Freezer soup packs
A frozen pack on low in the slow cooker means dinner is ready when you get back.
Practice swallows the afternoon and you will not be home to cook at dinnertime.
This soup only gets better reheated, so a pack waits in the slow cooker while you are out.
Ingredients
Makes about 10 cups (serves 6) for freezer taco soup packs, with about 25 minutes to cook, then freeze built into the plan.
- 1.5 pounds ground turkey or beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning and 1 packet ranch seasoning
- 2 cans (15 oz each) beans (black and pinto), drained
- 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes and 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 cups broth
How to Make It
Before practice noise takes over, get freezer taco soup packs to the point where serving feels easy.
- Brown the meat, then stir in both seasoning packets.
- Add the beans, corn, both cans of tomatoes, and broth.
- Simmer 15 minutes; this is a dump-and-simmer soup, so it is hard to get wrong.
- Cool completely before freezing.
Freeze It
A bean-and-corn soup like this freezes perfectly and there are no noodles to worry about. Freeze it flat.
- Freeze flat in labeled bags or quart containers (best within 3 months)
- Leave a little headroom for expansion
- Single portions thaw faster than one big block
Thaw and Reheat on Practice Night
Reheat from frozen on the stove or in the slow cooker; it only gets better.
- Stovetop from frozen: covered pot with a splash of broth, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring
- Slow cooker: a frozen pack on low for 4 hours during practice
- Microwave a single portion from frozen, 5 to 6 minutes
- Serve with: shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, avocado
Parent Tip
Set out the toppings so each kid customizes their own bowl.
Make It Fit Tonight
Small Tweaks That Help This Dinner Land
Make it meatless with extra beans
Swap the meat for a third can of beans for a vegetarian pot.
Add a can of green chiles for more heat
Bumps the spice for the adults' bowls.
Serve it over rice as a burrito bowl
Ladle the soup over rice to stretch it further.
Use it as a nacho or taco topping
Drain a scoop and spoon it over chips or into shells.
Stir in cream cheese for a creamy taco soup
Melts in for a richer, milder bowl kids love.
Plan The Next Step
Freeze a batch
Use the planner to simmer a big pot of taco soup and freeze it in packs.