Filling the Freezer - Soup For Fast and Easy Lunches

NOTE About freezing soup: I got a comment that expressed concern about the bags leaking. This is what I do and I've never had a problem:

I buy really good bags. I usually use ZipLock brand freezer bags but this time I used Hefty One Zip Click. They seem to be study so I don't think there will be a problem. 

Always cool whatever you're going to freeze before you place it in the bag. 

Leave 1 to 2 inches of head space in the bag. 

Remove as much air as possible. 

Freeze the bag flat.

When defrosting place the bag in a large bowl or a pot just in case it does leak.

I usually eat a salad for lunch but some days, especially when the weather begins to cool off, I get a hankering for soup. So today in anticipation of cooler weather I've been in the kitchen cooking up a few pots of soup. I divided the soup into serving size portions and put them in freezer bags. Now when I want something besides salad I can pull a bag from the freezer and I'll have lunch in no time!

I started with this

Ingredients to make 
Vegetable Soup
Sprouted Split Pea Soup
Roasted Tomato Soup

And now I have all of this!

Six bags of vegetable soup, 3 bags of roasted tomato
and 7 bags of Split Pea 

Tips for batch cooking and freezing:

• Start with a clean kitchen.
• Look for common ingredients in recipes. In this case all three soups used onions and celery sauteed in oil. I cooked enough at one time for all the recipes.  
• Make sure you have freezer bags on hand. Use good ones! 
• Prepare your freezer bags before you fill them. 
• Write the date, contents and any additional directions needed on the bag. Don't rely on your memory!
• Freeze bags flat so they can be stacked in the freezer. 
• Freezing the bag flat will also speed the defrost time.

To defrost soup:

To use the frozen soup remove a bag from the freezer and allow it to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. You can also put the frozen bag in a large bowl and fill it with cold tap water. Allow the bowl to sit out on the counter. The bag should defrost enough that you can empty the contents in a pot and heat on the stove. As a last resort if you're really in a hurry you can pop the bag in the microwave and use the defrost setting. 

Recipes

Vegetable Soup

Makes about 12 cups of soup.

(If you're doing Weight Watchers this is a zero point soup if you don't use the oil. The oil is minimal so I don't think it counts much)

1 onion chopped

1 celery rib chopped

1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 head cabbage, shredded (or 2-3 cups leftover cooked cabbage with the juice)

2 zucchini, chopped in bite size pieces

2 yellow squash, chopped in bite size pieces

2 carrots, chopped in bite size pieces

16 ounce bag of frozen green beans or the equivalent of fresh

16 ounce container of vegetable broth

Saute the onion and celery in the oil for a few minutes until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on medium until the veggies are tender. You may need to add additional broth or water to make it as soupy as you like. 

Roasted Tomato Soup

Makes about 6 cups of soup

Except for the oil this is a zero point dish. Even with the oil points should be minimal. If you choose to add milk or cream when reheating that will add points. 

Roasting the tomatoes brings out the sweetness and intensifies the flavor. It's worth the extra step and time. 

See the little bits of black? That's from roasting. It makes the
tomatoes sweet. You won't need any sugar to cut the tartness.

1 small onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil (divided)

2 cans of whole tomatoes (I threw the cans away but I think they were about 28 ounces)

Vegetable broth to thin the soup with

Drain the tomatoes and reserve the juice. Put the tomatoes on a baking pan and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and add the chopped garlic. Roast in a 475 degree oven for about 40 minutes. The tomatoes will burst open and the juice will get thick and blackened but not burned. 

While the tomatoes roast saute the onions and celery in 1 Tablespoon olive oil until they are tender. Add the reserved tomato juice and allow to simmer. 

Once the tomatoes have roasted dump them in the simmering juice. Scrap the bottom of the baking dish to get all the goodies into the soup pot. Add vegetable broth to thin the soup and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Run the tomato mixture through a food mill to remove the seeds. 

Prepare the freezer bags by writing the contents and date and the directions to add (if desired) 1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk when reheating. 

Divide the tomato soup into quart size freezer bags and freeze flat. 

Sprouted Split Pea Soup

Makes about 14 cups of soup

(1/2 cup cooked split peas is 2 points)

Can yo see the tiny white sprouts coming from the peas? That's what your
looking for.

It isn't necessary to soak split peas but it will allow them to sprout a little. This increases the nutrients in the peas and some say it makes them more digestible. 

2 pounds of dried green split peas (about 4 cups)

8 cups of liquid (I use water but you can use veggie broth or a combination of broth and water)

1 small onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil 

2 carrots, grated

Prepare the peas by rinsing and sorting. Place the peas in a large bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak 10 to 12  hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the peas 2 or 3 times during the soaking period. (More if you allow them to soak longer than 12 hours but don't allow to soak for more than 24 hours or they could mold.)

In a large soup pot saute the onions and celery in oil until tender. 

After sprouting rinse the peas well and add to the soup pot along with the liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook on low for 30 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt. Continue cooking until the peas are tender and the liquid is thick. (Total cooking time will depend on the dried peas. The older they are the longer it takes to cook.) Add the grated carrot during the last 5 minutes of cooking. 

Cool the soup and divide into freezer bags. 

So there you go. A little work in the kitchen will save me time and keep me away from the fast food restaurant at lunch time!

Happy Eating!

Patti

BTW I've lost 1.8 pounds since I started my 6 pounds down by Thanksgiving Challenge. I hope to be at 154 by Thanksgiving day:-)

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