Can you freeze spaghetti sauce? The answer is, “Yes! And you should!”
Whether you make a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce or have leftover sauce in a jar from the store, freezing spaghetti sauce is a great way to avoid food waste, save money, and have a yummy pasta sauce ready and waiting for your next craving.
Learn these quick and simple ways to freeze pasta sauce.
Want to save this post?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I’ll send you budget recipes and money-saving tips every week!
Jump to:
It’s happened before. You open the fridge and see jars of half-used pasta sauces in the door, waiting to be used, but you forgot about them. Oops.
This happened to us a lot in the past. The food waste was embarassing, and the cost certainly added up.
Raising children and getting out of debt — either simultaneously or as separate seasons of life can teach you a thing or two. One being that anytime you can freeze leftover food for another time, you’re buying yourself some precious minutes. Another being anytime you can save food, you’re saving money!
Even if it’s just a half-used jar of sauce.
How freezing spaghetti sauce can help you
1. You avoid wasting perfectly good food.
2. You save money because you don’t have to buy more to replace what you wasted.
3. You enjoy great meals because you can easily grab what you need from the freezer. Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage & Cheese comes together in a flash!
4. You can make a bulk batch of your favorite sauce recipe, like our Marinara Sauce Simple Enough for Everyday, and know what to do with it.
Ingredients
You can do this with homemade spaghetti sauce as well as jarred sauce, but we’ll use a big batch of homemade Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce because it’s easy and cheap to make! (Cheaper than the jar, ahem.)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Having written Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook, I know my way around the freezer. Lots of what-to-do’s and what-not-to-do’s
Here’s how to freeze spaghetti sauce:
- If the sauce is hot or even warm, allow it to chill completely. Cold food freezes more quickly eliminating the risk of freezer burn or large ice crystals.
- Divide the sauce into usable portions. This will vary by household and how you plan to use it after thawing. If you want to use the sauce for pizza, you’ll want ½ cup portions. For a lasagna, you’ll need 3 to 4 cups.
- Use freezer-safe containers. This could be Souper Cubes, plastic containers with lids, or even ziptop freezer bags.
- Label the containers with the content’s name and the date you’re freezing it. This way you can easily grab what you need from the freezer without having to inspect things too closely and waste valuable time.
- Store the containers in the freezer until ready to use. While frozen food is safe indefinitely if stored under 0 degrees, it can lose taste and texture over time. Frozen sauce should be good in a home freezer for about 2 to 3 months.
When ready to serve: thaw in the fridge and reheat to serve.
FAQs
You can freeze in glass jars, however there are several things to do to prevent the jar from cracking. Do not fill it all the way full; instead leave about an inch headspace. Chill completely, then transfer the jars without lids to the freezer. Set them level in the freezer with space around them, so they don’t touch anything. Once frozen, gently twist on the lids, but not too tightly.
You can freeze sauce in ziploc bags, however you will want to use the higher quality bags designed for the freezer. Label them prior to filling. Once you’ve filled the bag, remove as much air as possible and seal it carefully. Lay the bags carefully on a tray in the freezer. Once firm, you can remove the tray and line the bags up in a bin or on a shelf.
Per the USDA, prepped food is good for up to 4 days when refrigerated properly. It should be frozen prior to the 4th day to ensure freshness and safety.
Best Recipes for Using Spaghetti Sauce
Having frozen spaghetti sauce on hand makes it so easy to make an impromptu Chicken Parmesan or simply add some ground beef for an easy pasta dinner. Check out these other ways to use the sauce you freeze:
Tell us what you think!
We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.
How to Freeze Spaghetti Sauce
Equipment
- freezer-safe containers such as Souper Cubes, plastic containers with lids, or freezer ziptop bags
Ingredients
- 4 cup your favorite spaghetti sauce
Instructions
- If the sauce is hot or even warm, allow it to chill completely. Cold food freezes more quickly eliminating the risk of freezer burn or large ice crystals.4 cup your favorite spaghetti sauce
- Divide the sauce into usable portions. This will vary by household and how you plan to use it after thawing. If you want to use the sauce for pizza, you'll want ½ cup portions. For a lasagna, you'll need 3 to 4 cups.
- Use freezer-safe containers. This could be Souper Cubes, plastic containers with lids, or even ziptop freezer bags.
- Label the containers with the content's name and the date you're freezing it. This way you can easily grab what you need from the freezer without having to inspect things too closely and waste valuable time.
- Store the containers in the freezer until ready to use. While frozen food is safe indefinitely if stored under 0 degrees, it can lose taste and texture over taime. Frozen sauce should be good in a home freezer for about 2 to 3 months.
- When ready to serve: thaw in the fridge and reheat to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 3, 2012. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Heather
I would love to try freezing sauces but u
I do not have enough space for a tray to lay them flat, can I just put the bag in the freezer and deal with a frozen lump?
Jessica Fisher
You don’t need sauces to lay flat, it’s just handy for storage later. You can absolutely deal with a lump or even store in containers.
Lisa
Loving this series! I’m always looking for ways to save money in the kitchen, and “more freezer cooking” is definitely on my to-do list for that reason.
A different way to freeze pasta sauce is to make a double batch of the sauce, and make sure to cook extra noodles. Layer sauce, noodles, and cheese in a casserole dish and voila….Baked Spaghetti ready for the freezer. I try to do this every time we have spaghetti, and it only adds a few minutes to the supper clean-up.
Jessica
@Lisa, that’s a great idea! I wish my family liked baked spaghetti! Maybe I should try it again.
Claire
@Lisa, like your idea of the baked spaghetti!
Laura C
I almost always maked baked spaghetti for the freezer after we have spaghetti for dinner.
Jennifer
What a great idea to put them on a tray so they hold their shape!
I am really enjoying your 31 Days of Freezer Cooking and I can’t wait to read your book!
Jessica
Thanks!
Lori
I would love to try your vegetable bolognese but do not like eggplants. What should I sub in its place? More zucchini? Pre-ordered your cookbook last night. Can’t wait to read it!
Jessica
@Lori, I think you could sub any of those other vegetables or even add something like mushrooms. I didn’t have zucchini the last time I made it so I added mushrooms. Very tasty.