Can You Freeze Lentil Soup For Later?

I could eat soup at least once a week, if not more. I adore the concept of slowly heating delicious ingredients in a pot, letting those flavors intensify, and then eating the finished soup with crusty bread. Even in the middle of summer, I could feast regularly on chicken tortilla soup and cool gazpacho (just don't call it cold tomato soup). My boys, however, don't share my passion. While soup on the menu here and there is perfectly fine, my husband and son are definitely more part the meat and potato fan club than the soup one. So whenever I make soup, I make extra to freeze just for me. Through trial and error, I've found that when properly frozen, certain soups freeze better than others, and one of the best to make and freeze is lentil soup.

Lentils are legumes, which are notoriously sturdy even after they're cooked, frozen, and thawed. There are many ways to prepare lentil soup, and most of them can be stored in the freezer, whether stuffed with vegetables, contain meat like sausage, or both. Whatever your recipe is, you should never skip this crucial step if you plan on freezing your lentil soup: Cool it to room temperature before placing it in freezer bags or airtight containers. Also, don't fill the containers to the brim — there needs to be a little room for the soup to expand once it's frozen. If stored properly, it should keep in the freezer for up to six months.

Having soup in the freezer is the best. Just thaw it out, heat, and you've got dinner. Chicken soup, split pea, and lentil soup are all excellent to make in bulk so you can freeze some for busy nights or lazy days. But before you freeze clam chowder, understand that not all soups freeze equally well.

Soups that contain pasta have a different consistency when they're frozen and reheated. The pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid, turning the pasta mushy and the liquid starchy. If you're freezing a soup that contains pasta, leave the pasta out and only add whenever you're reheating it. 

I adore a good creamy soup. That silky consistency of Zuppa Toscana and corn chowder is comfort in a bowl. But when creamy soup is frozen and reheated, the cream often separates from the liquid. Yes, you can whisk it, but you'll risk damaging the structure of the rest of the ingredients. If you like a creamy textured soup, make red lentil soup. Red lentils break down more than other types of lentils, giving soups a thicker, creamier consistency.

Potatoes are an ingredient in a lot of soup recipes (including lentil soup), and while there's a correct way to freeze potato soup, some potatoes freeze better than others. Russets can become logged with liquid in the freezing and reheating process and disintegrate. However, sweet potatoes are sturdier and hold up better when it comes to surviving the freezer.