Food and Recipes Holiday and Occasion Food 25 Fix-and-Freeze Soups and Stews for a Delicious Dinner Any Night of the Week By Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is an Editorial Fellow and Southern transplant by way of San Francisco, Boston, and Paris, France. She writes about anything and everything as it pertains to the South, but mostly home, food, and the occasional garden stories. Recipe reviews are a particular pleasure, as well as discovering the latest home trends.When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new Southern Living recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil.Marissa graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and a minor in French Studies. She still can't follow a football conversation but hopes her cheese straws make up for it. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 22, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Iain Bagwell Busy weeknights often leave dinner planning on the back burner. While you're shuttling the kids to and from activities during the week, it's hard to handle dinner prep, too. The juggle can get even crazier around the holidays. After all, you're already planning the perfect holiday menu. Who has time to cook tonight's dinner, too? That's when you head to your freezer and pull out a soup or stew you were thoughtful enough to prepare in advance. While you have a moment, get ahead of your fix-and-freeze needs with these delicious soup and stew recipes. With comforting dishes that'll take you from fall to early spring, these comforting recipes are sure to be a breeze to defrost and reheat when you're in a pinch. From hearty Beef and Butternut Stew to veggie-forward Black Bean Soup, we have something for everyone. Just follow our handy guide on how to freeze and store soup, and you're well on your way. 01 of 25 Chicken-Andouille Gumbo with Roasted Potatoes Iain Bagwell Recipe: Chicken-Andouille Gumbo with Roasted Red Potatoes You can't go wrong with this classic Southern dish to fill you up on chilly nights. We made it even heartier by adding roasted potatoes to the traditional mix of andouille sausage, Cajun seasonings, and veggies. 02 of 25 Spicy Blue Hubbard Squash Soup Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Spicy Blue Hubbard Squash Soup Coriander, cumin, and chili powder give this smooth soup a little spice. Pull it out of your freezer for an instant dinner upgrade any night of the week. 03 of 25 Carrot Soup with Pea Pesto Johnny Autry; Food and Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Carrot Soup with Pea Pesto Liven up any springtime supper with this Carrot Soup. Cloves and cumin spice the carrots and garlic, and a splash of cream adds just the right amount of richness. 04 of 25 Homemade Chicken Soup Photography: Victor Protasio Recipe: Homemade Chicken Soup Few things are as comforting on a cold night as chicken soup, and we think ours is pretty good. Of course, you might not have time to sit over a simmering pot every night, so cook up a big batch and freeze it for those especially chilly days. The whole family will thank you. 05 of 25 Instant Pot Creamy Root Vegetable Soup Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Instant Pot Creamy Root Vegetable Soup Brimming with carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes, this recipe has been dubbed the "king of cold-weather soups." Meals don't get any easier than this—after you've made everything in your Instant Pot, let the soup cool before freezing so you can have this hearty dish any time. 06 of 25 Acorn Squash Soup Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Victor Protasio, Prop Stylist Claire Spollen Recipe: Acorn Squash Soup Freezing this soup is a great way to have it on hand whenever you need it. Dedicate an afternoon to roasting, simmering, and pureeing enough for the whole week and dinner is ready to go. 07 of 25 Broccoli-Spinach Soup with Parmesan Croutons Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Broccoli-Spinach Soup with Parmesan Croutons To keep the vibrant color, make sure to blanch your vegetables before blending. If freezing, thaw overnight in the fridge, and toast the croutons to revive their crunch. 08 of 25 Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Bacon Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Bacon Velvety smooth? Check. Healthy? Check. Easy to prepare? Check. What's not to love about this soup? It's something you'll always want to have on hand in the freezer for everything from last-minute guests to weeknight dinners. 09 of 25 Instant Pot Potato Soup Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Instant Pot Potato Soup This is a soup that tastes like you spent all day making it, but actually comes together in a breeze. Now, that's something we want to eat every day. 10 of 25 Harvest Beef Soup Alison Miksch; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Harvest Beef Soup Edamame and kale add lightness to an otherwise heavy, comforting dish. You'll definitely want to freeze the leftovers—if there are any. 11 of 25 Basil Tomato Soup Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Basil Tomato Soup Basil adds a little zing to a classic. Make and freeze the soup ahead of time so that the day you want to serve it, all you need to do is reheat and garnish. 12 of 25 Beef and Butternut Stew Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Beef and Butternut Stew It's a stick-to-your-bones dinner you'll want to have on hand as the temperatures drop. 13 of 25 Slow Cooker Venison Stew Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Slow Cooker Venison Stew A little blackberry jam adds a subtle sweetness and balances out the Dijon and brown ale. 14 of 25 Instant Pot Rabbit Stew Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Instant Pot Rabbit Stew Rich and rustic, this stew is loaded with vegetables like leeks, peas, carrots, and thyme that make it delightfully refreshing—but comforting—on a thawing spring day. 15 of 25 Beef Stew Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Beef Stew Why tinker with a good thing? Chunks of beef and potatoes swim in a hearty brown gravy that'll freeze well, too. 16 of 25 Chicken, Apple, and Butternut Stew Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen Recipe: Chicken, Apple, and Butternut Stew Unfiltered apple cider lends a sweetness to this stew while also providing the thickening agent. It's a delicious blend of savory and sweet packed into one simple soup. 17 of 25 Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup Southern Living Recipe: Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup Make it in the slow-cooker then stash it in the freezer for your easiest meal yet. 18 of 25 Hoppin' John Soup Johnny Autry; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Hoppin' John Soup New Year's Day below the Mason-Dixon just wouldn't be complete without Hoppin' John Soup on the stove! 19 of 25 Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice Pick your pumpkin wisely and steer clear of the field varieties for this recipe. 20 of 25 Turnip Greens-and-Ham Stew Southern Living Recipe: Turnip Greens-and-Ham Stew Quick to make and easy to reheat, this stew is one that'll find its way onto your dinner table—and into your freezer—with increasing regularity. 21 of 25 Sausage-and-Collard Greens Stew Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Sausage-and-Collard Greens Stew A long stint in the slow cooker will ensure the greens become soft and tender, so be sure to choose something hearty to start with. 22 of 25 Beef Stew with Buttery Garlic Bread Photo: Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Beef Stew with Buttery Garlic Bread The slow simmer on the stove renders the beef meltingly tender. Make extra to freeze, but be sure to do the garlic bread fresh. 23 of 25 Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee Montiel Recipe: Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup Sweet potatoes and carrots give this soup a pretty orange hue. 24 of 25 Instant Pot Vegetable Soup Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Melissa Gray Recipe: Instant Pot Vegetable Soup Ready in just 35 minutes, this soup is great to fix and forget. 25 of 25 Chicken-and-Brisket Brunswick Stew Iain Bagwell Recipe: Chicken-and-Brisket Brunswick Stew Brunswick stew is always a crowd-pleaser in the South. We combine chicken and tender beef brisket in this hearty version. You won't be able to get enough. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit