Can You Freeze Soup With Noodles?
A yummy bowl of noodle soup on a wintry night, or a creamy noodle soup for your supper. Is that what comes to your mind, when you hear soup with noodles? Or maybe you think of a unique noodle soup recipe that you cook the best? Anyway it is delicious, isn’t it?
Anything that is delicious, not only fills the stomach but also fills the heart, right? You must be making noodle soup, and I am sure you have thought of preserving the soup for later use. But can you store noodle soup for later? Can you freeze soup with noodles?
Well, yes it is safe to say that you can freeze soup with noodles. While some people prefer not to freeze the soup because the noodles absorb the broth and get mushy. And yes, this might alter the texture and flavor of your soup.
The flavor will be altered because a soup with submerged noodles will not taste good. However, if you are unbothered about the noodles getting mushy, freezing is one of the best ways to preserve the soup for later use. Continue reading till the end for more details.
How Do You Freeze Soup With Noodles?
Now you know that noodle soup is freezable, even though it is not very freezer-friendly, I will tell you the best way to freeze the soup.
Check out the following steps to freeze your noodle soup at home:
- Prepare your noodle soup and keep it aside at the counter for cooling. It is very crucial for the dish to cool completely, otherwise, it might catch up with freezer burns.
- Once the soup with noodles has cooled completely, transfer it into freezer-safe airtight containers. You can also use ziplock bags, but containers are preferable.
- Because the soup is liquid in form, it will likely expand when frozen. Therefore, leave a little headspace while filling the containers.
- Also, if you have a lot of soup, it is better to use smaller containers to freeze the soup in smaller portions.
- Next, seal the containers adequately. Label them with appropriate contents and place them in the freezer. Your noodle soup is ready to freeze.
This is the best way to freeze leftover soup or if you have prepared extra noodle soup. However, if you predominantly intend to freeze your soup, my suggestion would be to not put the noodles. This will freeze better. You can always add the noodles later while reheating it.
Does Soup With Noodles Freeze Well?
No, soup with noodles certainly does not freeze well. Yes, while you can store them in the freezer, it is very likely that the noodle soup will not turn out as you expect. It is very natural to expect a proper noodle soup, where you can separate the noodles when you defrost them.
However, that is something that does not happen when you freeze the soup. Freezing can create a mushy mess. By mushy mess, I mean that the noodles will soak the broth and thus turn mushy when you defrost the noodle soup.
As a result, the soup will lose texture and flavor. You would definitely not want that to happen, right? So, while it is technically possible to freeze soup with noodles in it, you should be aware of the consequences as mentioned.
How Can You Protect The Texture Of The Noodle Soup?
Now you know that freezing will surely turn the noodles in the soup mushy, which will result in a degraded texture and flavor. Preserving is done to keep the food item for longer, and not hamper the quality of the food.
While freezing noodle soup is perfectly safe, you will be disappointed if it turns mushy later. What you can do to avoid this is to freeze the soup without the noodles. Yes, prepare the broth, or base of the soup, and freeze it accordingly.
Doing this will not only protect the texture of your soup but will also provide you with a delicious bowl of noodle soup when you defrost and reheat it later. Also, this process of freezing the soup without noodles can be applied to chicken noodle soup.
How Do You Defrost Soup With Noodles?
The best way to defrost your frozen noodle soup is in the refrigerator. Remove the frozen soup containers from the freezer, and keep them in the refrigerator overnight or at least for 8 hours to defrost. This will provide enough time for the soup to defrost gradually.
If you need to defrost the soup faster, what you can do is use a water bath. Yes, let the soup thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours, and then fasten the process by placing the container in a water bath. Remember soup defrosted this way will have to be consumed within 1 day.
Also, never defrost the soup in a microwave or on the stovetop. Yes, you can surely reheat the soup in a microwave or on a stovetop after it has defrosted, but they are not ideal for defrosting. Lastly, consume your defrosted and reheated soup within 1-2 days for best results.
