We've been making pizzas (and rolled sandwiches) like crazy. They're quick, easy, and best of all use up random ingredients in your refrigerator. The hard part? We don't always want to whip up a batch of marinara each time we feel like some pizza pie! That's where the muffin tin comes in.
Whether you make your own sauce or pick up a jar of storebought — unless you're making a family-sized portion of pasta, chances are you won't be using all the sauce you have on hand.
Instead of struggling to finish off what's in the refrigerator, simply freeze what's left in metal muffin tins. If your freezer is small (like ours) skip the tin and use muffin liners/wrappers instead and place them where you have room until frozen. Then transfer to a zip-top bag for easy storage.
Dip your trays in warm water to help your frozen marinara release from the tin if you don't use a liner. Alternately you can also use ice cube trays, but no matter what the vessel, thawing a small amount is super easy in the microwave, under warm water, or just by letting them sit out on the counter. It's a great way to get just the amount you need without the rest going to waste — plus you'll always be ready for pasta for one!
Related: D.I.Y. Recipe: Pizza Sauce
(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)
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I spray my tins with oil and then pop the frozen sauce muffins out, wrap, and transfer to a freezer bag. It's a very handy size to defrost.
I make white pizza most of the time--a base of olive oil and ricotta, instead of tomato sauce. That way I don't have to keep tomato sauce around.
From what I've researched, the best pizza places don't use a cooked sauce, just crushed/pureed tomatoes with some herbs, sugar and salt. Gives a fresher taste to the pizza and less work for you!
I use silicone muffin liners to freeze small single portions. Once the sauce/stock/whathaveyou is frozen, just invert the liners to pop it out.
Tomato and other acidic foods should be stored in non-reactive containers for safety reasons. If the tin is aluminum the sauce will react with it, causing the aluminum to leach into the food.... which is not good. Best bet is to store in empty baby-food jars, paper cups, or small glass ramekins.
What's marinara?
I just pull off a large sheet of plastic wrap, lay it over my muffin pan, and press it into the depressions. I haven't frozen marinara this way, but I use this technique to freeze chopped jalapenos and portions of grated ginger (I add a little veg stock to each portion to make sure it freezes into a solid block). After they're frozen, I put them into a plastic bag in the freezer.
alllebasii, we're not talking about storing the sauce in a muffin tin, just using that to freeze it into portions.
I second the silicon muffin liner tip, I use it all the time to freeze liquid things from chicken stock to lemon juice (with zest). Super practical, once it's frozen I pop them in ziploc bags and I can have whatever quantity I need whenever I want.