Can you freeze leftovers?
Yes, you can freeze leftovers
Best quality within 2 to 3 months, depending on the kind.
with meat, fish, poultry, or egg
Up to 2 to 3 months
without meat, fish, poultry, or egg (such as cooked vegitables, rice, or potatoes)
Up to 1 to 2 months
pizza
Up to 1 to 2 months
What the freezer time means
Freezer times from USDA FoodKeeper are about quality, not safety. Food kept frozen at 0 F (-18 C) stays safe indefinitely; what changes over the months is texture, moisture and flavour. Wrap leftovers tightly, press out air, and label the pack with the date so the window above is easy to track.
Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter. Anything that thawed in the fridge can be refrozen, with some further loss of quality; anything left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should not go back in.
Storage habits that make the difference
Refrigerate deli and prepared foods within two hours of purchase or cooking, in shallow covered containers for faster cooling. Use most within three to four days, and reheat leftovers until steaming hot before eating. Freeze portions you will not finish in time, and label them clearly with the date.
Can you freeze other deli & prepared foods?
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.