Instant soups and cups of noodles are a convenient work-and-school-day lunch and easy lazy-night dinner, but let’s be honest about them: they rarely taste great, and most of them are pretty bad for us. Let’s find a better way, shall we? Here to help us is The Domestic Geek, and her solution is totally genius: make-ahead homemade soups in mason jars! Just add hot water, and you’ve got a healthy, delicious meal that puts the store-bought kind to shame. Watch how they work.
5 SOUPS IN JARS
You’ll Need
Miso Noodle Soup
– 1 to 2 teaspoons miso paste
– 1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
– ½ teaspoon ginger, peeled and freshly grated
– 2 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
– ¼ cup carrot, julienned or grated
– ½ cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
– 1 cup kelp noodles (or tofu-based shirataki noodles)
– 1 green onion, finely sliced
Coconut Curry Soup
– 2 tablespoons coconut milk
– 1 tablespoon red curry paste
– 1 tablespoon peanut butter
– 2 teaspoons fish sauce
– ½ teaspoon ginger, peeled and freshly grated
– 1 teaspoon brown sugar
– 1 teaspoon vegetable base
– ½ cup cubed tofu or cooked shrimp or chicken (optional)
– 1 cup rice vermicelli noodles
– 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
– 1 green onion, finely diced
– ½ lime, juiced
Vegetable Minestrone Soup
– 1 to 2 teaspoons chicken or vegetable base
– ¼ teaspoon oregano
– 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
– ½ cup frozen vegetables
– ½ cup canned beans, rinsed and drained
– 1 cup zoodles (zucchini noodles)
– Fresh parsley
Chicken Rice Soup
– 1 to 2 teaspoons chicken base
– ½ cup cooked chicken, diced or shredded
– ½ cup cooked rice or quinoa
– ½ cup frozen peas and carrots (use frozen because they’re already par-cooked)
– Fresh dill and parsley to taste
– Salt and pepper
Sausage, White Bean & Kale Soup
– 1 to 2 teaspoons chicken base
– ½ cup turkey kielbasa, finely diced
– ½ cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained
– 1 cup baby kale, roughly chopped
– Red pepper flakes, to taste
– Salt and pepper
How To
- Cook any chicken, seafood or hard veggies beforehand. If you’re using noodles like traditional pasta or ramen that require cooking, cook them to al dente.
- Stack your ingredients in your mason jars. Put the wet ingredients on the bottom, followed by the heartier ingredients, and ending with the most delicate ingredients on top.
- Refrigerate your soup jars until ready to eat! Any soups with chicken or seafood should be eaten within a day or two, while vegetable ones will last a little longer.
- When you’re ready to eat, remove the jar from the fridge and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then pour in hot water, and enjoy! Be sure to let the jar sit out, as pouring hot water into a cold jar can cause the glass to crack.