Winter

Make Freezer-Friendly Soups Now to Thaw on Snow Days

January 15, 2018

Hot soup on a cold day just makes sense. But running out and getting ingredients when your car is buried in snow? Not so much. No, you want to stay snug in your bed, watching flakes float down into puffy piles while listening to Bon Iver until noon. (Just me?) And, with the help of your freezer, you can have hot soup at the ready and laze around, too.

From thick purées to garlicky broths, it’s hard to find a soup that doesn’t freeze well (although it’s best to avoid potato or dairy-based recipes). After simmering a big pot, freeze soups in quantities you can quickly thaw, like quart-sized containers (and make sure to leave an inch at the top because liquid expands as it freezes). When you’re ready to eat, place the soup container in a warm water bath until fully thawed, then turn it into a pot. If you're impatient, you can thaw it until you're able to loosen the frozen soups from the sides, then pop it out into a pot. Either way, warm the soup over medium-low heat, stirring to keep it from scalding.

Good news: soup keeps for up to three months in the freezer, so if you make a batch now, you're set all winter long. Here, we've gathered 14 recipes to make now, freeze, and thaw when you're snowed in. You can worry about shoveling out the car later.

What do you do on snow days? Share your perfect plans in the comments below!

Order now

A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).

Order now

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • Ttrockwood
    Ttrockwood
  • Robby H
    Robby H
Katie is a food writer and editor who loves cheesy puns and cheesy cheese.

2 Comments

Ttrockwood January 15, 2018
I make a pot of soup every weekend all winter, a few servings become lunches/dinner and the rest goes to the freezer. I make a vegan african stew with sweet potatoes, black beans and peanut butter that is really hearty and freezes well. Right now there's also a coconut milk curry butternut squash stew and some vegan hot and sour soup with extra veggies and lots of tofu.
 
Robby H. January 15, 2018
The best part of soup on a snow day? If that's done, you can putter about making homemade bread to go with it because you've got the bulk of dinner done.