Yes, Pasta Salad Can Be Frozen For Later. Here's The Best Way To Do It

Finally! Summer backyard barbecue season is here, and savoring the flavors of your picnic favorites is a great way to keep the good vibes going long after the last guest has gone home. Freezing leftover pasta salad is easy and lets you relive those favorite memories or whip up a quick batch to share at the next impromptu party. But there is one key method that you need to follow when it comes to freezing pasta salad efficiently — freeze your ingredients separately. 

You'll need to decide how much you want to eat and how much you plan to freeze before you assemble your pasta salad. If you know that you want to have some on hand in the freezer to use for a future meal, make extra large batches of each part of the salad to freeze. As you are assembling your pasta salad, set aside the cooked pasta, veggies, and dressing. Store them separately in the freezer in airtight containers until you want to make a batch of pasta salad. At that point, thaw each ingredient, mix, and enjoy. It's up to you whether or not you want to invite your guests back to share, or keep all of the deliciousness for yourself.

There are a few tricks to make pasta salad ingredients freeze best. Start by cooking the pasta al dente to preserve a firm texture at the center. Cool the pasta by running it under cold water or put it on a chilled sheet pan in the fridge for even faster cooling. Once it's cool, flash freeze the pasta on a baking sheet in the freezer and store it in a freezer-safe container to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Pasta salad pairs well with fresh vegetables, but not all veggies can be frozen and thawed without a difference in quality. Peas, corn, broccoli, and carrots are wonderful choices and you can even buy them already frozen to save time. However, those with a high water content, including most lettuces, greens, and cucumbers, lose their crispness and end up mushy when frozen. Add these veggies the day of assembling your dish to get the yummiest salad.

Oil-based dressings and vinaigrettes, such as Italian dressing, balsamic vinegar, and even soy sauce, can be frozen and thawed for pasta salad. A helpful hack to make things even easier includes using an ice tray to freeze individual portions, which allows you to take out just what you need and leave the rest for a future dish. But many pasta salads use a creamy dressing that relies on mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, or sour cream. These do not freeze well and are much better made fresh.