Meals in a jar are great for the holidays! Not just as a homemade gift but as a way to help with all the holiday cooking. Really, who doesn’t need a quick, throw-together meal these days? And this Hearty Butternut Squash Soup is just the thing for chilly weather. This recipe is made with freeze-dried ingredients which means it’s shelf stable and can be stored for up to a year under certain conditions.
Where to find freeze-dried ingredients
You might be wondering, “where do I find freeze-dried ingredients to make ‘meal in a jar’ recipes?” I get my freeze-dried food from a company called Thrive Life* because I really love their quality and variety of foods. Now, you don’t have to use Thrive Life for these recipes but I don’t know if the other freeze-dried food companies carry the same ingredients.
Check out my freeze-dried food article to learn more about how freeze-dried food can help cut down on plastic in your kitchen.
Ingredients for the Hearty Butternut Squash Soup
This recipe makes 2-3 servings. The butternut squash is a bit bulky so that’s all I could fit in a quart size mason jar.
You will need:
- 2 cups freeze-dried (FD) butternut squash
- 1/2 cup FD potato dices
- 1/2 cup FD mushroom slices
- 1.5 Tbsp FD onion dices
- 1 tsp dried minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp FD butter
- 1/2 cup FD diced beef
- 1.5 Tbsp beef bouillon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
- Pepper and ground thyme to taste
Optional: If you want a bit more color in the soup, swap out a 1/4 cup of butternut squash for 1/4 cup FD green peas.
Optional: sprinkle the soup with Swiss cheese for even more flavor.
Directions to make the soup –
Put all of the ingredients in a quart size mason jar and cover with a lid. Its best to store the jar in a dark, cool place like a cupboard or pantry till you are ready to use it. To cook the Hearty Butternut Squash Soup, bring 4-6 cups of water to a boil. Use more or less water to get the thickness you want for your soup. Add contents of the jar to the water and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Serve with a nice crusty bread.
Note: If you’re going to store the jar for longer than 2 months, it’s recommended to use a mason jar vacuum sealer to keep it fresher longer (here’s my favorite video tutorial for the sealers).
If you’re giving the jar as a gift, be sure to attach a recipe card!
Hearty Butternut Squash Soup – Meal in a Jar
Equipment
- 1 Quart Mason jar (can be regular or wide mouth)
- 1 lid for your jar
- 1 2-3 quart pot for cooking
Ingredients
- 2 cup freeze-dried (FD) butternut squash
- 1/2 cup FD potato dices
- 1/2 cup FD mushroom slices
- 1.5 tbsp FD onion diced
- 1/2 cup FD diced beef
- 1 tbsp FD butter powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
- 1.5 tbsp beef boullion
- black pepper (to taste)
- ground thyme (to taste)
- 2 tbsp shredded swiss cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a quart size mason jar and cover with lid. It's recommended (but not required) to use a vacuum jar sealer if you are storing the jar for longer than 2 months.
- When ready to make the soup. Bring 4-6 cups of water to a boil (more or less depending on your desired thickness of the soup).
- Add jar contents to the water and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Serve with a nice crusty bread
- Optional: sprinkle with shredded Swiss cheese
Notes
Hope you enjoy this soup recipe! Let me know your thoughts on it in the comment section below.
I will only recommend products that I personally use and love and hope can be of benefit to others in their sustainable journeys. (*) Indicates an affiliate link where Sustainable Pursuits llc may receive a small compensation for product recommendations. See full affiliate disclosure for more info.
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