Lasagne is one of the best-loved family meals out there. Sheets of thin pasta combine with tasty ragu, creamy bechamel sauce, and melted cheese ā whatās not to love about that?! But whatās the best way to store this family favourite?
Can You Freeze Lasagne?
Yes, you can freeze lasagne for up to 3 months. It’s best to freeze lasagne before cooking it. Once you’ve prepared a lasagne in a dish, wrap it and then place it into the freezer. Freeze it in the dish you’re going to cook it in!
Do Does Lasagne freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Lasagne? Yes
How to Freeze Lasagne
Ultimately, thereās no right or wrong way to freeze lasagne! This hearty Italian dish can be frozen in its individual parts, before being baked or after it has been fully cooked. Itās a perfect make-ahead recipe as it freezes really well.
Weāre going to explain how to store both uncooked and cooked lasagne in the freezer below, so you can decide on which is the best method for you. From a flavour and freshness point of view, freezing lasagne before cooking it is probably your best bet, but itās entirely up to you!
Hereās what you need to do to freeze it the right way:
How to Freeze Uncooked Lasagne
This is the best way to freeze lasagne. If you have the choice, opt for uncooked and follow these steps:
- Build Lasagne: Put your lasagne together as you ordinarily would (our recipe is delicious). If youāre using a heated bechamel sauce, allow it to cool before smothering the lasagne sheets.
- Wrap in Foil: Once youāve put together your lasagne, cover the dish in tin foil tightly so there are no gaps. You should then slide the lasagne into a suitably sized freezer-safe bag to provide extra protection from freezer burn.
- Label and Freeze: Write todayās date and the use-by date on the bag, and place your lasagne on a flat surface in the freezer.
How to Freeze Cooked Lasagne
If you’ve already cooked the lasagne and simply want to store the leftovers in the freezer then use this approach:
- Cool: Remove your lasagne from the oven and leave it to stand on the countertop until it has cooled completely. Donāt be tempted to rush this process, as your lasagne sheets will go mushy if you freeze them while theyāre still warm.
- Portion and Wrap: If youāre freezing leftover lasagne, itās a good idea to portion it at this stage, so you can easily remove the required serving size from your freezer as and when you need it.
- Label and freeze: Write todayās date and the use-by date on the bag, and place your lasagne on a flat surface in the freezer.
3 Tips for Freezing Lasagne
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing lasagne to have the best results:
Freeze Lasagne Uncooked for Best Results
While thereās nothing wrong with freezing cooked lasagne, freezing an uncooked lasagne is a much better option. This is because the ingredients undergo fewer structural changes, and your lasagne will be super fresh and tasty when you have cooked it.
Cook from Frozen
Another added benefit of freezing uncooked lasagne is that you can cook it directly from frozen. You donāt need to worry about thawing it, which saves you some time in the kitchen.
Allow for Sufficient Baking Time
Although you donāt need to defrost your lasagne before cooking it, a frozen lasagne will typically require twice the amount of time in the oven until it is cooked sufficiently. So, make sure you leave yourself enough time if youāre cooking a frozen lasagne from scratch.
How Long Can You Freeze Lasagne?
You can freeze lasagne for around three months. Some people will freeze it for longer than this, but three months is ideal if you want to ensure it doesnāt lose any of its delicious flavours.
It doesnāt matter whether your lasagne is cooked or uncooked; it will be perfectly fine in the freezer for up to three months.
Once cooked and cooled, you can keep lasagne in the fridge for around 3 to 5 days. It can be kept in the dish it was cooked in, covered with a sheet of foil.
How Do You Defrost Lasagne?
As mentioned, you donāt need to defrost lasagne before cooking it. However, if you want to, the best way to defrost it is by placing it in the fridge.
It will take 10+ hours for your lasagne to thaw thoroughly, so itās best to remove it from the freezer the night before you plan to enjoy it. You shouldnāt defrost lasagne at room temperature as it contains both meat and dairy.
Can You Refreeze Lasagne?
You can refreeze lasagne once. When youāre refreezing any type of food, you need to be mindful of how you store it.
To safely refreeze lasagne, you need to ensure you have kept the leftovers in the fridge and not at room temperature. We wouldnāt recommend freezing it any more than once, as the texture of the lasagne sheets is likely to deteriorate.
Does Lasagne Freeze Well?
Yes, lasagne freezes exceptionally well. In fact, itās one of the best dishes to make ahead of time and freeze. Itās always better to freeze uncooked lasagne, but it will still freeze really well if you have already assembled and cooked it.
Lasagne Freezer Recipe
If you’re looking for a simple lasagne recipe that can be frozen with ease then this is for you. If you’re following this recipe to freeze it then follow all steps up to the point of cooking it.
You’re better off freezing lasagne uncooked as there is going to be less of an impact on the texture. Here is our recipe for a freezer-friendly lasagne:
Freezer-Friendly Lasagne Recipe
6
servings20
minutes1
hour20
minutes1
hour40
minutesThis is a simple yet authentic recipe for lasagne that’s perfect for batch cooking and freezing for midweek meals.
Keeps the screen of your device ON
Ingredients
1tbsp Olive Oil
100g Pancetta Cubes
1 Onion, Finely Chopped
1 Celery Stick, Finely Chopped
1 Carrot, Finely Chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
500g Beef Mince
1tbsp Dried Oregano
1tsp Nutmeg, Grated
2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes
Large Handful Basil Leaves, Roughly Chopped
500g Fresh Lasagne Sheets
1 Ball Mozzarella, Roughly Chopped
50g Parmesan, Grated
Salt
Black Pepper
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and then tip in your pancetta cubes and cook until it begins to take on some colour. Once golden, add in your onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook for around 5 to 10 minutes over a medium heat until softened.
- Once the vegetables are soft, tip in your beef mince, dried oregano and nutmeg and, using a wooden spoon, break it up. Keep moving it around the pan until it has fully browned.
- Once the mince has browned, tip in the tins of chopped tomatoes. Fill each of the cans up around halfway with water then swish the water around to grab any of tomato remnants and tip this into your pan too. Season liberally with salt and pepper then add in your basil leaves. Turn the heat down low and simmer for around 30 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan.
- Once your ragu has finished cooking (give it a quick taste to check), grab a casserole dish or roasting tray that is roughly the size of two lasagne sheets side-by-side.
- Ladle some ragu into the base of the tray and spread it out then top with two lasagne sheets that are slightly overlapping. Repeat, ladling spoonfuls of ragu between sheets of lasagne. Keep going until you have run out of sauce and end with two sheets of lasagne.
- Spread your mozzarella over the top of the lasagne and then finish it off with your parmesan. Place the tray into the oven and bake for around 30 minutes until the lasagne is golden on top and bubbling away.
Notes
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing lasagne or lasagne in general, then these may help:
Freezing lasagne uncooked is better than freezing it cooked because there are fewer textural changes. In fact, freezing an uncooked lasagne and then cooking it will undergo so few changes that you’ll struggle to tell it was once frozen.
You can freeze lasagne made with both dried or fresh pasta sheets and, when frozen, you’re unlikely to notice any difference regardless of the type of pasta you have used.
Yes, you can freeze most store-bought lasagne dishes but, the best thing to do is to check the packaging as they will usually indicate whether or not something is suitable for home-freezing.
