in front of me 🙂
Corey says
CONGRATS Katharine!!! Hugs and kisses to that new bundle of joy 🙂 Good to know about the frozen working! That will make my life much easier 🙂 XO
Ange says
I love this idea! I do this with mashed potatoes too. I make a huge batch when I am making them then freeze the rest in portions.
Alex says
Should i fully cook the noodles or leave them so dente?
Corey says
I would leave al dente
Jennifer Kincade says
How long do they last in the freezer
Corey says
I would use the pasta within 2 months.
Amanda says
I do this with grains (rice, farro, barley, etc). Cook, pack into a half cup measure (really pack it, so it sticks together), flip the cup over onto a baking pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Stick the pan in the freezer until the little grain cakes are hard, then put them all in a gallon freezer bag. I think I’ll try orzo today and see how that works.
Annie says
Is the freezing time 2 months for home made pasta too? like, making the dough/noodles and cooking them, then freeze them?
Corey says
I have never frozen homemade pasta Annie, but I think the time should be about the same.
Susan says
I asked this question to one of my favorite bloggers and her answer was not helpful, but since you’ve opened the possibility of this easy start of a meal, how much sauce would you freeze to cover that pasta? Now that will help me. I love leftovers, but like it to come out even-ish.
Corey says
A serving of sauce is usually 1/2 a cup 🙂