Oh wow, just noticed you are making all of these yourself? They all would benefit from a few things waiting until the heat and serve time...a half hour before party time. (keeps cooking during the party even on a simmer) Cheese, cream/milk, coconut milk, herbs, etc. Basically anything that is added last in the recipe that says "add last and bring to temp and serve". Canned corn is kinda dead tasting and usually full of sugar. Frozen, added morning-of, would be better. Puree half of it for creamed corn. Side bowls of fresh herbs, limes, cilantro, grated cheese, croutons, toasted slices of baguettes, tortilla chips...even if it is already in the soup, folks like to customize their bowl, :) (tortilla added to the soup gives a nice flavor and breaks down in the broth and really good, but adding half later is nice for the texture) Almost all soups freeze just fine as leftovers cooked all the way as a recipe even with a pasta or rice...but do taste like a leftover. Holding off an ingredient or two will give it some freshness, like the chopped kale or fresh chopped tomatoes. When i thaw leftover soups, i always dig in the fridge and look for something fresh to add, like a fresh frozen salsa, pesto, shelled edamame... You are on the right tract by holding off what makes sense. Keeping the list and menu planned and organized for what goes into where and when can be tricky. (imagine what a restaurant chef goes through all day, every day! yikes) -don't mean to be anti-canned goods, but most of those recipes passed around are coming from the big manufacturers of processed foods, so the same flavors can be made with much fresher ingredients without the chemicals and fake flavors.

Lpink, I freeze Loaded Baked Potato Soup (Sharon's) with no problems. It's made with milk and uses a roux. I don't freeze green onions/leeks so that ingredient may give a less than ideal result if frozen. But, if the potatoes are not good - your final product (soup) won't be any better than the ingredients used to make the soup. :( Potatoes are cheap, maybe start over with fresh good quality potatoes? /tricia

This is one of those situations where you have to decide on the level of risk you are comfortable with. The guidelines would strongly recommend the under-processed jars this old (beyond 24 hours and especially 5 weeks old) be disposed of intact without opening. This is because of the safe presumption that botulism toxin has developed in the contents and out of concerns for contamination of other surfaces during the attempt to salvaging the contents. Identifying and Handling Spoiled Canned Food That's the official position. The choice is yours as to whether to follow it or not and any MFP is required to advise you to do so. Just be very careful doing whatever you decide to do. So all I can add is that some of your rationalizations will hold up to safe scrutiny, others that you mention don't. mold is not the issue 2 .botulism toxin has no odor or appearance change 3. It is true that the toxins can be destroyed with 10-15 mins. of boiling but the spores themselves are not so the food is not sterilized. 4. Only pressurized cooking/canning will kill the spores themselves. 5. Some foods would deteriorate by further pressure cooking/canning but this is a particular food which would not be harmed in any way by reprocessing. 6. Freezing does not neutralize either toxins or the spores much less kill them, only pressure can do that when done before freezing. So read the above linked guidelines and make a well-informed decision. Dave

Freezes great. May look a bit different when thawed, meaning not your first soup, but it might need a wiz in the blender or a stick blender. I like to heat and blend with something fresh like parsley or cilantro, or a topping of yogurt mixed with a bit of feta or goat cheese. No need really but just to boost the freezer flavor if it gets a bit separated. Usually heat in a sauce pan takes care of that. Some nice toasted croutons or toasted slices of bread. Even just a half cup of milk or coconut milk adds a nice flavor boost. Freeze in pint containers so you get more meals out of it.