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. Tomato Bisque with Tortellini 1\-1/2c diced tomatoes 1\-1/2c tomato sauce 3/4c bloody mary mix 1\-1/2tsp fresh basil 1/4tsp italian seasoning 2c heavy cream 1/4c chicken base 1/4tsp dried thyme 1/4tsp white pepper 1T sugar 1/4c grated parmesan cheese 1/2lb tortellini Combine all ingredients except tortellini and cheese in stock pot. Bring to low boil then remove from heat and add parmesan. Blend with stick blender or in food processor until smooth. Return to pot and simmer. Meanwhile cook tortellini in boiling water 5\-7 minutes or until tender, add to soup and serve, garnish with parsley flakes. My note: original recipe calls for 2T sugar, I reduced it because I dont like much sweetness. You can add more if you like 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. This one is in my "to try" file, it was posted by Ohiomom Tuscan White Bean Soup 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 small yellow onions, chopped 1 Tbsp. salt 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary 28 oz. can Roma tomatoes 1 pound dry white beans, rinsed and cooked 4 cups chicken broth 2 bay leaves 1 10 oz. package fresh baby spinach Salt & Pepper, to taste Heat olive oil in a dutch kettle, add onion, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and rosemary, sautee for 2 or 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, broth and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Rinse spinach in cold water. Add to pot, cover and cook an additional 15\-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Linda

Here's the recipe I use for Minestrone soup, which does call for a small amount of pasta, but the amount is so small that I do not notice it getting mushy: Minestrone Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup minced white onion (about 1/2 small onion) 1/3 cup minced celery (about 1 stalk) 2 chopped zucchinis, chopped 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves) 2 cups water or vegetable broth 2 tsp vegetable soup base (if broth is not used � dissolve in the 2 cups water) 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (or whole tomatoes pur�ed in can) 1/4 cup carrots, shredded 2-4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1 to 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable soup base 1 to 1-1/2 tsp vegetable soup base (dissolved in the water, if broth not used) 2/3 cup small shell pasta (orzo, or similar) 1-3/4 cups cooked red kidney beans, drained* 1-3/4 cups cooked small white beans or great northern beans, drained* 2 cups fresh or frozen baby spinach (optional) 2 tbsp tomato paste or 1 tbsp tomato powder salt, to taste, if soup base is not used Directions: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Saut� onion and celery in the oil for 4-5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. Add the zucchini and garlic and saut� a couple of minutes more. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus tomatoes, carrot, and spices. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add additional 1 cup hot water/vegetable broth (more, if needed), pasta, beans, spinach leaves (if desired), and tomato paste, and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Less water will be needed if the spinach is used. Add salt to taste, if you are not using soup base. I use Better Than Bouillon brand vegetable soup base or one that I get from a restaurant supply store. Use more parsley if you are not adding spinach. *Note: I use 7/8 cup of each dried bean to yield the amount needed and cook the beans earlier in the day or the day before in plain water with a couple of bay leaves. I simmer them in the same pan. Alternatively, canned beans can be used (14 oz can each), drained and rinsed. ------------- This soup freezes extremely well, but I have found that most bean based soups are best for freezing. If I am making an Indian style garbanzo soup that I want to freeze, I will use rice instead of potato. Lars

I find that "less to deal with at dinner time" is becoming my watchword :-) Fortunately, it is just me that I have to worry about and cooking a big meal late in the day is no longer anything I look forward to on a routine basis. In fact, eating a big meal late in the day is something I've grown away from....I'm seldom that hungry. Soups, stews, salads and sandwiches - and breakfast - are what I most often resort to for my evening meal. Or appetizers :-)

Minestrone to me is an Italian riff on the nourishing vegetable/bean/meat/grain based soups that are common in almost every culture around the world. The idea is careful preparation of simple, common, nutritious and inexpensive ingredients to make some type of comfort soup, which benefits from a little time spent melding on the back burner. My own signature soup is called "Vegetarian Comfort Soup" and is meant to have the role of chicken soup in my home, something comforting, healthful and made by a loved one. I make Vegetarian Comfort Soup with yellow split peas, and chicken style TVP and egg noodles. That's not minestrone in my book. Neither is chili, although it has many ingredients in common with minestrone. Chili gets the name from the seasoning but it can be used in a gazillion ways with several other kinds of complimentary seasonings. Chili peppers can even add zing to minestrone . . . Yesterday I made minestrone. The base was a classic soffritto of onion, celery and carrot. The beans were soaked great northerns. I can't get dried cannellini beans anymore at the grocery store. The broth was a little left over chicken broth mixed with some vegetable bouillon. The seasonings were garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaf. Some dried parsley and a couple of leaves of kale I had languishing in the fridge. I use almost exclusively dried herbs at this point, don't grow them yet and can't afford fresh, but a bouquet garni would have been nice too, very "authentic" country style preparation at this time of year. I added about three tomatoes from the garden that were getting past their prime and a half a can of V8 juice. These soups often have a highly seasoned inexpensive meat added. I'm mostly vegetarian but had two mild Italian sausages that were left over from a meal I made for my meat eating Dad and husband so I sauteed them, broke them up, drained and blotted the fat, and added them to the soup. I often chop up a few vegetarian sausages when I make this soup. I had some left over rice which I added to make the soup heartier, but it wasn't quite enough, so I added some orzo. It tastes fabulous, and the slow cooked layering of flavors and nutrition makes it the perfect comfort food to have made on a grey rainy day. In the interest of nutrition, I am now more prone to adding farro or whole barley or brown rice to these kinds of soups as opposed to pasta, but I still like pasta in them too.