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View Full Version : Cooking Frozen Casseroles

barbszy
08-11-2006, 08:03 PM
We are planning a vacation in 2 weeks and I'm starting to think ahead for meals (we're renting a house at the Jersey Shore).

I already have, in the freezer, a 1/2-steam-table size pan of baked ziti. It's assembled (al dente pasta, cheese & sauce) but not baked yet.

I was planning to make this a chicken parmesan casserole by topping it with some breaded (cooked) chicken cutlets, sauce and cheese. Those would be added farther into the heating time.

How long will it take to heat up this casserole "from frozen?" I'm going to transport it in a cooler so I'm sure it won't thaw ALL the way. (BONUS: it will keep the rest of my foods cold!)
cat lover
08-11-2006, 10:38 PM
Barb, I'm not sure what the 1/2 steam table size is. Is that equal to like two 9x 13" pans?


Frozen casseroles normally take approximately one and a half times the usual cooking time for food which has been thawed.
barbszy
08-12-2006, 08:40 AM
I would say it's a 9X13 pan but twice as deep. There's about 1 1/2 lb of pasta in there, plus cheese and sauce.

This is the dish we plan to eat the first day we are there. We will be arriving around 2 PM. My instinct is to put the thing in the oven right as we get there, and bring my food thermometer along! (It's small) When it's hot in the middle I'll top it with the chicken, cheese and sauce and finish.
cat lover
08-12-2006, 09:23 AM
That sounds like probably the best idea, I would put it on a low temperature and defintely use your thermometer! Let us kow what ends up working! Sounds like a nice pan size for a large meal! I think now that you have described it I have seen some pans that size in a yard sale from a restaurant that was going out of business.
DeBora4BobbyL
08-12-2006, 12:19 PM
I usually double or triple my casserole recipes and freeze half. When I make them in the deep, large containers they seem to cook very much like the other sized casseroles. I put them in the same temperature that I would do it they weren't frozen. They have never taken me more than an hour to cook either. I just cook them until they are hot and bubbly and they do just fine.