Creamy Tomato Bowtie Pasta Freezer Meal Prep
A big skillet of creamy tomato pasta feels like a weekend dinner, but most of the work happens long before you sit down to eat it.
Fresh tomatoes and sliced garlic cook down in butter until they collapse into a thick, sweet sauce. A splash of broth loosens it and a pour of cream turns it silky and soft pink.
Freeze that sauce in blocks and dinner on a busy night is just a matter of melting a few of them and tossing in freshly cooked bowties.
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 20 minutes |
| Freeze time | 4 to 6 hours (hands-off) |
| Reheat time | About 10 minutes, straight from frozen |
| Serves | 4 |
| Keeps | Up to 3 months in the freezer |
Why Fresh Tomatoes Are Worth It Here
Canned tomatoes are handy, but fresh ones cooked down slowly give this sauce a brighter, sweeter flavor.
As they break down, their juices reduce and concentrate, so the sauce tastes rich without any tomato paste or sugar.
That concentrated base is also what makes it freeze so well. It holds its body in the freezer, and the cream keeps it smooth when it melts back down in the skillet.
Why Freeze the Sauce and Not the Pasta
Pasta frozen in sauce keeps soaking up liquid, so it reheats soft and dry. Farfalle only takes about 11 minutes to boil, so cooking it fresh costs you almost nothing.
Freezing the sauce in portion-size blocks also lets you take out exactly what you need. Two blocks make a quick lunch, while the whole tray feeds a family of four.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (about 3 pounds)
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to finish
- 14 oz farfalle (bowtie pasta), cooked fresh at dinnertime
You will also need a large skillet, a silicone freezer mold with 1-cup compartments, and a zip-top freezer bag to store the blocks once they are frozen.
How to Make Creamy Tomato Bowtie Pasta
Part 1: Make the sauce
1. Chop the tomatoes
Core the tomatoes and chop them into small, even pieces. Keep the juices on the cutting board and add them to the skillet too, since they carry a lot of the flavor.
2. Melt the butter
Set a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Let it melt completely before the garlic goes in.
3. Cook the garlic
Add the sliced garlic and stir for about a minute, until it smells fragrant. Keep it pale and golden, because browned garlic turns bitter.
4. Add the tomatoes
Tip in the chopped tomatoes along with their juices and give everything a good stir.
5. Cook until they break down
Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes collapse into a thick, jammy sauce. Press any stubborn pieces against the side of the skillet with your spatula to help them along.
6. Pour in the broth
Pour in the broth and stir it through the tomatoes. It loosens the sauce and adds a savory depth that water alone would not.
7. Bring it to a simmer
Let the sauce come up to a gentle simmer and bubble for a couple of minutes so the flavors come together.
8. Stir in the cream and season
Lower the heat, pour in the heavy cream, and stir until the sauce turns a smooth, creamy orange. Season with salt to taste, then take the skillet off the heat.
Part 2: Freeze
9. Cool and portion into molds
Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then pour it into a silicone freezer mold and freeze until solid. Cooling it first stops ice crystals from forming, which keeps the cream from turning grainy later.
Once frozen, pop the blocks out and store them in a labeled zip-top freezer bag. Your mold is then free for the next batch.
These are the 1-cup silicone freezer molds I use to portion every component. Get the freezer molds on Amazon.
How to Reheat and Finish
10. Add the frozen blocks to a skillet
Put the frozen sauce blocks straight into a skillet with no thawing needed.
11. Heat with the lid on
Cover the skillet and warm over medium-low heat until the sauce is hot all the way through, stirring once or twice as the blocks melt. The lid traps steam so the blocks soften evenly instead of scorching on the bottom.
12. Add the freshly cooked farfalle
While the sauce heats, boil the farfalle in well-salted water until just tender. Drain it and add it straight to the skillet.
13. Toss through the sauce
Toss until every bowtie is coated. The pinched centers and ruffled edges catch the sauce, which is what makes farfalle such a good match here.
14. Finish with black pepper
Grind plenty of black pepper over the top and serve right away while the sauce is at its creamiest.
Storage and Variations
The sauce blocks keep for up to three months in the freezer, so write the date on the bag. Once the sauce has been reheated, eat it rather than refreezing it, and keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.
For a heartier bowl, stir in cooked Italian sausage, shredded chicken, or a few handfuls of baby spinach at the end. A little grated Parmesan or a pinch of red pepper flakes on top is never a bad idea either.
