How to Cook Stouffer's Frozen Lasagna

Stouffer's lasagna and other frozen meals can come in handy when you're weary after a busy day. It's also nice to assemble and freeze make-ahead lasagna at home.

All brands of frozen lasagna come with directions on the package. The steps below describe how to warm a Stouffer's lasagna that is made with ground beef:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Leave the film covering on the tray, and don't vent it.
3. Put the tray on a baking sheet, and put the sheet on the center rack in the oven.
4. Cook for 70 minutes. (Because ovens vary, you may need to adjust the cooking time.)
5. Carefully remove the baking sheet. Let it stand 5 minutes before serving.

The following are directions are for warming the same type of lasagna in the microwave:

1. Put the tray in the microwave, and don't vent the film.
2. Cook on high for 9 minutes.
3. Remove the film, and cook on 50-percent power for 20 minutes.
4. Allow it to stand 5 additional minutes, to complete the cooking process.

When warming in the oven or the microwave, Stouffer's says to be sure the lasagna reaches 160 degrees F. The company also warns against reheating the tray, or heating it in a toaster oven.

Read more: How to Substitute Ricotta in Lasagna

Schwan's is one of the companies that makes frozen lasagna roll ups. Here are the heating directions for the oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spread ½ cup of desired sauce on the bottom of a 8" x 8" casserole dish.
3. Put 4 rolls in the dish and cover with an additional 1 ½ cup of the desired sauce.
4. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
5. Bake on the center oven rack for 45 minutes.
6. Remove the foil and bake an extra 15 minutes to lightly brown the rolls.
7. Allow to stand 3 to 5 minutes before serving.

The following are the heating directions for the microwave:

1. Lightly coat one lasagna roll with water, and place it in a microwave-safe dish.
2. Cover it with microwave-safe plastic wrap.
3. Cook on high for 2 minutes, and then remove the wrap.
4. Cover the roll with ¾ cup of desired sauce, and then replace the plastic wrap.
5. Cook on high for 4 ½ minutes.
6. Take off the plastic wrap.
7. Stand 3 to 5 minutes before serving.

It's easy to freeze make-ahead meals such as homemade lasagna. You have two options: Assemble them and freeze before cooking, or cook them first and then freeze to use another time. The first choice is preferable, because some cooks say mozzarella cheese in a cooked casserole doesn't reheat well.

Before assembling a freezer meal like lasagna, line the pan with aluminum foil, notes South Dakota State University. Once assembled, place it in the freezer. After it's frozen, remove it from the pan, then re-wrap it and return it to the freezer.

Attach the date and heating instructions to the frozen lasagna. Some recipes say to thaw the lasagna in the refrigerator a day ahead of time, while other recipes say to cook it immediately after you take it out of the freezer.

Read more: How to Make Oven-Baked Lasagna

If you'd like to freeze make-ahead meals, such as a cooked lasagna or a container of healthy chili, let them cool in the refrigerator before putting them in the freezer. For optimal results when reheating, use make-ahead meals such as lasagna within 3 months, advises the University of Kentucky.