Best Way To Freeze Soup?

[MamieCole]

Hi Mamas,

I just have a few quick questions. I am going to make a minestrone soup to freeze for my upcoming HB (my doula is a vegetarian and I figured minestrone would be one dish that would meet everyone's needs.)

I have practicallly zero experience with freezing meals and was wondering about a couple of things.

First of all, how well does pasta hold up when frozen in a soup and then reheated? Should I leave the pasta out and have DH cook it and add it once the soup is reheated or will the pasta be fine frozen then thawed?

Secondly, what sort of container should I use to freeze the soup? Freezer bag, tupperware container, other? We only have our small refrigerator freezer, so the less space taken up the better.

And finally, what is the best way to reheat? Does it need to be completely thawed first (like in water or the microwave) or just placed in a pot over low heat to thaw and warm at the same time?

Sorry if my questions are dumb, but like I said, zero experience with this freezing meals thing.

Thanks in advance!

[FarmerFemme]

I'm sure there a few fine ways to do it, but I am a fan of glass canning jars. A pint size is great for one serving and a quart is suitable for 2 good servings. I fill the jars with hot soup, leaving about an inch of space from the top, let it cool a while, then put a lid on it. I make sure it's upright in the freezer at least until it's frozen. With using glass, just don't fill it all the way as it will expand when frozen and don't put a hot jar in the freezer.

I pull mine out the day before using, let thaw in the refridgerator, and reheat on the stove. (I don't use a microwave.) I'm sure putting it in warm water or defrosting it in the microwave would be a shorter soulution.

As for noodles, I think small noodles like in minestrone, should be fine. Try not to overcook them in the first place and only reheat as much as necessary. No need to simmer second time around.

Best of luck!