Spaghetti carbonara is a rich creamy dish that is good enough to serve at a dinner party. However, what do you do if you have made too much, or you want to prepare it ahead? It will keep in the fridge for up to two days but perhaps you want to keep it for longer.
Can you freeze it? The simple answer is yes, and in this article, we will tell you how to freeze spaghetti carbonara and how to defrost it.
How To Freeze Spaghetti Carbonara
1. Cool down the spaghetti carbonara.
Transfer the spaghetti carbonara into a cold bowl to speed up the cooling process. You don’t want to keep it at room temperature for more than two hours as after this time bacteria can start to form. This is especially important as there are meat and eggs in the carbonara sauce. On the other hand, don’t put the spaghetti carbonara in the freezer while it is still warm as this will ruin the texture and will bring up the temperature in the freezer. Other food may start to defrost and then spoil.
2. Put the spaghetti carbonara in freezer bags.
It is a good idea to divide the spaghetti carbonara into meal-size portions so that you only defrost as much as you need at a time. This will save you from throwing some away. Squeeze out all the air from the freezer bags so that freezer burn doesn’t occur. Freezer burn will ruin the taste and texture of the dish. Alternatively, you can put the spaghetti carbonara into airtight containers. Put labels on the bags or containers with the date and contents.
3. Freeze.
Tips For Freezing Spaghetti Carbonara
- Use dried pasta rather than fresh pasta as it freezes better (see also Should You Freeze Fresh Pasta?). Fresh pasta tends to break down in the freezer.
- If you can, freeze the pasta and the sauce separately, especially if you are using fresh pasta. If you don’t, the dish might become a bit mushy when defrosted.
- Squeeze out all the air from the freezer bag so that freezer burn doesn’t occur. One way to do this is to use a straw to suck out the air. Close the bag as far as possible and put the straw in the corner and suck the air out. Don’t put it in too far as you might then suck out the sauce. As soon as you’ve done this, seal the bag.
For How Long Can You Freeze Spaghetti Carbonara?
You can freeze spaghetti carbonara for up to three months. However, the earlier you eat it, the better. If you keep it any longer than this, we advise you to throw it away as it may have gone off.
How Do You Defrost Spaghetti Carbonara?
The best way to defrost spaghetti carbonara is to do it slowly and steadily. This helps it to retain taste and texture. The night before you want to use it, take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. Ensure that it has fully defrosted before reheating it. We don’t recommend that you defrost the dish in the microwave as this can make the pasta go soggy.
Can You Refreeze Spaghetti Carbonara?
No, it isn’t a good idea to refreeze spaghetti carbonara as the more you freeze it, it will lose taste and texture. In addition, because it contains meat and eggs, there is a chance that bacteria will form, and you could become ill.
Is It a Good Idea To Freeze Spaghetti Carbonara?
No, spaghetti carbonara does not freeze particularly well. Yes, you can do it but it may lose some taste and texture, especially if you use fresh pasta. We advise that you use dried pasta instead and freeze the sauce and pasta separately. Alternatively, if you are using fresh pasta, just freeze the sauce and cook the fresh pasta on the day. It only takes a few minutes to cook fresh pasta, so it won’t be too much of an effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hopefully, you now know all there is to know about freezing spaghetti carbonara but in case you still have questions, we have answered a few here.
Guanciale is traditionally used in Italy rather than pancetta. It is a piece of pork made from a pig’s cheek and is cured. It can be difficult to come by outside Italy but if you do find it, buy it for an authentic Italian dish. It can be frozen in your carbonara sauce the same as pancetta.
Yes, you can. You could use tagliatelle but bucatini is an even better choice because of the hole in the middle. The sauce can flow through both the inside and outside of each noodle so you can taste the sauce. Both pasta shapes will freeze in the same way as spaghetti but again freeze the sauce and the pasta separately.
Tomato sauces freeze best, such as arrabiata, puttanesca, and marinara. Creamy and rich sauces don’t freeze as well because they tend to split. You can freeze pesto but blanch the basil leaves before making the sauce and freeze them in the slots of an ice cube tray. You don’t need a lot of pesto for a dish so you can just remove a couple of cubes at a time, saving on wastage.
