Meals

Can You Freeze Bolognese Sauce?

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Pasta Bolognese is a weeknight staple in many households across the country. It’s quick and easy to make, most children love it and it’s pretty tasty too. However, if you have some leftovers, you might be wondering whether you can freeze Bolognese Sauce.

How Long Does Bolognese Last In The Fridge?

Before freezing bolognese, you might be wondering whether it could just be kept in the fridge for a day or two.

Bolognese will last for at least two to three days in the fridge, so if you’ll eat it within this time frame, there is no need to freeze it.

This applies to just the bolognese sauce and if it’s been mixed with pasta.

Can You Freeze Bolognese Sauce?

The good news is that yes, you can absolutely freeze bolognese sauce. You can freeze bolognese sauce both with and without pasta.

Bolognese sauce freezes really well and doesn’t lose any of its flavour or texture. It can be a little watery after freezing but I tend to find the sauce absorbs this while it’s being reheated.

You can freeze bolognese sauce whether you made the sauce from scratch or have used a jar such as Dolmio. You can also freeze bolognese sauces bought from the fresh section of the supermarket, just check the label to make sure it hasn’t been previously frozen.

The bolognese sauce can be frozen whether it’s been made with beef, pork, turkey or any other kind of mince. You can also freeze bolognese made from lentils or mushrooms.

Bolognese is actually one of my favourite dishes to batch cook and then freeze for use at a later date. I tend to make 5-6 family-sized portions at a time in my slow cooker, cool and then freeze.

This really helps when I’m busy during the week as I know I have a quick homemade dinner that doesn’t take long to prepare, especially if I buy some fresh pasta to go with it.

Can you Freeze Bolognese Made With Frozen mince?

Yes, you can freeze bolognese made with frozen mince. As long as you don’t refreeze the cooked bolognese again after it’s been defrosted, it will perfectly safe to eat.

Can You Freeze Leftover Spaghetti Bolognese?

Yes, you can freeze leftover spaghetti bolognese.

Personally, I find the pasta goes a bit mushy after freezing so I prefer to freeze just the bolognese sauce on its own.

However, it’s perfectly safe to freeze and reheat the sauce mixed with pasta if that’s what you want to do.

How To Freeze Bolognese Sauce

Freezing Bolognese sauce is really simple using the steps below. Before freezing you might want to think about portion sizes. The bigger the portion, potentially the longer it will take to defrost. I tend to freeze in smaller one or two-person portions but you’ll need to decide what works best for your family.

Ideally, the bolognese sauce should be frozen on the day it was made.

However, if it’s been safely stored in the fridge for 2-3 days and you suddenly realise it’s not going to get eaten, it’s fine to freeze it then too.

I think freezing bolognese sauce is worth it even it’s a really small portion is left over. We often do this and then use it for our toddler on nights when we’re eating something she doesn’t like or are planning on having a special dinner once she’s gone to bed.

Before freezing bolognese, you need to make sure it’s completely cooled. If you’ve made a big batch ready for freezing, try spreading into some baking trays to cool rather than leaving it in the cooking pot.
Split the Bolognese sauce into smaller potions if needed.
Place the sauce into zip lock bags (these are great as they seal well and can be laid flat in the freezer) or into a plastic container/s suitable for the freezer. Don’t overfill the tubs as the sauce will expand slightly when freezing.
Label and date the container so you know what’s in it and when it needs to be used up before placing it in the freezer.

How Long Does Bolognese Last In The Freezer?

The bolognese sauce can be frozen for up to three months. It will be safe to eat after this time but won’t be at optimum quality.

How To Defrost Bolognese Sauce

Bolognese should be removed from the freezer the night before you want to use it and thawed in the fridge. This will give it plenty of time to defrost without risking it enter in the danger zone for bacteria which can happen when food is defrosted on the countertop.

If you a defrosting a particularly large portion of Bolognese you may want to allow up to 48 hours for it to defrost.

Can You Defrost Bolognese Sauce In The Microwave?

Yes, the bolognese sauce can also be defrosted in the microwave, either until fully reheated or until defrosted enough to transfer to reheating in a pan. You can do this using the defrost setting on your microwave.

How Long Does Bolognese Sauce Last After Defrosting?

Provided it was frozen on the day it was made, the bolognese sauce should be fine in the fridge for two or three days after defrosting.

How To Reheat Bolognese Sauce

Bolognese can be reheated either on the stovetop or in the microwave.

If reheating on the stovetop, use medium heat and stir often to avoid hotspots. This should only take around five minutes although it will depend on the size of the portion you are reheating.

Ensure the bolognese sauce has reached a minimum temperature of 75 degrees C before serving.

If reheating the bolognese sauce in the microwave, heat on high for 1-2 minutes at a time depending on the portion size. Stir frequently to ensure even cooking. The sauce should be piping hot before serving.

If the sauce begins to dry out you can add a little water or tomato passata.

Tips For Freezing Bolognese Sauce

Here are a few final tips for freezing bolognese sauce.

All types of bolognese sauce can be frozen – whether you’ve used fresh or frozen mince, beef mince, pork mince or even Quorn mince or lentils.
You can freeze bolognese sauce that contains cream.
You can freeze tomato bolognese sauce before the meat or other protein has been added.
It’s fine to freeze Dolmio bolognese sauce – for example if you only used half a jar of the sauce when cooking you could freeze the rest to use another day.
You can freeze spaghetti bolognese – in fact, any bolognese sauce mixed with any type of pasta can be frozen, defrosted and then reheated.