Whether you purchase tomato paste in a can or make your own, you probably end up with leftovers. You can use the leftover paste over the next few days by planning ahead, but why not just freeze it? With very little effort, you will have tomato paste immediately available at any time, in single-serving sizes.
First, take a moment to consider what serving size of tomato paste best suits your cooking style. Most households find that either one tablespoon, two tablespoons or half a cup are the best size for its needs.
If one or two tablespoons is the size you need, spoon leftover tomato paste into an ice cube tray, filling each cup with the appropriate quantity. Place into the freezer.
If you need a larger quantity of tomato paste per serving, use a half-cup ice cream scoop, ladle or measuring cup to put a measured dollop of paste onto a baking dish lined with plastic wrap. Scoop out as many dollops as will fit onto the baking dish without touching each other. Place into freezer.
Whichever method you use, the tomato paste will be frozen in just a couple of hours. When the paste is solid, remove from the ice cube tray or baking dish and place the lumps into a plastic freezer bag labeled with the date, item and quantity size. Remove remaining air from the bag, then return it to the freezer.
The next time you need tomato paste for a soup or sauce recipe, just reach into your freezer! Drop the needed quantity right into your pot; it will melt quickly.
Frozen tomato paste will last up several months; up to six months with an airtight seal on the bag, especially if storing in a deep freezer. But when it's this convenient to use, chances are that it will be used up long before then!
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