Freezing and unfreezing tomato sauce

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Amateur1

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I make tomato sauce using this recipe. However, I freeze it into about 9 plastic containers as soon as it has cooled down and reheat in the microwave for about 3 minutes when needed.
Slow cooked tomato sauce with spaghetti recipe
Should I adapt the recipe to make it more suited for freezing and unfreezing?
Is there a better way of storing and unfreezing as my plastic containers are getting stained?
 
I can't see the recipe without registering so I don't know how you make your sauce.

Tomato sauce IS going to stain no matter how you store it. I usually use the same containers so new ones don't get stained. You can also freeze the sauce in Mason jars which won't stain as much. (How to Freeze Anything in a Mason Jar | Real Food Whole Life).

ETA: I usually don't thaw foods in the microwave because it kills some healthy nutrients. I typically put frozen sauce in a sauce pan on low to meld the flavors while heating it.
 
Last edited:
Recipe here for those who can't view it via the link:

SERVES​

4

INGREDIENTS​

  • Olive oil
  • 3 onions, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 small glasses of red wine
  • 4 tins chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 400g spaghetti

METHOD​

  1. Set a large pan with a lid over a low-medium heat with a good glug of oil. Add the onions along with a pinch of salt, pop the lid on and sweat until very soft (about 10 minutes). Then add the garlic and sweat for another couple of minutes.
  2. Turn up the heat, add the tomato purée and stir well. Then add the bay leaves and red wine and bring to a simmer.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar and a little more salt and black pepper. Pop the lid on and leave to simmer on a very low heat for about three hours. Then remove the bay leaves and blitz until smooth with a hand blender.
  4. When you’re ready to eat, cook the spaghetti in a big pan of well salted boiling water until al dente.
 
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Amateur1 said:
Should I adapt the recipe to make it more suited for freezing and unfreezing?
Is there a better way of storing and unfreezing as my plastic containers are getting stained?
Click to expand...

I use plastic containers too - it doesn't really matter if they get stained. I can't see any particular reason to adapt the recipe really. Another way of storing (which takes up less freezer space) is in zip lock pouched which can be stored flat.
 
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Thanks very much. How much is a good glug of oil in terms of tablespoons?
 
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We get ice cream in 2 litre plastic containers, throw away, so perfect for tomato sauce. Pure is from our garden, tomatoes oregano basil salt n pepper. I freeze for up to a year and then taste and add to suit my dish.

Russ
 
ETA: I usually don't thaw foods in the microwave because it kills some healthy nutrients. I typically put frozen sauce in a sauce pan on low to meld the flavors while heating it.
Click to expand...
If I put frozen sauce in a pan with no water, won't the pan get burnt by the gas? If I add water then my sauce will be too diluted. What am I missing?
 
Amateur1 said:
If I put frozen sauce in a pan with no water, won't the pan get burnt by the gas? If I add water then my sauce will be too diluted. What am I missing?
Click to expand...
It depends on how thick your sauce is, too, I think. Something that's more like a very thick tomato paste will have a tendency to stick/burn, but that's thicker than what I'd call a tomato sauce.

Just go low and slow and stir it a bit and it should be fine.
 
Amateur1 said:
If I put frozen sauce in a pan with no water, won't the pan get burnt by the gas? If I add water then my sauce will be too diluted. What am I missing?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I understand your question. What do you mean by "get burnt by the gas"?

Frozen sauce in bag: Cut open the bag and put the frozen sauce in a pot large enough to hold the contents. Turn on the burner and the sauce will thaw while heating slowly.

Frozen sauce in Mason jar: Let jar sit at room temperature until frozen sauce can be dumped out (it just has to separate from the sides of the jar) into pot large enough to hold the contents. Turn on the burner and the sauce will thaw while heating slowly.

Tip: If I plan to freeze, I usually make my sauce minus one can/tin of tomatoes so I can add it to the pot when thawing which won't dilute it as it would if I added water.

Please let me know if this makes sense or if I can answer anything else for you.
 
Thanks.
I thought a pan would get damaged if I put it on the gas with no water inside. Therefore, I would be adding water to the tomato sauce which would detract from its flavour.
One change I made to the recipe was to use tinned tomatoes containing basil. I found this improved the taste.
 
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