In the mood to cook up a pot of your legendary homemade soup? Make life easy, later on, by cooking up a double batch. You'll be glad you did ­ especially on an upcoming night when you're not in the mood to cook.

Soups freeze well, defrost easily and often taste better the second time around. Reheating gives those special spices more time to blend into a rich and flavorful broth.

To freeze and reheat soup:

• Cool completely. To do this quickly, set your soup pot in a sink filled with ice water.


• Ladle into one-serving, airtight, microwavable containers.


• Slowly defrost soup in the refrigerator


• Reheat, in just a few minutes, in your microwave or very slowly simmer on the stove with the lid on to retain moisture.


• Most soups freeze well, for up to 3 months.

This hearty, tomato-based Italian soup is chocked full of fiber-rich veggies, potatoes and pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese.