Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
Anyone else have a Halloween candy hangover? I woke up the day after and decided I really needed to get back on track before the holidays. Making a gigantic batch of filling veggie soup seemed like a brilliant idea to start getting my act together. So, over the weekend I jam packed anything I could think of that would be healthy, filling, affordable and tasty into my trusty slow cooker. This is a sponsored post.
Of course, a girl can only eat so much soup. I figured it would be really great to refrigerate some to nosh on now and then freeze the rest so that I can just grab it out of my freezer whenever I need something filling to curb my holiday cravings. I have a feeling I'll be reaching in there VERY frequently. That's why I was really excited to finally get to try the FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing System. I've really been intrigued by "freezer cooking" lately and this seemed like just the right tool to make sure my food is safely preserved until we decide to eat it up.
How to Freeze Soup with Food Saver
So, let me walk you though the part where Food Saver can help preserve something such as a huge delicious batch of soup. First off, I am using this model: FoodSaver® FM200 Vacuum Sealer to seal up my soup and Quart Sized FoodSaver® Bags. Directions to do all of this are included with the sealer.
Step One: Pre-Freeze. In order to seal liquids and soups, you will need to pre-freeze them first. It seems daunting, but it's surprisingly easy. You can do this by adding your soup to a casserole dish, loaf pan or an ice cube tray. I used a large casserole dish that has a cover to keep it protected. Once it was frozen, I let it thaw for about 5-10 minutes so that it was just softened slightly so that I could cut through it easily. You don't want any liquid though, so you'll need to time this just right.
Step Two: Cut into Bricks. Cut your frozen soup into "bricks". You will need to leave 3" of space between the soup and the top of the bag in order to seal properly, so make sure to cut your frozen soup accordingly. I was able to make three bricks from my large casserole dish of frozen soup.
Step Three: Seal your soup. Load the open end of the bag into the Vacuum Channel on the FoodSaver®, close and latch it. Turn the lever onto the "Operate" position, the power light will turn on. Then, press the "Vac/Seal" button. The sealer will do all the work and in just seconds, your pouches will be air tight and sealed. Wait 20 seconds between processing each bag to allow for cooling. Repeat until all of your soup has been sealed.
These soup "bricks" layer very nicely to stack in your freezer which is a another wonderful perk. Space saving, yay!
According to the FoodSaver® Storage Guide, prepared soups that are sealed with this vacuum sealer will last 1-2 years. Typically it would only last from 3-6 months. This is a huge difference.
Step Four: Heat and eat. So, you're ready to dig into your freezer stash of soup! Simple cut a corner of a bag and place in a dish in the microwave or drop into water at a low simmer (below 170° F). That's it!
Now, just in case you want to make that veggie soup, here is the recipe! Feel free to swap out any ingredient or herb, just note that the ingredients listed will fill your 5 quart slow cooker right up to the top. This is no frills, I opted for frozen vegetables to keep my cost down and to keep it quick and easy. No chopping involved, if you appreciate shortcuts, I think you'll appreciate this recipe!
Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 16 oz Frozen Broccoli Cuts
- 16 oz Frozen Cauliflower
- 16 oz Frozen Carrots
- 12 oz Frozen Onions
- (2) Cans or (1) large can diced seasoned tomatoes (I used Rosemary and Oregano)
- 8 Cups of Vegetable Broth (I used 2 boxes)
- 1 Can Kidney Beans
- 1 Can Black Beans
- 6 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 2.5 Tbsp. dried rosemary
- 2 Tbsp. garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- A 5 Quart or Larger Slow Cooker is Needed.
Instructions
- This is easy, just add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker. Cook on high for 6 hours. Cool and serve.
There are many reasons why being able to seal foods could be beneficial such as just prolonging the freshness of veggies or bulk food for example. Reducing waste is also key to not throwing hard earned dollars along with it out to the trash. That's why I'm really excited to be able to give one of these awesome sealers away to a lucky reader!
WIN IT!
Leave a comment to share why you would like to try a FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing System!
Try freezing the liquids first, then vacuum sealing.
A good friend of mine has one of these ~ and she swears by it!. I don't know about saving $2700... but wait a minute, come to think of it, now that I think about it, with it's being just the two of us now, we probably would save a bundle!
Its a true win-win ~ not only saving scarce dollars - but also I absolutely hate waste. I consider it a to be a sin against all who are going hungry. It's just wrong.
Thanks for this very thoughtful and generous giveaway!
I would love to win this and save on not ruin food
We like to stock up on sale items at the grocery store, but too often meats end up getting freezer burn. I would love a food saver to help me save more money and waste less food.
I could use one with all the meat we buy&put in the freezer,most times those zipper bags don't work. The FoodSaver could help me out a lot.
We always have leftovers and would like to freeze for other days use.
Would love one because I buy in bulk a lot.
I want this food saver because it will help up keep leftovers and save on the budget
because I would love to cook meals ahead and freeze them, seems like when I use regular freezer bags the things end up freezer burned.
It is just me and my husband at home now and this would be great for resealing items that have too many portions in a package.
i wanto to have it to keep food fresh
I would so love to with the sealer! I've never had one and I'm constantly trying to find options to make plan ahead meals or buy in bulk for my family!
I used to love my vacuum sealer...unfortunately mine just died 🙁 Seeing your post reminds me how badly I need to replace mine 🙂 Thanks for linking with us at #Foodie Fridays!!
I make a lot of freezer meals and having a sealer would be much more efficient than trying to squeeze the air out of a zip top bag,
I would love to have a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer because we buy our food in bulk and love to go to pick-your-own farms, and a sealer would ensure that none of the food went to waste or spoiled
thanks
I had one years ago and loved it! It keeps you from wasting food and is great if you feeze ahead!
I make a couple of homemade soups in the winter, so this would be great for that!
I buy my meat in bulk and the food saver would be perfect for when I get home and seperate it
I'd like to win to make hubby some meals in advance when I'm too busy with work.
I would like to have it so that I can freeze meat and other things. Would like to be able to buy larger packages of meat and then divide them up into individual servings and freeze them.
I want to win because we use our FoodSaver so much it's about to wear out! We love it!
I would like to have a food saver so I can buy in bulk and save money.
We waste so much food and Vacuum Sealer would help so much!
i would love to have this so i can buy food in bulk and freeze it or later and save alot of money,
IT WOULD SAVE ROOM IN THE FREEZER FOR ME
I would ,love to win this because I am a foodie at heart and I would LOVE to have one of these to help me keep my treats a little longer! I need this so bad!!! Thanks for sharing your post and giveaway!
I would like to buy meat and cheese in bulk without worrying about them spoiling.
I would love to have a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer so I can go to the Farmers Market and put a lot of fresh stuff in the freezer now for winter.
I would like to buy more in bulk and freeze so it lasts longer
I often find myself wasting food so I would love to win this!
I would like to have one to lock in freshness so foods will last longer.
for less freezer burn and more freshness
I buy large quantities of meat for my big family and divide them up into how much we need for each meal to save money. This would be very helpful to me for organizing my freezer better.
Oh my gosh, this would save me so much time and money, the possibilities are endless!!!
I need a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer to stop the freezer-burn!
I have a household of 5 adults going to work, school and events. Everyone has a different schedule. Having meals prepared and vacuum sealed to pick from would be easy!
I am so used to cooking for 4 people and now that my children have left the nest, I always have left overs. I would use this daily.
I could use this every year when I harvest my hops.
so we can save more food!
I would love the Food Saver Vacuum Sealer so I could freeze fresh fruits for smoothies. Thanks
Most of the meats that we buy in our home are bought in bulk.
I would love to win this so that I know that all of the air has been taken out and I wont have to worry about freezer burn.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
I would love to buy food on sale and be able to seal them for use at a later time.
I would love to have this to stop all the freezer burn I get now.
I have wanted one of these for a long time - it would be really useful to take advantage of meat and veggies on sale.
Thanks for the giveaway… we would love a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer because we are not happy with the "freezer bags" we purchase at the grocery store for long-term food storage; on several occasions the "zip lock" has let in air, ruining the taste of items we have frozen.
I want one to keep my food fresh!
I would love to have this because we preserve a lot of food from our garden and the local farmers market each year. I would love to be able to vacuum seal some of it.
Oh, I would love to have a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer! I can't work, so we only have one income, and I do my best to run a frugal household. I'd love to be able to make food ahead and preserve it longer. I could take advantage of sales at the grocery store, I could avoid wasting food, and I could cut back on the processed foods we buy.
This would be so nice for me a my hubby for we are disabled and save all left overs to help get by and we have lots them with just the2 of us.
We are hunters and this would allow me to preserve our meat for the winter.
I'd like to win one because they can save you a bunch of money by sealing your food for storage
i want to win so I can stop wasting food. it would help save money and time.
I want to eat healthier and save money!
I would like to have a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer so that the food I buy in bulk will last longer.
We have a small garden so this would be a great way to keep my veggies fresh, also I work seasonally, so I would love to have this to make up meals on the weekends and then have them ready for the family during the busy work week.
Would love to make meals ahead of time and have them well-sealed!
I would love this. It would help food last longer and save money!
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I'm tired of food being spoiled!
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I want a food saver vacuum sealer so that I can freeze more from our garden and also deer meat. We freeze some things now but they have to eaten pretty quickly or they will get freezer burn.
I would love to have a Food Saver to store and freeze stuff from our garden!
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we always have left overs, as I can only cook in bulk, so this would be such a money saver for my family!
I would love to have a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer because I live alone and food goes bad quickly if I cannot eat it.
I have used a Food Saver for years until mine recently stopped working . A Food Saver has saved me tons of money on groceries as it makes my food last longer as well as I freezer a lot of meal leftovers as well as make freezer meals to be cooked later.
I want to eat healthier and this will help me in my goal!
I make a big batch of chili and freeze in smaller portions. The Vacuum sealer would be perfect to keep my frozen food fresh!
So I can buy groceries in bulk.
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we get a lot of fish when we go fishing this would be great to save them in the freezer ..
With my son away at college, in his own apartment, I precook a lot of meats and freeze them for him to use. Traditional Ziploc bags don't protect the food as well as I would like.
I would like to have one so that I can keep my food fresh for a longer period of time
I would love to have a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer to save money on food. I hate to see food that I spend large amounts of money on go to waste.
My husband hunts wild game, and this would be great to package the meat with.
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I'd like a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer because I shop once a month usually and some times freezer bags just don't cut it.
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I'd like to have this to freeze seasonal fruits and veggies.
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I'd like to use it to keep cheese fresh
Like most people, we waste so much food. I have been wanting one of these for years. Thanks so much for the awesome chance 🙂
this would be perfect for freezing fresh fish hubby brings home from his fishing trips
I would like to win because it keeps food fresh 5x longer. I feel like we waste too much food at home.
My main reason would be to save money. I would love to be able to make food and freeze and have meals ready to eat.
This would save me lots of freezer space
With just Hubz and me mostly at home now, it would be so convenient to make regular, family sized recipes and save some for another meal.
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I would love to have a food sealer to save leftovers or so that i can make extra and know that i can seal it well and put future dinners in the freezer
Would love to have a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer, because I buy meats in bulk, and I make ahead meals.
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I buy in bulk, this would be a great way to keep meats fresher, longer, in the freezer.
Now that my husband is out of work we only go shopping once a month and this would help me to be able to keep my food fresher longer until my next trip 🙂
I would like this food saver because when I buy in bulk it would be much easier for me
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I would love to have one because we buy food in bulk from warehouse, a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer would be very helpful.
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thank you
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I need new mine is dead please help thank you
I need a new Food Saver Vacuum Sealer 'cause my old one is about to die.... can't live without one!