Winter soups

Winter soups meal prep for 2 or 4: 5 days of dinners in 2 hours

Cold evenings make dinner feel like a chore. By the time you get home in December or January, you want something warm and filling, but cooking from scratch on a dark weeknight is the last thing most of us have energy for. Soup sounds easy until you realise you need to buy, chop and simmer a different pot every night.

This plan does that work once. You get five dinners, one warming soup each night, with each soup returning twice in the week so there is less to cook. The line-up is roasted butternut squash soup, smoky sausage and kale soup, and leek and potato soup with cheddar, all built from seasonal ingredients you can find easily in winter. The whole session takes about 2 hours, and the soups freeze well if your plans change.

What they asked Bocalito

A meal plan for cold evenings: a warming soup for dinner each night, each soup coming back twice in the week. Only soups that freeze well, so a portion can go in the freezer if our plans change. Use seasonal ingredients that we can easily buy in December and January.

Make my own version

Roasted Squash and Sausage Soups

Quantities for

2 people5 days · Dinner · Up to 2× eachUp to 2hImperial units

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Freeze these portions after cooking, and move them to the fridge the night before.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Smoky Sausage and Kale Soup
Leek and Potato Soup with Cheddar

1h 58min start to finish1h 28min hands-on

Time you actually spend cooking — the rest is simmering, roasting and chilling.

1
Prep the squash and onion15 minCounter
Peel the butternut squashes, scoop out the seeds, and cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes. Peel 1 onion and cut it into thick wedges. Keep the squash and onion in a large bowl, since cut squash dries out and browns on the surface if it sits too long.
ResultCubed squash and onion wedges
2
Prep the potatoes, leeks, kale and aromatics20 minCounter
Peel the Yukon Gold potatoes and cut them into 3/4-inch cubes, keeping them in cold water until needed. Trim the leeks to the pale and light green parts, split them lengthwise, rinse out the grit between the layers, and slice them into half-moons. Strip the stems from the kale, chop the leaves, peel the garlic and mince it, and dice 1 onion for the sausage soup.
ResultCubed Yukon Gold potatoesSliced leeksChopped kaleDiced onion and minced garlic
3
Roast the squash and onion40 minOven · 425°FUnattended
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the center. Toss the squash and onion with 2 tbsp of olive oil and the salt on a large sheet pan, spreading everything in a single layer so it roasts rather than steams. Roast for 40 minutes, turning once halfway, until the edges are deeply caramelized and a fork slides easily into the flesh.
ResultRoasted squash and onion
4
Brown the sausage10 minStove
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bulk pork sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon, cooking until well browned and crisp in spots, about 6 minutes. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until softened, then add the smoked paprika and toast it for 30 seconds so its flavor blooms in the fat.
ResultBrowned sausage base
5
Sweat the leeks and start the potato soup8 minStove
Melt the butter in a second large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and cook gently, stirring, for about 6 minutes until soft and pale but not browned. Add 1 lb of cubed potatoes and 3 cups of chicken broth, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low.
ResultLeek and potato base
6
Simmer the sausage and potato broth25 minStoveUnattended
Pour the crushed tomatoes and 8 cups of chicken broth into the pot with the browned sausage base, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Add 1½ lb of cubed potatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer, partly covered, for 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced.
ResultSimmered sausage and potato broth
7
Simmer the leek and potato soup20 minStoveUnattended
Keep the leek and potato base at a gentle simmer, partly covered, for 20 minutes until the potatoes fall apart when pressed with a spoon. Stir it once or twice so the potatoes at the bottom do not stick.
ResultSimmered leek and potato soup
8
Blend the roasted squash base10 minCounter
Transfer the roasted squash and onion to a blender along with the drained chickpeas and 6 cups of chicken broth. Blend in batches, filling the jar no more than halfway, until completely smooth and silky, about 10 minutes.
ResultBlended butternut squash base
9
Simmer the butternut soup10 minStoveUnattended
Pour the blended squash base into a clean pot over medium-low heat. Simmer gently, stirring every few minutes, for 10 minutes until hot and slightly thickened so it coats the back of a spoon.
ResultSimmered butternut squash soup
10
Finish the sausage and kale soup10 minStoveUnattended
Stir the chopped kale and the drained cannellini beans into the simmering sausage broth. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes until the kale has wilted and the beans are heated through, then season with salt.
ResultSmoky sausage and kale soup
11
Blend the leek soup10 minCounter
Blend the simmered leek soup with the whole milk in batches until completely smooth and velvety, about 10 minutes. Return it to the pot once blended so it stays warm.
ResultLeek and potato soup
12
Stir in the cream5 minStove
Lower the heat under the butternut soup and stir in the heavy cream gently. Warm for 3 minutes without letting it boil, then season with salt to taste.
ResultRoasted butternut squash soup
13
Cool the soups20 minUnattended
Leave the three finished pots on the counter, uncovered, so the steam can escape and the soups drop in temperature before they go into containers. Stir each pot once or twice to release heat from the center.
14
Pack the soups10 minCounter
Ladle each cooled soup into airtight containers, label them with the name and date, and set aside the portions for the next four days in the fridge. Put the rest into the freezer, where they will keep for up to three months.

At each meal, open it in “Your plan” to see how to serve it.

Blend the roasted squash in small batches, filling the blender no more than halfway, and keep the lid vented with a folded towel so hot steam does not push it off.
If the Yukon Gold potatoes are sold out, russet potatoes work in the leek soup and the sausage soup; they break down more and make both soups a little thicker.

Questions, or need to change something? !

Questions asked about this plan

How long can these soups be kept in the freezer?

All three soups can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store them in airtight containers, labeled with the name and date. For the leek and potato soup, freeze it without the cheddar and stir the cheese in after reheating.

Can I freeze the leek and potato soup with cheddar, or will the cheese split?

Yes, it freezes well, as long as the cheddar goes in after reheating. Cheese stirred into soup before freezing can turn grainy or oily once it thaws. Freeze the soup on its own for up to 3 months, then reheat it gently over medium-low heat, stirring often so the milk doesn't catch. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheddar a handful at a time until it melts smooth. Keep the bread separate until serving.

Can I roast the butternut squash the day before and blend the soup later?

Yes, you can roast the squash and onion a day ahead. Let them cool, then refrigerate them in an airtight container. Blend them the next day with the chickpeas and broth, then follow the simmer and cream steps as written. Roasting ahead doesn't change the soup's fridge or freezer timing. Just don't leave the squash cut and raw for long, since it dries out and browns on the surface.

Your week, your tastes

Tell Bocalito who you cook for, how much time you have and what you like: it makes a plan like this one, just for you. Free, no card needed.