Pasta, the Italian delicacy, is loved by all. It is also easy to make at home using the pasta sauce available in the markets. Many of us, at some point in our lives, ate something, knowing it was past the expiration date.
Sometimes, we do it by accident because it can be challenging to determine which items are worth tossing, especially if food still seems to be okay or the expiration date has worn off. In the case of a pasta sauce stored in your fridge after a few days, you might’ve wondered, “Can you get sick from eating expired pasta sauce?“
Although, it is not like eating expired food does not have any consequences. In some cases, however, consuming food a day or two before its expiration date is okay. Like in the case of Pasta sauce, If the sauce has been stored in an airtight container and kept away from heat, consuming it after the best-by date will not make you sick.
If your spaghetti sauce is getting close to the expiry date, you need to read how long is pasta good for in the fridge.
However, if the sauce smells odd and it looks bizarre, consuming it could cause nausea, stomachache, vomiting, and dizziness.
There are a few ways that can help you determine whether it is safe to eat the pasta sauce after the expiration date. If you see mold presence in the sauce, if it smells different, or if the color goes from red to maroon, the sauce has been ruined.
There is no guarantee of safety based on the best-by date on the past sauce bottle or jar. It only gives you a rough estimate of how long the product will remain in its prime quality. If the bottle is unopened, the pasta sauce will stay fresh for 3-5 months past its expiry. Eating expired pasta sauce won’t make you sick unless the sauce is spoiled.
In order to make sure that the sauce does not go bad, you can store it efficiently. After opening the can, transfer the store-bought sauce to an airtight Tupperware or glass container. The same applies to homemade pasta sauce. It will remain safe for a week on average. Consume within 2-3 days for the best flavour.
Suppose you want to extend the shelf-life beyond weeks, freeze-store the sauce. You can keep the sauce in the freezer for up to six months if placed in a heavy-duty freezer bag or an airtight container. Any pasta sauce stored at 0°F will stay indefinitely in the freezer.
Everything depends upon the type of sauce you’re storing and how you are storing it. It is essential to keep a check on the pasta sauce to prevent any health problems. If you think the sauce smells bad or the colour is disoriented, then you may throw it out.
We don’t recommend eating anything past the “best before” date without checking for spoilage first, but “best before” dates don’t line up with expiration dates, so the extra bottle of sauce may still be edible.
Although we don’t recommend eating anything past its expiration date without inspecting signs of spoilage, expiration dates do not always mean that the sauce is spoiled, so there’s a good chance your bonus pasta sauce bottle is still safe to consume.
It is best to take all the precautions and be careful about your health. Make sure to keep the “best before,” and the expiration dates in check. Also, store your pasta sauce as per your requirements. As mentioned above, if you hold it in a freezer in an airtight container, you can still eat the sauce.
