How Long Does Frozen Homemade Lasagna Last?

One of the most wonderful things about making lasagna at home — a multi-layered labor of love if there ever was one — is all the leftovers you'll have for reheated comfort well into the foreseeable future. It's also one of the more exhausting qualities of lasagna as well. Unless you're prepared to eat lasagna on repeat for weeks, you'll probably need to pop it into the freezer. But just how long will this comfort food last in its frozen prison? Well, the United States Department of Agriculture, a government agency with a multi-billion dollar budget, has a few ideas.

The good old USDA advises that leftovers, in general, can be safely frozen indefinitely. This comes with a big caveat, though. While those frozen leftovers might not necessarily harm anybody, their quality will certainly degrade. So, like the many ill-conceived later "Jurassic Park" movies, we must question not how long frozen lasagna can last, but rather, how long it should. The answer to that is short and sweet. Culinary source after culinary source recommends freezing for three months or less for the best, tastiest results.

Give yourself a head start and cut your lasagna into squares before freezing to begin with. Let it fully cool and then catch an extra chill in the refrigerator for about an hour to reach maximum stability to slice and remove. Then secure in airtight encasements, label with dates, and find a spot in the ice box. This way, it'll take less time to thaw out and heat back up than a whole casserole, plus you can more easily potion it all out from now clear into next season.

When the mood strikes, skip the microwave. The best way to reheat lasagna is in the oven from whence it originally came. Drizzle a bit of stock on top to reintroduce some moisture and pop into an oven preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This stuff is dense, so give it about ten minutes before you start checking the temperature. Serve with some double-garlic bread, and it'll taste just like it's been freshly baked.