Tomato Cream Rigatoni and Fettuccine Alfredo Freezer Meal Prep
Two creamy pasta lunches, ready in five minutes, with nothing to cook on the day you eat them.
A batch of tomato cream sauce and a batch of rich Alfredo go into the freezer in neat blocks, and so does the pasta. In the morning you drop one sauce block and one pasta block into a glass container and head out the door.
By lunchtime the microwave melts it all into a silky bowl of rigatoni or fettuccine that tastes like it was just made.
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 25 minutes |
| Freeze time | 4 to 6 hours (hands-off) |
| Reheat time | About 5 minutes in the microwave, straight from frozen |
| Makes | 8 lunch boxes (4 rigatoni, 4 fettuccine) |
| Keeps | Up to 3 months in the freezer |
Why Freeze the Pasta in Blocks Too
Pasta frozen in its sauce goes soft and soaks it all up. Frozen on its own, slightly undercooked and tossed with a little olive oil, it stays separate and finishes cooking as it reheats.
Blocks the same size as the sauce blocks also melt in the same time, so every lunch box heats evenly. You can mix and match too, rigatoni with Alfredo one day and fettuccine with tomato cream the next.
Why a Glass Container Works Best
A square glass container goes straight from the freezer to the microwave and doubles as your bowl. Glass does not stain the way plastic does with tomato sauce.
You can also see when the sauce has fully melted, so you know exactly when it is time to stir.
Ingredients
Tomato cream sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 jar (24 oz) tomato passata (strained tomatoes)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Alfredo sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to finish
Pasta and topping
- 1 pound rigatoni
- 1 pound fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for tossing the cooked pasta
- Extra grated Parmesan, for serving
You will also need two saucepans, a large pot for the pasta, silicone freezer molds with 1-cup compartments, zip-top freezer bags, and microwave-safe square glass containers with lids.
How to Make Tomato Cream Rigatoni and Fettuccine Alfredo Lunch Boxes
Part 1: Make The Sauces And Pasta
1. Make The Tomato Cream Sauce
Soften the onion in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute. Add the passata, salt, and red pepper flakes and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream and Parmesan. The sauce should be a soft orange-pink and coat a spoon.
2. Make The Alfredo Sauce
Melt the butter over medium-low heat and cook the garlic for 1 minute, keeping it pale. Whisk in the flour, then slowly pour in the cream and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes until it thickens.
Take it off the heat and whisk in the Parmesan a handful at a time with the salt. That spoonful of flour keeps the sauce smooth after freezing instead of letting it split.
3. Cook And Cool The Pasta
Cook the rigatoni and fettuccine in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the package says. Drain, rinse briefly with cold water, and toss each with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Undercooking matters here. The pasta finishes softening in the microwave, so it ends up tender rather than mushy.
Part 2: Freeze
4. Freeze Everything In Blocks
Let both sauces cool to room temperature, then fill the 1-cup molds and freeze until solid. Press the cooled pasta into its own molds the same way, about a quarter of each pound per compartment.
Once frozen, pop the blocks out and store each kind in its own labeled zip-top freezer bag. That frees the molds up 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
Tomato Cream Rigatoni
5. Pop Out A Sauce Block
Take one tomato cream block from the bag. It should come out as a firm, clean brick.
6. Set It In A Glass Container
Lay the block flat along one side of the container so there is room beside it for the pasta.
7. Add The Frozen Rigatoni
Fit a block of frozen rigatoni next to the sauce. Keeping them side by side rather than stacked helps both thaw at the same rate.
8. Pack It For Later
Snap the lid on and the lunch box is ready to go. Pack it in the morning and keep it in the fridge or an insulated bag until lunch.
9. Microwave Until Melted
Set the lid on loosely and microwave for 3 minutes. Then heat in 1-minute bursts until the sauce has fully melted and the pasta is hot, usually 2 to 3 minutes more.
10. Stir It Together
Stir the rigatoni through the sauce until every tube is coated. If it looks thick, a splash of water or milk loosens it right up.
11. Finish With Parmesan
Grate a little Parmesan over the top and eat it while it is hot. The cheese melts into the warm sauce in seconds.
Fettuccine Alfredo
12. Set An Alfredo Block In The Container
Place one frozen Alfredo block along one side of a clean glass container.
13. Add The Frozen Fettuccine
Lay a block of frozen fettuccine beside it. The nest shape holds together until it heats.
14. Pack It For Later
Put the lid on and pack it the same way as the rigatoni.
15. Microwave Until Melted
Microwave with the lid loosely on for 3 minutes, then in 1-minute bursts until the Alfredo is melted and bubbling at the edges. Shorter bursts keep a cream sauce from splitting.
16. Toss Until Creamy
Use a fork to twirl the fettuccine through the sauce until it turns glossy and creamy. The noodles loosen up as you toss.
17. Finish With Black Pepper
Grind plenty of black pepper over the top. It cuts through the richness of the cream and Parmesan.
18. Twirl And Serve
Twirl a big forkful and dig in straight from the container.
Storage and Variations
The sauce and pasta blocks keep for up to three months in the freezer, so write the date on each bag. Once a lunch box has been reheated, eat it rather than refreezing it.
For a heartier lunch, add a few pieces of cooked chicken or Italian sausage to the container before microwaving. A handful of baby spinach stirred into the hot tomato sauce, or steamed broccoli tossed with the Alfredo, works well too.
