We freeze soup all the time. Make a huge pot and put half of it in the freezer. Sometimes we use Tupperware or Rubbermaid, but most often we just let the soup cool down and package it in ziplock freezer bags. Lay them flat on a cookie sheet until frozen, then just stack them.

3-4 days is just about right for homemade soup (if it lasts that long!). Same for previously frozen.

You can make soup in a slowcooker, but we prefer to just use a dutch oven or stockpot.

You don't really need a recipe for the type of soup you are thinking of making, but I'm sure there are lots out there. Sounds a bit like minestrone. I'd start by sauteeing or sweating some chopped onions and garlic in a bit of oil, pour in a few cans of crushed tomatoes and a few cans of water. Season to taste (you can be as crazy as you want here), maybe adding some vegetable bouillon. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, adding any vegetables you want, and the pasta. Barley would be a nice addition too, but you'll want to cook that in the broth for a while before adding your veggies.

This is a nice recipe from the Food Network. Just add tomatoes and it should fit for your needs:

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Vegetable Soup

I think I could live off just soup...with some bread and cheese, of course.

To try to answer your questions:

1)Is it possible to freeze soup?
Most soups freeze just fine. Depending on their state when you put them in the freezer, sometimes pasta and rice can be a little mushy when thawed - if you put them in overcooked already, then they can be a little mushy. I will often leave out the potatoes in a soup before freezing, then add cooked, cubed potato to the portion when heating it after freezing. Potatoes can be mushy also after freezing.

A container the right size for one serving for you with a tight fitting lid is the best. Be sure and label the carton with type of soup and the date frozen.

2) Soup is best eaten within 3-4 days after making it. I would not keep a soup in the fridge for a week. Most soups that I freeze I keep for 3 months or less. The quality can decrease the longer it is frozen. I would eat thawed soup within 2 days - that's the reason for a single serving container.

3) If you need to buy a big pot for making soup, I would buy a stock pot first and later a crock pot if you wanted one. An 8 or 10 qt. stock pot is plenty big and can handle smaller quantities as well.

4) This minestrone soup recipe is very good. You can sub vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Jamie's Minestrone
Submitted by: Jamie
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 842 members Prep Time: 35 Minutes
Cook Time: 50 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings
"I created this soup after becoming tired of the excess salt and lack of veggies in canned minestrone. I recalled a great bowl of minestrone that was overflowing with rich vegetables at the 'Sheepherder's Inn' in Sacramento, California. Great with a hearty bread, romaine salad and a nice Merlot!"
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
5 carrots, sliced
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cups water
4 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
1 cup canned kidney beans,
drained
1 (15 ounce) can green beans
2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
3 zucchinis, quartered and
sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh
basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup seashell pasta
2 tablespoons grated
Parmesan cheese for topping
1 tablespoon olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. If desired add red wine at this point. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.
3. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until tender. Drain water and set aside.
4. Once pasta is cooked and soup is heated through place 2 tablespoons cooked pasta into individual serving bowls. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Spray with olive oil and serve.

We often have enough left for a couple of servings and I usually fill a 1 qt. canning jar with it then freeze it and thaw it when there's only a couple of us here for lunch/dinner. If you still do buy some in the store I think Progresso makes soups that are 0-1 Weight Watcher points. Don't know about the salt/perservitive content though but I heard their really good.
Mindy

I'm another in the freeze soup league - although I normally don't make large amounts of soup/stew/chili at a time - it's easy to make 1/2 recipes, or smaller since I'm the only one in the house who eats it.

I have a bunch of small plastic containers that I freeze single-serving amounts in. Once they are frozen, I pop the soup-cube out of the container, stack the cubes and vacuum seal them in FoodSaver bags. That way I can take out one serving or more, as needed, and re-seal the bag. That also frees up the containers for the next kind of soup.

I also tend to make concentrated soup (less water) and add more water when I heat them up. This takes up less space in the freezer.

Here's a favorite soup, and it just happens to be vegetarian. I also make it adding some "Better Than Bouillon" Chicken Base or substituting some of the water with homemade (or canned) chicken broth, for non-vegetarians. -Grainlady

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY'S BEAN SOUP
(Christie Brinkley has been a vegetarian since she was 13 years old.)

1 c. uncooked dry navy beans
2 T. olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 medium baking potatoes (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
2 large carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1-1/2 c. sliced cabbage
1 T. finely chopped fresh parsley
2 t. vegetable-flavor instant bouillon
1 bay leaf
6-8 cups water

Soak beans for 20 minutes in enough lukewarm water to cover.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until tender.

Drain beans. Add beans, potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage, parsley, bouillon, bay leaf and 6 cups water to Dutch oven; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until beans are tender. If necessary, add additional water during cooking for desired consistency. If desired, salt to taste.

Yield: 6 (1-1/2 cup) servings.

rivkadr:
I usually make a large batch and freeze in square Plastic Containers, all the same size.
They hold about 2 servings and stack easily. I label and date each.
They are about 2 1/2 inches high and 7 inches square.

Here is a recipe for Wedding Chicken Soup. A lot of words but really easy.

There are many variations to this soup and everyone has the best
Recipe. Some like white meat, while some prefer only dark meat.
You can add Spinach ,Escarole , or what ever you like.

Ill just do my thing here and you can do yours ( in addition to )
Most of the time I use a 10 Quart pot, so there is a lot left over
For Care Packages to take home. But here I broke it down smaller.

Ingredients:
Use a 6 Quart Pot

Put in 4 Quarts of Hot Water
4 tablespoons of Chicken Flavored Soup base
( add more; to taste, when almost done)

Add all this to the water and simmer:
1 Whole chicken or 8 Thighs
2 Stalks of celery , sliced in half and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 Carrots Quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
½ Cup of tomato chopped small, or crushed tomatoes.
1 Cup of onions , chopped small
4 Garlic Cloves, cut small or 1 teaspoon of Powder
1 heaping tablespoon of Parsley flakes
¼ teaspoon of Oregano
An Italian Pinch of Rosemary
1 glass of Wine (for the cook )

Cook ½ lb. o f Sea Shells , Noodles in water with,
some Soup Base added. I think Ditalinni is Traditional .
Drain well when cooked.
Or you can use Spaghetti # 9, broken into 3 pieces .
Add to finished soup and simmer a few minutes.
An alternative to using Soup Base with the 4 Quarts of water,
is to use 2 Quarts of your favorite Chicken Broth
And 2 Quarts of water. Add some bullion cubes if needed.
When the Chicken is cooked tender enough to pull the meat,
Take It out of the pot , let it cool and remove all the meat,
from the bones. Carefully check for any pieces of bone.
Cut this meat into pieces about 2 inches by ¾ inch pieces.

Add the Chicken back in, when the Carrots are getting soft.
Along with 1 lb. of cooked meatballs. ( about ¾ inch round )
Simmer another 10 minutes

When the vegetables are almost done , you can add some cut
Spinach or Escarole or leave it out.

Add salt and pepper, or more Chicken Flavored Soup Base to taste,
After the macaroni is added. You can also ad more Garlic Powder to taste.
ThatÂs It !!!!! Sounds like a lot of work but itÂs easy , with the wine!!!
Bouno Appetito , LOU

You'll find that if you saute your onions, celery, carrots, etc., before you add the liquids, the soup will be tastier.

Here's a link to The Vegetarian Society. It gives info on how to make vegetable stock and also has soup recipes. Hope this helps!

The key as teresa nc7 says, is to freeze in individual containers, and label with date and kind of soup. I'm another who freezes soup (and lots of other things too) because I like to take leftovers to work for lunch but don't like to eat the same thing too many days in a row.

Potatoes can get mushy when frozen so I just dice my potatoes very small when I know they'll get frozen and it sort of reduces that problem. It's because the water tends to separate out of the potato when frozen and that changes the texture (I figured that out when I froze mashed potatoes once, ugh, it didn't work).

If you're making large batches to try to use up ingredients, I'd probably gather up recipes that use somewhat similar ingredients and make two or three different soups with them. That way you could still make smaller batches but also use up your ingredients.

I don't have any recipes to contribute mainly because soup (for me) is one of the easiest things to just make on the fly. Start with a broth, you can do a veggie broth (veggie broth bases & cubes are readily available), then throw in whatever veggies sound good or whatever needs using up (I use fresh and/or frozen veggies). Add in spices and simmer. Once the veggies have cooked to the texture you like, bring to a boil and throw in your rice or noodles.

If you want it to be tomatoey, you can add in tomato sauce or a can of diced tomatoes. If you want it to be creamy, add milk or sour cream. Instant mashed potato flakes make a great thickener.

I freeze large quantities of soup...wealth is having lots of soup in your freezer!
But if you are going to use soup base, you might as well use canned soup...it's as full of artificial stuff and preservatives as the canned stuff.
I start with meat or a bone or chicken wings and add veggies...
You can't really go too far wrong!
Linda C

Ps:
rivkadr:

You can leave out the Chicken Soup base.I add that for a little boost.
It only amounts to about 1/4 teaspon per serving.Out of that, how much is bad ???

I use the whole Chicken, because it is; I think, the most economical way to go.
You can take the white meat out, after it is cooked and make Chicken Salad.

I make Chicken Stock with whole Chickens. Then use the Chicken as I want.
Lou

She's a vegetarian, remember?

AAH!!!
Tomato soup!
Sautee a large onion, cut up in about 2 T olive oil, add 4 stalks of celery and when all is getting soft, add 2 cloves of chopped fresh garlic and the finely chopped stems of a bunch of parsley.
At this point you could add 2 big cans of tomatoes, not those in puree or tomato paste....but I would rather you scald and peel about 7 or 9 fresh tomatoes, cut them up and add to the pot.
Now add a roasted red pepper cut into slivers, and about 5 fresh leaves of basil chopped.
Simmer covered, for about 15 minutes and serve topped with gresh ground red pepper, if your diet allows.
Linda C

I freeze soups all the time, and I agree with the others that pasta and potatoes tend to lose their texture when frozen and thawed. I would make the base and add those when ready to serve.

Here are a couple that we like. You can sub veggie broth for the chicken in any of them.

Winter Tomato Soup
Source: Marie-Pierre Moines French kitchen
Serves 4

2T butter
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
1 leek, washed and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small head celery, trimmed and chopped
6 large ripe tomatoes, blanched ,skinned and seeded (or 1 large can tomatoes)
½ tsp each dried thyme and oregano
2 tsp finely snipped basil
1 heaping T flour
1 quart light chicken stock
1 egg yolk
4 T heavy cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Ad onion, leek, carrot and celery. Season and sauté 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in tomatoes, the dried herbs and half the basil. Cook for one minute then sprinkle the flour, stir and cook 2-3 minutes longer.

Pour in stock and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, partially cover and cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave the soup to cool a few minutes, then process in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and adjust seasoning.

In a bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream. Stir in a ladleful of the soup, then stir mixture into pan over low heat until piping hot. Stir in the remaining basil and serve immediately.

Ribollita
Courtesy Giada DeLaurentis

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling on bread
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 ounces pancetta, chopped (you could omit)
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (15-ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
3 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan rind
4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise or 1 loaf, sliced
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the spinach, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

10/20/07 my notes: I would use just a tad less spinach, and maybe chop it finer. I also chose not to use ciabatta rolls and made garlic croutons from a baguette instead.

We eat a LOT of soup. My parents always ate it twice a day. You're right; the canned kind are very high in sodium. But it is SO easy to make yourself. After you get your confidence with a few recipes, do improvise -- you practically can't ruin it, so put in whatever leftover vegetables you have, and experiment seasoning with any leftover gravies, sauces, or even jams. You'll get some great surprises. If you are unsure, mix a little in a bowl before doing the whole pot.

I always make big batches, and I always have bags of various sizes in the freezer. Comes in very handy not only for a quick meal at home, but to give to a family in crisis. Soup is not only an easy meal for them during a busy time, it is so comforting! I hear of an illness or death, I drop off soup. I throw soup at problems! (Now there is a vivid image for you.)

Anyway, in my experience, most soups keep for several days, even over a week, in the refrigerator. Indeed, most soups taste better after a day or so; I make a point of making most of my favorite soups at least a day ahead. They keep a LONG time in the freezer (except potatoes can get weird).

This is a soup my grandmother made. My cousin passed on the recipe to me, and she is a vegetarian (and I assume she changed the rice to brown rice). It has rice instead of pasta, but otherwise meets your criteria (anyway, lots of one vegetable). I guess the tomato juice has sodium, though. You can make this soup with or without meat. This soup is the most comforting comfort food I know -- no matter how bad things seem, a bowl of this soup makes you feel it's going to be all right!
Eat, eat ...

Nana Hattie's Cabbage Soup

46 oz. can tomato juice
1 head of cabbage, cored and cut up
2-4 handfuls yellow raisins
1 handful brown rice
[optional:
1 large can tomatoes
short ribs or other beef]
sugar or artificial sweetener
lemon juice
sour salt (citric acid)
about 2 c water

Combine everything in pot. Make it really sweet and sour with sugar/sweetener, lemon, and sour salt. Cook 1 1/4 hour with meat or 45 minutes without.

Opps! A veggie tarian . I missed that.