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I've always made it on the spot and cooked it then and there, but would like to make at home and take it to a large party the next day and cook it then - will it work?

Catija
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AttilaNYC
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8 Answers8

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Yes, and I find it taste better. When I make lasagna I will not fully cook the pasta. Instead, I keep a pot of boiling water and I dip the pasta into it to soften while I'm assembling the dish; the pasta is in the water for less than one minute. The pasta seems to absorb more of the sauce, keeping the flavor but making a dish that does not fall apart as easily.

papin
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    I've found that day old lasagna tastes significantly better too. I think it takes a little time for the flavors to settle. – raji Aug 27 '10 at 02:09
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Absolutely, it will work! You can keep it in the refrigerator, ready to bake, for a couple of days.

It also works very well to freeze it at that point, to defrost & bake at a later date.

The only catch is that the baking time may need to be extended a bit, since you'll be working with a product that is refrigerator-cold, as opposed to freshly cooked.

JustRightMenus
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  • Shouldn't you take it out of the fridge for some time before putting it in the oven? – hobodave Aug 27 '10 at 15:23
  • @hobodave Not when you get home at 5:30 and want dinner on the table at 6:30. But ideally, yes. Now that I'm home all day I can do that... but not while I was working. – JustRightMenus Aug 27 '10 at 16:02
  • Some dishes might not like going straight from the fridge to the oven, and might be better off on a baking sheet to make the rise in heat more even and slower. – Chris H Dec 21 '15 at 13:21
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    To follow up on ChrisH's comment -- I generally put the cold casserole in the cold oven, then heat it up. This way, you don't create the thermal shock from the cold vessel suddenly touching the hot oven shelf. Metal containers would be more resilient, but you can get some off flavors from tomato (an acid) in contact w/ metal for long periods. (most baking pans are coated steel or aluminum, not stainless steel). – Joe Apr 11 '16 at 00:02
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I would cook the lasagne and then re-heat the next day. If you assemble the lasagna while the sauce(s) are warm then you will find that the pasta starts to curl up.

FordBuchanan
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My wife and I have made lasagna for over 100 people on a few occasions. The way we have done this is to make several full pans of the product and then freeze them down for later use (up to two weeks). We have seen great success with his technique.

As far as making it one day and then cooking it the next (without freezing), this is actually a real good way to do it. However, I wouldn't wait more than 48 hours, as the breakdown will start to occur at this stage.

nicorellius
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We did this when I worked prep in a restaurant. Half cooked the pasta and pre-cooked the meat layer. Assembled it cold and refrigerated over night. It took about 45 minutes to cook on 350 f. It was also covered in plastic wrap first then a layer of tin foil. This helped keep it moisture while storing and cooking. It does seem to taste much better.

NKY Homesteading
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It will most certainly work. In fact, re-heated lasagne can taste better than it would straight off the stove.

Tobias Op Den Brouw
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I prepared lasagne last night uncooked and left in the fridge overnight, when i went to cook it the bechamel that i made has soaked in the uncooked lasagne sheets, wont do this mistake again

Josette Mercieca
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I find it actually tastes better when you just partially cook everything then let it sit in the fridge for a day and cook it.

Paige Jamieson
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  • The reason this was downvoted, not by me, was that this is more of a comment than an answer. I realize you don't have enough reputation to comment that will come with time. Welcome to Seasoned Advice! – J Crosby May 13 '20 at 15:07