Best Soups to Freeze Recipes

[savingdogs]

I freeze soup all the time, that is a staple here.

The soups that don't freeze well are ones with a milk base, ones with noodles or potatoes. Rice ones seem to freeze okay.

I never use a recipe with my soups because I just create it based on the ingredients at hand, but I almost always use stock as a base and add from there, trying to balance colors, put in a little protein, and complimentary veggies and ad spices as they seem to fit. My best soups are the ones where I put refried beans and beef stock together as a base and add mexican spices and veggies and pre-cook some sort of meat, or add ground meat meatballs with cooked rice. The best soup I made was one like that, with carrots, zucchini, red bell pepper and diced green chiles and potato, and stinging nettles. Yummo!

 

[cabinchick]

I freeze soup all the time, that is a staple here.

The soups that don't freeze well are ones with a milk base, ones with noodles or potatoes. Rice ones seem to freeze okay.

I never use a recipe with my soups because I just create it based on the ingredients at hand, but I almost always use stock as a base and add from there, trying to balance colors, put in a little protein, and complimentary veggies and ad spices as they seem to fit. My best soups are the ones where I put refried beans and beef stock together as a base and add mexican spices and veggies and pre-cook some sort of meat, or add ground meat meatballs with cooked rice. The best soup I made was one like that, with carrots, zucchini, red bell pepper and diced green chiles and potato, and stinging nettles. Yummo!

What are stinging nettles??

 

[savingdogs]

It is a plant that grows wild here. But it makes GREAT soup stock flavor. It is somewhat like spinach but better.

If you have it around you, you KNOW, it is a stinging plant that literally burns and itches if you brush against it, immediately. So you learn about the plant if it is near you.

http://www.ehow.com/info_8075083_stinging-nettle-plant.html

 

[cabinchick]

It is a plant that grows wild here. But it makes GREAT soup stock flavor. It is somewhat like spinach but better.

If you have it around you, you KNOW, it is a stinging plant that literally burns and itches if you brush against it, immediately. So you learn about the plant if it is near you.

http://www.ehow.com/info_8075083_stinging-nettle-plant.html

Thanks for the link! I live in Northern Idaho and have forest/meadow on my property so I should have some of this plant. When I walk through the woods I always wear long sleeves/jeans and boots so I probably wouldn't have had it touch my skin. When you make your stock, are you using it fresh or dried?

 

[savingdogs]

I've used fresh, but people I know have dried it. I tried drying it but it didn't work out for me.

You harvest it in the spring. Later in the year, it is too tough and some of the medicinal qualities become too strong. I think in my area they said you could harvest it through April, but I was still harvesting some in early June this year, we had such a late spring. You cut off the top, tender parts, carefully using gloves. Once you wash it, it doesn't sting anymore. I have a friend who eats it raw in salads, but I have never tried it. In soup, it has a good texture and each time I use it as one of the "veggies", my family says, "This is your BEST soup!"

I would think it should be in your area. I have two varieties growing here. At this time of year they are tall, like five feet, and are a deep purple-green.

 

[Britesea]

I have read that stinging nettles are good for allergies, was that the medicinal qualities you were referring too? Would it be better to harvest later in the year for a medicinal tea?