Freezing Tomato Sauce

I always get pretty large jars of tomato sauce, yes mostly because I’m Italian and grew up with it as a staple ingredient- we put it in just about everything  we make.  I’ve noticed over the years that I use it in almost all of the other types of dishes I make, too.

It seems as though just about everyone I know loves tomatoes, or at least finds a way to add flavor and color with tomato sauce in their everyday cooking.  The problem is that sauce usually comes in large jars, so what happens if you only need a little bit? 

Yes, you can use tomato paste- smaller tubes or cans to deal with (which can also be frozen like this), but I typically like to have both sauce and paste on hand for cooking, as each one has its own purpose in my style of cooking. 

All you have to do is pour the remaining sauce into regular ice trays. Pick up the trays and pat them down on the counter again lightly, which helps to level out each square.

Let the trays freeze thoroughly so that each and every cube can pop out easily and can be stored in a freezer-safe bag or container, otherwise you run the risk of your tomato cubes smelling like whatever else is in your freezer, too.

When you’re ready to use it in cooking, add a cube to already-cooking soups and stews.  One note of caution- since this will be cold and icy upon removal from the freezer, do not place it directly in oil (hot or cold), as that will create a frenzy of oil popping everywhere and you could get burned. It’s best to defrost each cube if you’ll need to use it when it’s similar to its original texture.

How do you save all that leftover tomato sauce you have when cooking?