Using Freezer Bags
Wash the parsley. Rinse it in cold water and leave it to air dry. You can help it along by patting it dry with a paper towel. Be gentle, so the leaves don't break or bruise.
Remove the stems. Wait until the parsley is fully dry to remove the leaves from the stems. Keep going until you have a big pile of parsley leaves. If you'd rather keep the stems, skip this step and keep the parsley intact.
Roll the parsley into a ball. The key is to get it packed nice and tight, which will help to preserve it.
Pack it inside a freezer bag. Stuff the bag entirely full. Use a bag small enough that you can fill it up completely. Pop into the freezer.
Use the parsley as needed. When you need parsley for a recipe, all you have to do is scrape the side of the ball using a knife. Pieces will come off ready for use and you don't even have to chop it.
Making Parsley Ice Cubes
Wash and air dry the parsley. You can use a salad spinner or a paper towel to dry it faster.
Remove the parsley leaves from the stems. Separating the leaves from the stems will make the parsley easier to make into ice cubes.
Portion the parsley into separate ice cube containers. Fill each segment of an ice cube tray with parsley.
Top off the containers with water. Use as little water as possible - just enough to cover the parsley so you can make ice cubes. If you would prefer frozen parsley that has a stronger flavor when thawed, opt for olive oil (or another neutral flavor cooking oil) instead of water. While this means you'll add both oil and parsley to whatever dish you end up using it for, the parsley cube will melt into your dish faster when added directly, thereby reducing the risk that some parsley leaves will overcook while others are still frozen.
Place the trays in the freezer. Leave them there until the cubes are frozen. You can either leave the cubes in the trays until you're ready to use them or pop them out and put them in freezer bags. Stored in this way, you should be able to keep the parsley for around 2 weeks without significant flavor loss.
Thaw a cube whenever you need parsley. You can add the entire cube to a dish or let it thaw in a bowl and drain the water before using.
Freezing Parsley Pesto
Make pesto using your favorite recipe. Parsley freezes beautifully in the form of pesto, a blend of herbs, oil and nuts. Making pesto is a great way to preserve the bright flavor of parsley in the form of a convenient sauce that can be used to top pasta, salad, meat, or fish. To make pesto, do the following: Wash and chop 2 cups of parsley. Blend 1 cup walnuts or cashews, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 3 cloves garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Add 1/2 cup olive oil while the processor is running. Add the parsley and blend until smooth.
Scoop the pesto into individual freezer bags. Put the amount you'll use per meal in individual bags, so it will be easy to grab one and thaw it out when you need one. Alternatively, you can freeze pesto in an ice cube tray. Once pesto cubes are frozen, remove them from the tray and store them in the freezer in an airtight container.
Freeze the bags flat. Stack them flat until they are frozen solid. Once they are frozen, you can store them upright to create more room in the freezer.
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