Tips to freeze leftover pasta sauce.

Wondering what to do with that pasta sauce once you open the jar? If you don't intend to use it in a few days, it can spoil. So it is best to freeze it, that way it can be stored for much longer.

Preparation

Cool: if you made pasta sauce at home then ensure that it cools down first.

How to freeze pasta sauce

Portion: depending on your family needs, portion the pasta sauce into multiple freezer friendly containers.
Package: store the pasta sauce in ziplock bags or airtight freezer-safe containers.
Label: label the containers with the date, name and type of sauce, and optionally the quantity like 8 oz. or 1 cup. Labeling the containers help a lot as you don't have to open the containers to check what it inside it.

Storage choices

Zip-lock bags: squeeze out as much air as possible from the ziplock bags.
Freezer-safe containers: reusable freezer-safe containers like Ziplock, Snapware, Pyrex, or Rubbermaid can be used.

pasta sauce in ziplock bag and container.

How to defrost frozen pasta sauce

Refrigerator: place the container or ziplock bag with frozen pasta sauce overnight in the refrigerator.
Quick thaw: place the sealed ziplock bag or the container in a large bowl with warm water for 15-20 minutes. You can speed up the process by changing the water few times as it becomes cold.
Room temperature: place the frozen pasta sauce container at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Microwave: use the defrost setting on the microwave to thaw the sauce in a matter of minutes, ensure that you are using microwave safe containers or transfer the contents to a microwave safe bowl before defrosting.

frozen and thawed pasta sauce in containers.

How to use thawed frozen pasta sauce

Use the defrosted pasta sauce in the same way you would use the fresh pasta sauce. You can make pasta recipes, use a pizza sauce, add it to soups, spaghetti, or serve as a side with breadsticks or garlic knots if you do not have marinara sauce.