As I said yesterday in my Chicken Soup with White and Wild Rice recipe post, when I think of fall I think of soup. I love to freeze leftover soup in individual portions so I can enjoy it on another day, and then another, and then another. These individual portions are great to whip out for lunch or thaw for dinner on a hectic day.
The one problem with freezing soup is that I used to freeze it in plastic containers. That took up SO much space in my freezer meaning I had to send some ice cream to the reject bin. I loved the idea floating around on the wonderful world of Pinterest for freezing soup into "pucks". Problem is, I don't have a silicone muffin pan, and I really don't want to go buy one when I have a box of freezer bags in my drawer. Freezer bags are a little tricky to get the soup into without making a giant mess, so I have a little picture guide to make your soup-freezing life simpler (really...maybe I should get out a little more).
Slip your freezer bag (I was out of them the day I took pictures and used regular bags) into a tall glass or other cylindrical (check out that word) shape. I used my Pampered Chef Measure All Cup so that I could see the amount on the side. Using a spoon or other weighted object to push the bag further down into the glass.
Pour or ladle desired amount of soup into bag. Seal pressing as much air out as possible.
Label and include date that you made the soup. I like to use frozen soups within 2-3 months of them being made/frozen.
Place those bags in the freezer and jump for joy over having a ready made meal in the freezer (no really I want to see jumping).
A few reheating tips:
If you want to use it quickly without much time for thawing - immerse the bag in cold water to allow the food to thaw enough to remove from the bag. Then immediately heat in the microwave or on the stove-top.
Otherwise, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and use within 24 hours.
If thawing a cream based soup, be ready to see some separation of the soup. Fix this by simply whisking it back together while heating.
What are your favorite soups to freeze?
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