The Best Types Of Casseroles To Make Ahead And Freeze - Tasting Table

Make-ahead and freezer-friendly casseroles help during busy periods when cooking dinner nightly is difficult. Freezing works best with casseroles that contain sturdy ingredients and plenty of sauce, such as lasagna, baked pasta like ziti, and enchilada casseroles. Chicken-and-rice combinations with creamy sauce and meat-and-vegetable dishes like cottage pie also hold up well to freezing and reheating. These meals reheat easily and provide carbs, protein, and fats, allowing serving directly from the tray or with a fresh side salad. Casseroles that freeze poorly include those with crispy toppings, tender greens, seafood, and sour-cream or mayo-based sauces, which can become soggy, curdled, or broken after reheating.

"“The best frozen casseroles have sturdy ingredients and plenty of sauce. Think lasagna, or other baked pasta such as ziti, and enchilada casseroles,” she says. “Chicken and rice combos with plenty of creamy sauce, or meat and vegetables such as a cottage pie, hold up to freezing and reheating.” Besides being freezer-friendly, these dishes are also easy to reheat and they are packed with carbs, protein, and fats, making them a meal that you can eat right from the tray or serve with a fresh side salad."

"“Not every casserole, like not every ingredient, freezes well. Freezing breaks down and changes the flavor and texture of some foods and can make them unpleasantly mushy. When we asked Bench which kinds of casseroles don't freeze well, she offered several examples. “Casseroles with crispy toppings, tender greens, seafood, or sour cream and mayo-based sauces don't freeze and reheat well,” she says. “Those creamy and delicate ingredients change properties in the freezer and break down into a soggy mess, or look curdled or broken when reheated.””"

"“In other words, don't freeze that delectable green bean casserole unless you have a penchant for soggy green beans.” Although some casseroles are off the table when it comes to freezing, Bench does offer some suggestions for making these dishes more freezer-friendly. For one, "

"“Besides being freezer-friendly, these dishes are also easy to reheat and they are packed with carbs, protein, and fats, making them a meal that you can eat right from the tray or serve with a fresh side salad.” Make-ahead and freezer-friendly meals help during long work days, a new baby, or when you don't feel like cooking dinner every night."

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