Defrosting casserole question

[Peeps]

Last night I made an eggplant parm (yummy looking recipe posted by jphilg - thanks!) - I breaded and baked the eggplant, then layered the eggplant, sauce, ricotta, etc. but did not do the baking of the overall dish - I wrapped it up well and stuck it in the freezer.

When it comes time to use it, I'm wondering if I need to thaw it all day in the frig first before baking or would that make it too mushy? (Mushier than usual I guess!) It is in a Pyrex dish but I don't think it should go right from freezer to oven should it? (I don't want to crack the dish.) Should it sit for an hour on the counter and then bake?

Let me know what works best. I thought I was pretty good at the whole freezing/reheating thing but I guess I've never done an entire dish before!

Thanks!

[DmOrtega]

Most cassaroles do not need thawing, so I would go ahead and bake it without thawing it first.

[BlueMoose]

I always put them in the oven frozen. Sometimes I have turned the oven on when I put the dish in if I'm afraid of it cracking in the hot oven.

[Peeps]

Thanks guys - its good to know it doesn't need to thaw out first - less long term planning required!
I like the idea of putting it in the cold oven so it warms up gradually and won't crack the dish - I'll try that.

THANKS!

[rosen]

When I know I am going to freeze an entire casserole, I line the pan w/ foil first (you really just need a "sling" of foil, don't need to line the entire dish). Then I put the casserole in the freezer for a couple of hours till it is hard. I can then lift the "innards" out of the dish, wrap it well & put it back in the freezer. When ready to cook, I simply unwrap & insert the casserole back in the original pan to thaw & then bake. This way I haven't lost the dishe to the freezer & can keep on using it.