How to Freeze Soup to Save Money

Freezing soup can save money and provide you with a steady stream of healthy meals.

You can save money by making a big pot of homemade soup and freezing it. Then you can have homemade soup any time you want! Any soup can be frozen, including cream based soups. When the soup is done, let it cool a bit. Put it in the refrigerator until it cools off completely. Then it will be ready to freeze using one of the steps below.

Instructions

1. Freeze your soup in zipper style freezer bags. You can use the large bags to freeze a family size portion of soup or you can use small bags to make handy individual servings of soup. Just be sure you do not lay the bags directly on any type of rack in the freezer because it can freeze around the rack, which will make it difficult to remove. If you have a rack, simply put a paper plate down first, then stack the bags on top of each other. To serve the soup, run the bag under hot water -- the frozen soup will just slip right out of the bag. Warm it on the stove or in the microwave and serve.

2. Freeze your soup in plastic containers. Simply pour the soup into any size container, leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the top to give the soup room to expand when it freezes. You can take out the container and let it thaw, or you can run the bottom of the container under hot water and the soup cube will just pop out. Then heat the frozen soup on the stove or in the microwave and serve.

3. Freeze your soup in the pot. If you are making a big pot of soup to serve at a party or to bring to a pot luck dinner and you want to get it ready in advance, just make the soup at your convenience then freeze the whole pot. You just need to be sure you have room in your freezer and be sure the pot has cooled completely before you put it in the freezer. Take the soup out of the freezer two days before you use it and let it thaw in the refrigerator. If you need to thaw it quickly, simply put the pot on low heat on the stove top. When it has completely thawed, just heat and serve.

References

• The Gracious Bowl: Tips on Freezing, Storing and Reheating Soup