Lasagne - freezing and defrosting questions

shoperholicnot

Thanx will try freezing it then in individual portions, I dont mind if it dries out a bit can always jazz it up with a bit more sauce. I will def try the coriander next time, was a bit worried that Lentils might be a bit bland, but its really nice, just got to remember next time that they do actually expand quite a lot when cooking so maybe i wont use so much next time

bobsa1

Sounds yummy, have you got recepie please?

arkonite_babe

I tried freezing mince before, which had the lentils in to pad it out. The lentils went mushy in the freezer and didn't taste nice at all.

Just my opinion

shoperholicnot

Recipe for Lentil Lasagne

This is the quantities i used but you can adapt to suit yourself.

500g red lentils
1 veg stock cube
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
2tsp of oregano
1 tin chopped tomatoes
half a jar passata
3 tbs Tomato puree
half a tsp of ground chilli powder (optional!)
Enough Lasagne sheets to do the Job for your size dish

Put lentils in large saucepan just covered with cold water, bring to boling point throw in the veg stock cube and stir, simmer on low heat for 10 mins

chop onions and soften in tablespoon of olive oil in large wok or saucepan, I also then add about a tbsp of water and put onions on low heat for a few mins, stirring all the time, add the oregano and crushed garlic.
Drain off as much remaining water from lentils as poss, add them to onions and stir together. Then add chopped toms, passata and purree. Add as much as is to your taste. Add salt and pepper, again to your taste you can also add the optional chilli powder if you wish
Place on a very low heat and you can then make the white sauce.

3 tablespoons butter
3 or 4 tablespoons plain flour
2 cup Milk( maybe more) added gradually to your required thickness
100 g grated cheese

melt butter in pan, add flour and mix untill you get ball of dough slowly add milk stirring all the time, or you get lumps! (if you do get lumps whizz it with blender and this will get them out)
I like to add cheese, but you dont have to!
At the end I add around 75g cheese to sauce stirring all the time.

Layer lentil mix in dish, followed by white sauce, Lasagne, Lentil mix,white sauce, lasagne, Then place in oven for 40 to 50 mins. the last 15 mins of cooking add the rest of grated cheese to top of lasagne and it will bubble and brown nicely

serve with salad and crusty garlic bread!!!!

Heth_2

It seems that lots of people on here freeze dishes like lasagne, cottage pie etc.. so they have a ready meal in the freezer.
I'm now wondering, what container do you freeze the lasagne in?
I've never frozen anything that needs to be kept flat and in a given shape in that way, do you buy metal foil container specially? Use on oven dish?
Do you then defrost, or heat up from frozen?
Cheers.

rchddap1

For cottage pie I use individual foil containers. There are only 2 of us and its easier if I make individual portions and then freeze. I also make sure that each dish has nothing standing on it until it is completely frozen at which point I bung them in a pile in a corner.

ET03

line a dish with foil and bake as normal
openfreeze when still in the dish then remove with foil and wrap with more foil and leave in freezer

cattie

When I used to make lasagne when my son was at home I used a combination of Pyrex dishes & foil containers for those to be stored in the freezer.

I preferred to leave them to thaw or partially thaw before cooking as I found there wasn't so much guesswork as to whether it had cooked thoroughly as there was with cooking from frozen.

Lasagne has long been one of my favorite meals & you've made my mouth waster talking about it here.

taplady

I do the same as the others and use a mixture of pyrex dishes and foil containers. I always get mine out of the freezer the night before cooking as it takes less cooking time.:D

tawnyowls

I cut my lasagne up into individual portions and freeze in plastic takeaway containers. Defrost overnight and then just need popping out onto a plate and microwaving.