A must for all lasagna lovers - how to freeze lasagna and reheat it because who hasn't had lasagna leftovers to deal with? And who wouldn't want to keep some frozen lasagna as backup?!
I was testing a recipe for vegetarian lasagna a month ago, and I ended up making lasagna four times in a week because I was obsessed with getting the recipe just right. And we were left with a fridge full of lasagna. Between the two of us, after the third night, we couldn't have anymore lasagna and after giving away some to friends, we still had a LOT of lasagna remaining. So I froze it.
And then we reheated it a few days ago, and it was soooo good that I knew I had to do a tutorial. So here's a quick how to freeze lasagna and reheat it the right way. It's not complicated, and leaves you with some really good homemade lasagna in your freezer!
There are two ways you can freeze your lasagna, before baking it and after baking it and I'm going to list out the method for both + how to reheat them.
Check out my recipe for vegetarian lasagna that won't make you miss the meat!
How to freeze lasagna before baking it
You can easily freeze lasagna before baking it. Here's how to do it:
Use a freezer friendly baking dish: This is really important so check if your baking dish is freezer friendly. Most glass ones are.
Line the baking dish: Line the baking dish with aluminum foil before assembling it. This will help you lift the lasagna out of the dish once its frozen, and you can reuse the dish for something else. Otherwise it'll be stuck in the freezer for months.
Prepare and Assemble the Lasagna: You can prepare and assemble your lasagna like you normally would. You can freeze both meat and vegetarian lasagnas.
Cover with foil and freeze: Cover the baking dish with foil and place it in the freezer overnight. Once the lasagna is frozen, you can remove the lasagna with the aluminium base out of the baking dish, make sure the top is covered with foil and place it back in the freezer. This way, your baking dish is now free to be used later.
Label: Labeling is super important if you are prepping freezer meals. You think you won't forget when you froze it but trust me you will! So label it with the date you froze it on.
How to bake frozen lasagna
To bake frozen lasagna, transfer the lasagna (with the aluminium foil base) to the baking dish, and stick it in the refrigerator overnight to defrost. In some cases, lasagna may not defrost completely and that's okay. As long as it's not rock solid. Once defrosted, bake it in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes at 180C/350F. If your lasagna wasn't completely defrosted, you may need to add another 10-15 minutes. You can check if the lasagna is cold, by sticking a knife in the center.
How to freeze baked lasagna leftovers
In most cases you'll be freezing leftover lasagna and that's what I normally do. And let me tell you, it works like a charm. You will never be able to tell the difference between fresh and frozen lasagna! Here's how to freeze leftovers:
Let the lasagna cool completely and refrigerate: To preserve lasagna properly, it's important that its cooled down to room temperatures. Once cool, refrigerate it for an hour to help it settle and set. This will make handling it really easy.
Portion: Now portion the lasagna into individual servings by cutting it into squares.
Wrap in cling film: Wrap each portion in freezer friendly cling wrap properly. The lasagna should be completely covered in cling wrap.
Label: Use a permanent marker to label them with the freeze date and use by date so you can keep track of your frozen lasagna.
Freeze: Now just place the wrapped portions in the freezer and you are done. I like stacking them one on top of the other in a corner of the freezer, but once frozen, you can also transfer them to a large ziplock to store them together. I just don't think its necessary.
How to reheat baked lasagna
In this case you don't need the additional step of defrosting lasagna. When ready to eat, take your lasagna portions out of the freezer, unwrap them, place them on a microwave friendly plate and microwave them for 2-3 minutes. Its best to microwave for 1.5 minutes first, and then in increments of 30 seconds till it's thoroughly heated. Microwaving lasagna can create some splatter so make sure to cover it while microwaving.
How long can lasagna be frozen?
You can freeze lasagna for up to 6 months, but I'd say 3 months is the safest.
I hope this answers all your questions. And the next time, you make extra lasagna or have leftovers, you'll know exactly what to do! If you have any more tips to add to this tutorial or any feedback, I'd love to hear from you. Leave me a comment and I'll definitely reply!
micksmit says
homemade lasagna how to fix it
siva says
good hack to preserve lasanga . thanks for sharing
Richa Gupta says
You're welcome, Siva!
Joan says
I made homemade lasagna in two pans. I ate one and froze the other in the flat cake pan. It's already cooked. How should I reheat this safely. Do I need to defrost it in the fridge?
Thanks for any advice!
Richa says
If the lasagna is cooked, you can just unwrap it, microwave it and its ready. If its uncooked, I have detailed instructions in the post
P. Hickman says
I am recovering from Covid and still in quarantine so my friend brought me and my husband a tray of her homemade lasagna but it's enough to feed 10 people. I was worried I'd have to toss it out but your tips sound super easy and effective!
Richa says
So glad this was helpful!
Tina says
Hi there..hope you can help me. I made pastitchio yesterday. I put in fridge overnight. I still have too much to eat by tomorrow can it still be frozen or is too late for that?
Richa says
Yea, you can still freeze it
Sarah Kujawa says
What if you didn’t wrap them? I had frozen mine in a container and then a freezer bag?
Richa says
You can do that too
Vivian @RISVK says
Thanks for this quick hack it can save a lot of food from going to the dustbin