Meal Prep

Soup Meal Prep: Your Complete Weekly Planning Guide

Transform your week with strategic soup meal prep. Learn which soups prep best, batch cooking strategies, and how to keep variety in your meals.

By Emma Sullivan Updated December 1, 2024 11 min read

Soup is the ultimate meal prep food. It’s budget-friendly, nutritious, makes your house smell amazing, and — here’s the real magic — it actually gets better after a day or two in the fridge. If you’re not already incorporating soup into your meal prep routine, you’re working harder than you need to.

After years of prepping meals for my family and developing recipes for this site, I’ve refined a system that takes about 2-3 hours on Sunday and provides satisfying, varied meals for the entire week. Let me share everything I’ve learned.

Why Soup Is Perfect for Meal Prep

Flavors Develop Over Time

Unlike many prepared foods that get sad and soggy, soups improve as they sit. The flavors meld, seasonings penetrate deeper, and what was good on Sunday is even better by Wednesday.

One Pot, Many Meals

A single batch of soup yields 8-12 servings. That’s lunches and dinners for days without additional cooking.

Infinitely Customizable

A base soup can become different meals with simple additions. Monday’s lentil soup becomes Tuesday’s lentil soup with a fried egg on top and crusty bread, then Wednesday’s lentil soup over rice.

Budget-Friendly

Soups stretch expensive ingredients (meat, specialty vegetables) with inexpensive ones (broth, beans, grains). You’ll feed more people for less money.

Nutritious by Default

Soup is an excellent vehicle for vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. It’s one of the easiest ways to eat more plants.

The Best Soups for Meal Prep

Not all soups are created equal when it comes to prep. The best meal prep soups share these characteristics:

What Makes a Good Meal Prep Soup:

  • Sturdy ingredients that hold up to storage and reheating
  • Flavors that improve with time
  • High protein and fiber for staying power
  • Minimal last-minute additions needed

Top 10 Meal Prep Soups:

  1. Lentil Soup — The gold standard; gets better every day
  2. Black Bean Soup — Protein-packed and endlessly customizable
  3. Chicken Vegetable Soup — Classic for a reason (hold the noodles)
  4. Minestrone — Vegetable-forward and satisfying
  5. Turkey Chili — Hearty, flavorful, freezes beautifully
  6. Split Pea Soup — Thick and filling, perfect for cold weather
  7. Butternut Squash Soup — Puréed soups reheat like a dream
  8. White Bean and Kale Soup — Tuscan-inspired and nutritious
  9. Beef and Barley Soup — Substantial enough to be a full meal
  10. Thai Coconut Curry Soup — Because variety matters

Soups to Avoid (Or Prep Differently)

Soups with Pasta

Noodles continue absorbing liquid and become bloated and mushy. Solution: Prep the soup base and cook pasta fresh for each serving.

Cream-Based Soups

Dairy can separate when reheated multiple times. Solution: Prep without cream; add when serving.

Soups with Crispy Toppings

Croutons, tortilla strips, and bacon bits get soggy. Solution: Store toppings separately; add when serving.

Seafood Soups

Fish and shellfish don’t hold up well to storage and reheating. Solution: Make seafood soups for immediate consumption or freeze individual portions for single reheating.

My Sunday Meal Prep System

Here’s exactly how I prep soup for a week of meals:

Before You Start

  1. Take inventory — What do you already have? What needs to be used up?
  2. Choose your soups — I typically make 2 different soups for variety
  3. Make a list — Shop once with everything you need
  4. Gather containers — Clean jars, containers, or portioning bags ready

The 3-Hour Sunday Session

Hour 1: Prep and Start Soup #1

  • Dice all vegetables for both soups (assembly-line style is fastest)
  • Start your heartier/longer-cooking soup first
  • While it simmers, move to soup #2 prep

Hour 2: Soup #2 and Monitoring

  • Start your second soup
  • Stir and taste soup #1
  • Prep any toppings or accompaniments

Hour 3: Finishing and Portioning

  • Adjust seasonings on both soups
  • Let cool slightly (not completely — just safe to handle)
  • Portion into containers
  • Label everything

Smart Portioning Strategy

For Lunches: Individual portions in 16-oz containers or jars. One container = one meal, grab-and-go ready.

For Dinners: Family-sized portions in larger containers. Each one is a complete dinner for 4.

For the Freezer: If I’ve made extra, I portion into freezer bags laying flat. These become emergency meals for busy weeks.

The “Soup Base” Approach

This is my secret weapon for maximum variety with minimum effort.

The Concept

Instead of making finished soups, make versatile bases that can become different meals:

Master Vegetable Soup Base

A simple combination of:

  • Onions, carrots, celery (mirepoix)
  • Garlic
  • Canned tomatoes
  • Vegetable or chicken broth
  • Italian herbs

Then it becomes:

  • Add white beans and spinach → Tuscan soup
  • Add chickpeas and cumin → Moroccan-spiced soup
  • Add pasta and parmesan → Minestrone
  • Add rice and lemon → Greek-style soup
  • Blend smooth → Creamy tomato soup

Master Bean Soup Base

A rich combination of:

  • Onions, peppers, garlic
  • Your bean of choice
  • Smoked paprika and cumin
  • Broth

Then it becomes:

  • Leave chunky → Rustic bean stew
  • Blend partially → Creamy bean soup
  • Add rice and cheese → Southwest bowl
  • Top with fried egg → Protein-loaded breakfast bowl
  • Add pasta → Pasta e fagioli

Weekly Meal Prep Schedules

Schedule A: Two-Soup Week

  • Sunday: Make 1 hearty meat-based soup + 1 vegetable soup
  • Monday-Wednesday lunches: Vegetable soup
  • Thursday-Friday lunches: Meat soup
  • 2-3 dinners: Either soup with fresh bread or salad

Schedule B: Soup + Grain Bowl Week

  • Sunday: Make 1 soup + 1 batch of grain (rice, quinoa, farro)
  • Lunches: Soup over grain = heartier, more filling
  • Dinners: Soup alone with accompaniments

Schedule C: Freeze-Forward Week

  • Sunday: Make double batch of 1 soup
  • This week: Eat half fresh
  • Future week: Pull frozen portions as needed

Keeping Meal Prep Interesting

The biggest meal prep challenge? Boredom. Here’s how to keep things interesting:

The Rotation System

Keep a list of your favorite meal prep soups. Rotate through them so you’re never repeating within a month.

Theme Weeks

  • Mediterranean Week: Lentil soup, minestrone
  • Asian Week: Miso soup, Thai coconut curry
  • Comfort Week: Chicken noodle, tomato bisque
  • Plant-Based Week: Black bean, butternut squash

The Topping Bar

Same soup, different toppings = different experience:

  • Monday: Lentil soup + crusty bread + butter
  • Tuesday: Lentil soup + rice + lime + cilantro
  • Wednesday: Lentil soup + fried egg + hot sauce
  • Thursday: Lentil soup + croutons + parmesan
  • Friday: Lentil soup blended smooth + swirl of cream

Texture Additions

Keep on hand:

  • Crusty bread or crackers
  • Seeds and nuts (pepitas, sunflower seeds)
  • Fresh herbs
  • Cheese (feta, parmesan, cheddar)
  • Quick-pickled vegetables
  • Hot sauces and chili oils

Storage and Reheating Tips

Refrigerator Storage

  • Store in airtight containers
  • Keep for 3-4 days maximum
  • Store toppings and garnishes separately

Reheating Methods

Stovetop (Best Method)

  • Transfer to pot, heat over medium-low
  • Stir occasionally
  • Add splash of broth if too thick

Microwave

  • Transfer to microwave-safe container
  • Cover loosely
  • Heat in 2-minute intervals, stirring between
  • Check temperature throughout

Common Reheating Issues

Soup is too thick: Add broth or water and stir Soup is too thin: Simmer uncovered to reduce Flavors seem dull: Add acid (lemon juice, vinegar) and season to taste Cream soup broke: Whisk vigorously while heating; it usually comes back together

Budget-Friendly Meal Prep Tips

Buy in Bulk

  • Dried beans and lentils
  • Broth or bouillon
  • Canned tomatoes
  • Grains

Use What You Have

  • Vegetable scraps → stock
  • Leftover roast chicken → chicken soup
  • Odds and ends of vegetables → minestrone

Stretch Expensive Ingredients

  • A little meat goes further in soup than as a main dish
  • Fresh herbs can be stretched with dried
  • Parmesan rinds flavor soup while saving the good stuff for garnish

Cost Per Serving

A typical batch of meal prep soup:

  • 12 servings
  • ~$12-15 in ingredients
  • $1-1.25 per serving

Compare that to takeout lunch at $12-15 per meal!

Sample Meal Prep Shopping List

For a two-soup week (Lentil Soup + Chicken Vegetable):

Produce

  • 4 large onions
  • 1 head celery
  • 2 pounds carrots
  • 1 head garlic
  • Fresh parsley
  • Lemons (2)

Protein

  • 1.5 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
  • 1 pound brown or green lentils

Pantry

  • 2 cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • Bay leaves
  • Cumin, paprika

Optional Add-Ins

  • Crusty bread
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Hot sauce

Total estimated cost: $25-30 for 20+ servings

The Bottom Line

Meal prepping soup isn’t just about efficiency (though it definitely is efficient). It’s about taking care of yourself and your family with minimal daily effort. When you’ve got good soup waiting in the fridge, you’re less likely to grab takeout, less stressed about “what’s for dinner,” and more likely to eat nourishing food.

Start simple: make one soup this Sunday. See how it feels to come home to a ready meal. I bet you’ll be hooked.

The goal isn’t perfection — it’s progress. Even one prepped soup per week is 5-7 meals you didn’t have to make from scratch. That’s a win worth celebrating.