Easy Macaroni Cheese

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For much the same reasons as I’ve been looking for more rice dishes to cook and store, so I’ve also been deliberately looking for more pasta dishes that will suffer the same treatment. Now, I know the photo is far from exciting, but this Easy Macaroni Cheese worked as I suggested earlier, which was to cook the pasta and prepare the dish, then instead of putting it into the oven at that point, freeze it in individual portions for later.

When you want to eat it, defrost it in the fridge for 24 hours (can’t cheat and do this one in the microwave if you use foil over-proof trays), then all you have to do is bake it before eating. I’m glad to say that this worked beautifully, so I shall be on the lookout for other pasta dishes that can be treated in the same way. Suggestions welcome, please.

Interesting question here about pasta, “What’s the point of making pasta in different shapes if it’s all made from the same stuff?“.

The response suggests:

“As we learned from the National Pasta Association (really), pasta shapes tend to be classified by the type of sauce they best complement. Light sauces taste best with thin noodles like angel hair. Heavier sauces go with thicker pasta shapes like fettuccine. And meaty or chunky sauces go best with pastas that can “hold” them, like penne rigate or conchiglie.”

Cannelloni and lasagna spring to mind as suitable for the purposes, of course, since, as you can already buy those as frozen dishes, I see no reason why I can’t do it too. Those, along with the macaroni though, do tend to be up the heavier end of pastas, which require heavier sauces and, I have an inkling are the ones that will best survive the freezing too.

This may not be such good news, if we want to keep to lighter (as in not too heavy on the calories) foods. Personally, I don’t sweat that too much, provided every meal isn’t calorie laden and since I don’t have much animal fat and, almost never eat snacks, sugar and sweets.

Still, the lighter pastas cook so fast they can been done at the last minute, combined with sauces that are prepared ahead. I guess, I can’t get everything as a cook and freeze, one pot dish, but I’ll give it a good try!

Like I said, I know my photo leaves a bit to be desired (well, all my photos do), but it tasted a lot better than it looks and, at least it wasn’t gravity-defying like this insipid looking example - obviously microwave heated (don’t do it!) - from a British hospital. They expect people to recover on food like this?