When I make soup or stew, I make enough for an army, so I can freeze it for lunch or dinner and not worry about cooking during the week.
I found a great way to freeze individual portions without having to use so many plastic containers. I take the soup bowls that I would be eating the soup or stew in and spray it with a non-stick cooking spray like Pam. I then ladle in the amount for each bowl and place the bowls in the freezer to freeze. I usually have to do this in 2 rounds since there are usually 8 portions and I can't fit the 8 bowls in my freezer all at one time.
When they are frozen, take them out and place on the counter for about 5 minutes. You can then take a butter knife and "pop" them out of the bowl. I then stack them up in a large freezer bag and store back in the freezer. This way, when I am ready to eat them, I can just take out a serving of soup of chili, place it in the my bowl, and either microwave it or let it defrost at room temperature! Works great!
By Gina from Oklahoma City, OK
Put a baggie in your soup bowl, add soup to the baggie. Close loosely. When frozen, remove from bowl and store in freezer. To thaw, you can dunk it in a bowl of warm water until loosened from the bag. Then heat as you would any frozen soup.
I always make an extra large batch when preparing soup for dinner. I have a set of glass bowls that came with plastic lids.
I have a tip that I have been doing for many years now. Every late fall through winter I enjoy making huge pots of soup and freezing it into individual containers. Then when I want one, instead of having the same soup over and over again, I do some mixing and matching.
Freeze your homemade soup in plastic brick shaped containers. When they have frozen, turn them out and wrap in cling film or freezer bags.