Can you Freeze Cabbage Soup?
Cabbage soup is a great and perfect vegetable soup, mainly made with cabbage along with carrots, tomato, celery, and spices in just 45 minutes.
It can be so yummy either eating it as a part of a diet or add some more veggies.
This vegetarian soup contains cabbage and other different vegetables, along with the hearty veggie stock, but do the soup and vegetables have the same taste after being frozen?
The question is can you freeze cabbage soup? Yes, it is one of the meals that have almost the same taste after freezing and defrosting and is best to enjoy later.
It also gets soft and tender in the freezer, as a result, the soup will be tender after thawing and reheating. It is also perfect for cold weather and is easy with a light taste.
In this article, we will focus on how to freeze cabbage soup for long-term storage.
Let’s start.
What is Cabbage soup?
It is not much healthy, hearty and comforting as compared to cabbage soup. It is famous around the world from Russia to Ireland, to Germany to Italy and though there are several variations with one common thing, the soup is enriched with vegetables and cabbage swimming in an herb broth.
Benefits of Cabbage
- Possess many health properties like a high concentration of Vitamin K and C to improve digestion.
- A simple way to eat healthier.
- Budget-friendly.
- Gluten and dairy-free.
How to Freeze Cabbage Soup
There is not much preparation involved in freezing cabbage soup and it is really easy.
Cooling of soup
The first thing is to cool down the cabbage soup however, hot soup if placed in the freezer will defrost the food already frozen because it will increase the temperature around the bowl.
The soup should be left out either to cool down or give it a bath of ice-water along with constant stirring. The soup can either be divided into small portions to make it cool faster.
Making portions of soup
It is a perfect idea to divide the soup into bags of small size to enjoy quick meals and to intercept from defrosting a large quantity of soup. It is always a good idea to go for single sizes.
Freezer bag
Freezer bags must be used that provide maximum space for your desired batch as well as provision of some extra space for the expansion of cabbage soup on freezing.
Freezer-safe airtight containers
Freezer-safe airtight containers might also be used to freeze the soup. These hinder the entry of any other smell from the freezer entering into the soup and can easily be popped out to reheat the soup.
As compared to freezer bags, airtight containers take more space.
Cooking of cabbage for freezing purpose
For freezing purposes, cook the cabbage soup with vegetable al dente.
The cabbage along with other ingredients is cooked until a bit soft and crispy. The vegetables will get slightly soft when frozen and defrosted, so it is better to avoid overcooking.
If cooking cabbage soup for dinner and to freeze, the desired portion is removed for freezing just before cooking, and then continue cooking your dinner portion until the cabbage and all other vegetables are soft.
Labeling of freezer bags
Before placing the cabbage soup in the freezer, remember to label the airtight containers or freezer bags.
The label will save you from a lot of waste and hassle and also lose track of what is there in the freezer.
Label the soup with the recipe name along with the date. For further ease, add some garnishing and reheating instructions for when is the time to enjoy the soup.
Thawing and Reheating cabbage soup
It is also an important thing to do similar to how to freeze it. You can affect both the texture and taste during the process of thawing and reheating if done incorrectly.
Overnight thawing
You should place the frozen cabbage soup in the fridge to thaw overnight. The bacterial growth might be affected and allows to defrost the soup gently.
Ways of defrosting
There are 2 options to defrost the cabbage soup.
- Microwave
- Stove
Microwave
This method is the quickest one to heat the soup again. You should avoid heating the soup at full power either take it slow for better reheating.
- For 1 minute, stir the soup around and place in the microwave at almost 70% power. The soup is removed from the microwave, mix and allow to sit for a minute.
- Put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds again at full power and allow it to settle for 30 seconds.
- Taste the soup to check the warmth of the soup and if not, again place it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Stove
It is probably the best thing to reheat the cabbage soup.
- After overnight thawing in the fridge, place the soup in the soup pot and place it on the stove.
- On a low medium heat warm the soup with on and off stirring.
- As soon as the soup begins to steam and is warm, take it out in a bowl.
- Season the soup with cooking.
How long can I store cabbage soup?
You can store it well in the fridge and the freezer. The soup must be sealed properly in the plastic container and store in the fridge.
If stored properly, the cabbage soup has a shelf life of more than 5 days.
It can be reheated in the microwave or stove.
The shelf life of the soup
The frozen soup can be stored in the freezer for more than 6 months however, the soup stored for a much extended period will not have the same quality.
The best temperature for quality assurance
To maintain the quality, store it below 0 degrees F constantly and should be kept safe at this temperature indefinitely.
Storage material
The soup must be stored in a tightly sealed freezer bag or airtight container to make sure no excessive moisture, odors or air comes in contact with the frozen soup.
Thawing Cabbage Soup
The defrosted cabbage soup can last for more than 4 days but if you reheat it after defrosting, it should be eaten as soon as possible and not be refrigerated again.
How to tell the signs of spoilage?
It should be immediately thrown away it has an off smell, a sour taste, or any appearance of mold growth.
How can I freeze raw cabbage?
Blanch the cabbage before placing the raw cabbage in the freezer. Blanching preserves the flavor and keeps the cabbage crispy.
Blanching
Boil the water for 1 ½ minute and then place the blanched cabbage in ice water. Pat dry the cabbage and store it in the freezer bags or take a cling wrap and wrap the cabbage tightly.
Shredded cabbage
You do not necessarily have to blanch the shredded cabbage before placing it in the freezer.
On to a baking tray, place the shredded cabbage and freeze it for few hours.
After freezing, divide the shredded frozen cabbage into smaller portion freezer bags.
Cabbage soup recipe
Ingredients
- Diced onion ½
- Minced, garlic cloves 2
- Chicken or vegetable broth 8 cups
- Salt 1tsp
- Dried thyme ½ tsp.
- Pepper ½ tsp.
- Head cabbage ½ chopped in about 1 ½ inch chunks
- Peeled, sliced, medium carrots 4
- Celery, sliced thinly 2 stalks
- Can stewed tomatoes 14 1/2 oz.
Instructions
- Cut and chop the vegetables.
- In a large resealable freezer bag or silicon bag, place the vegetables and other ingredients.
- Remove extra air, seal, and freeze.
Cooking instructions
- Cut and chop the vegetables.
- In a large stovetop pot, place bag contents and heat on medium flame until comes to low boiling.
- Turn the flame down and simmer for half an hour.
How to make Cabbage soup in the slow cooker?
All the ingredients are added to the slow cooker and mixed. We set the cooker on high flame for four hours and on low flame for eight hours. The soup is ready when it smells amazing and the veggies are soft.
How to make Cabbage Soup in the instant pot?
All the ingredients are added to the pot and mixed. We have to lock the lid and the high temperature is set for 10 minutes, then allow the pot to release naturally for more than 15-20 minutes.
For some extra flavor, sauté garlic, onion, and spices before the addition of other ingredients however, this is not necessary.
Types of soups you should avoid freezing
Every soup is not ready to freeze. The soups that should not be frozen are:
- Soup with Grains or Pasta
- Vegetable-Heavy soups
- Dairy-based soups
- Half- Blended soups
- Potato soups
What to serve with cabbage soup?
- Black Pepper Bacon Biscuits
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Classic Wedge Salad
- Garlic Bread
Conclusion
Besides healthy benefits, cabbage soup is an inexpensive meal that can be easily made at home in large quantities. Frozen and thawed cabbage soup has the same wonderful taste as the fresh one and is perfect for planning meals ahead and freezing it in smaller portions to properly store in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best way to freeze soup?
The most perfect way is to cool down the soup by using an ice bath. Take a zip-top plastic freezer bag and pour the soup in it and stack it in the freezer.
2. Is cabbage soup good for weight loss?
Yes, it is the best way to lose some pounds. It limits the calories drastically.
3. How long can you keep cabbage soup?
It will last for 4-5 days in the fridge when stored properly.
