pasta salad shelf life

Hi. If I cook a pasta salad by putting fresh vegy in and no meat, only cooking the mushrooms and frozen onion and peppers and of cause the pasta, how long will it stay good to eat if stored in a fridge, reason for asking, I am going to make a large batch up and take it to work for my lunch.

Keith

 

Well I found that it would go dry after about a day or so... I always made mine up the night before

 

Hi Keith, I think that pasta properly stored in the fridge (air tight container with lid) should last up to three days. If you need it for past the three days you could always make meal portions in smaller containers, store them in the freezer and defrost them a few hours in advance.

 

So is it ok to use frozen veg in a pasta salad the re freeze it again? I don't want to make myself ill. I was always brought up to be careful with freezing things and defrosting stuff or is that just applying to meats?

Keith

 

you wouldn't want to defrost vegetables and freeze them again, but if you cook them it is a different story.

 

So it is quite alright to cook my frozen onions, peppers and mushrooms and freeze them afterwards to be defrosted and eaten at a later date?

Keith

 

Yes.

As longs as they have been cooked in between they will be fine.

 

should keep up to a week in the fridge compartment .... the pasta salads at Tesco are not made the day before (I think), but am not sure if it will taste good if frozen?

a good substitute that keeps well in the freezer for weeks is a homemade lamb/vegetable soup ... easy to make ...

finely grate the vegetables (onions, carrots, potato, some leek), chop some celery, a bit of finely sliced cabbage, and add some fresh coriander leaves (not too much)

brown some lamb in oil, add the veg, water and add 2 packets of powdered minestrone soup (Knorr) and 2 tins of heinz tomato soup, salt and fresh ground black pepper and a good dash of worcester sauce and a bit of tabaso sauce for a kick

bring to the boil, then simmer for 2-3 hrs (stir occasionally)

freeze it and take portions to work with a couple of slices of fresh crusty buttered bread .... heat the soup in the work microwave ... I could eat this every day

winter will be here next week (or so I read), and the soup will be a good substitute for cold pasta salad

 

Does cooked pasta freeze okay, I thought it would go to mash when thawed out?

The Tesco's stuff has preservatives in it that would extend the 'eat' date.