How to Freeze Casseroles So They Taste As Fresh As the Day You Made Them (2024)

FAQs

How to Freeze Casseroles So They Taste As Fresh As the Day You Made Them? ›

If your casserole has raw protein, like chicken or shrimp, make sure to bake it and cool it completely before freezing. If it doesn't have protein or the protein is cooked, no pre-baking is necessary.

If your casserole has raw protein, like chicken or shrimp, make sure to bake it and cool it completely before freezing. If it doesn't have protein or the protein is cooked, no pre-baking is necessary.

Instead of freezing your casserole directly in the dish, line it with parchment paper before filling it. Pop it into the freezer, let the casserole become solid, then pop the parchment paper out and load everything in a separate container before putting it back into the freezer until you're ready to bake.

Avoid freezing casseroles made with dairy products (especially soft cheeses with a high-water content like ricotta or cottage), eggs, starchy vegetables, and watery vegetables like lettuce and cucumber.

Casseroles can really shine when they achieve a harmonious balance of flavors. Sweet, salty, spicy, and acidic elements should blend well and complement each other. Add ingredients like caramelized onions, olives, or lemon zest to give your casserole a depth of flavor.

Casseroles: You can either thaw a frozen casserole overnight in the fridge or put it in the oven while it's still frozen. A thawed casserole can be reheated (or finished baking) following recipe directions, while a frozen casserole will need extra oven time.

Tight wrapping in freezer-strong packaging is essential. For cooked meals, avoid shoving a whole casserole dish on a shelf; there's too much room for air flow to corrupt your leftovers. Slide the contents into an airtight container, being sure to use the proper size that won't leave too much empty space.

Best Containers for Freezer Meals:

Use gallon sized bags for family size freezer meals and quart sized bags for individual sized meals or dinners for two. Bags prevent freezer burn as long as you ensure you get all the air you can out of the bag before sealing.

Foil pans work well for freezing foods you'll re-heat in the oven. You can bake food in foil pans and then freeze it in the baking pan. Cover pan tightly with freezer-quality foil, paper, plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Plastic freezer/microwave safe containers are a good choice for foods you'll reheat in the microwave.

Remove the casserole from the freezer and into the fridge 24-36 hours before cooking. Preheat oven and bake casserole loosely covered with foil as directed (I usually allow an extra 20 minutes depending on the density of the casserole). The final temperature of a casserole should reach 160 degrees F.

What pans are best to freeze casseroles? ›

The Best Containers For Freezing

You can certainly freeze it in whatever glass or ceramic casserole dish or metal pan you plan to bake it in, provided it is safe for both the freezer and the oven, or to be more specific, freezer-to-oven, which is the case for borosilicate glass such as Pyrex.

Casserole ingredients that won't freeze well

mayonnaise. eggs. starchy vegetables like potatoes. leafy greens.

Most casserole and stew dishes start off with the same base of onions, celery and carrot, sauteed gently to release the flavours. Sauteed means cooked gently and stirred often until the sugars wake up in the vegetables, allowing them to release their full flavour. You could add a little crushed garlic if you like that.

Make-ahead meals (especially baked casseroles) are terrific because you can completely assemble them in advance and bake them just before serving. They're the ultimate comfort food as they come bubbling hot and delicious straight from the oven to the table to the delight of family and friends.

Plus, cooked meat doesn't last as long in the freezer, so it's better to portion out the meat still raw than to cook and refreeze it as a stew or braise. When you get meat from a butcher shop, it's usually in its most freezer-friendly packaging already.

In general, freezing your casserole before baking may yield better results with the dish's texture.

Use "freezer" bags, not "storage" bags for storing food in the freezer. Freezer bags are thicker than storage bags and will keep the food fresh longer. Speed freezing and hasten thawing by freezing foods in a thin, flattened shape in freezer bags. A rounded shape takes longer to thaw through to the middle.

Frozen Food: Disadvantages

One of the biggest and most known disadvantages of cooking frozen foods is that it has the potential to remove much of the flavor obtained when consuming the fresh version. In addition, many foods lose nutrients and vitamins once they have been frozen.