I defrosted and heated up some fully cooked chicken sausages from Trader Joes. I used it in spaghetti. Now that we're sick of spaghetti, I'm wondering if I can freeze the leftovers? I'm thinking no since it was fully cooked initially but thought I'd ask you all first. Also, if the answer is "no", could I take out the sausage slices and freeze the spaghetti? I'm trying not to waste food.
I wouldn't refreeze previously frozen food and I would never freeze cooked spaghetti (when you thaw it out it will likely be a mushy, tasteless mess, yuck.)
Could you use the sausage on a homemade pizza, or cook a pot of soup or chili or jambalaya and toss it in there?
According to the USDA, it is perfectly safe to refreeze food within 3-4 days, whether it was cooked or not.
"Refreezing
Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. Freeze leftovers within 3-4 days. Do not refreeze any foods left outside the refrigerator longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F.
If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly."
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safe...
However, there are some foods that will lose quality if refrozen, and constant freeze/thaw can lead to undesirable taste/texture, ice crystal buildup & freezer burn.
Personal anecdote - my husband makes an amazing homemade spaghetti sauce from scratch, in an 8-qt stockpot. Many years in winter he would make a huge pot of sauce, add noodles, & scoop out what we needed for dinner, sticking the pot on the back porch to refreeze, then the next night bring it in & thaw it enough to scoop out meals & refreeze the rest. Never had any issues. Now we have a 2nd freezer, so we just make a huge batch of the sauce & portion it out to freeze, & make the noodles fresh for each meal.
Bon Appetit! T.
I've frozen food that included refreezing something that has previously been frozen. The reason for not refreezing some previously frozen food is that refreezing can affect it's texture. With sausage in a dish that is not so much a concern. Know that refreezing is not a food safety concern.
Since you heated them to safe temperature you can now freeze.
Throw it all out. I understand not wasting food but spaghetti is the cheapest thing you could buy. There is only so many times you can reheat and serve.
It's fine. Refreeze.
I wouldn't refreeze either. I've seen recipes for "leftover spaghetti frittata" and I've tried one of them, with good results - a totally different take on spaghetti. Maybe you could try that just to mix it up.
Yes you can freeze it.
If it was from a few days ago I would toss, otherwise I would freeze it. Every time I have had a baby I have gotten frozen noodle dishes from friends to stick in my freezer. Still really tasty once reheated. I never though about this cause I will take out frozen ground turkey cook it and make a lasagna eat it for dinner and freeze the rest for another night when I don't want to cook.
My motto.... When in doubt, throw it out.
Noodles are cheap and not worth potentially making someone sick, plus they don't freeze well.
I am assuming your question is regarding the sausage, not the spaghetti. If the food has not been sitting around for a while--meaning it was last night's dinner, there should be no problem freezing it. I do this and take lunch to work. Of course, if this is from a few night's ago, time to toss.
Freezing cooked sausages should not be a problem. Of course, this is only if you are asking because your are not supposed to defrost meat, and the refreeze. that changes the quality.
