Soups are a simple and convenient way to prepare dinner in advance and store it for later. Rather than having to make several different components and separate them into different compartments, you can simply create an all-included meal. When saving it for later, you can divide it into individual portions or keep it in a large container to reheat it for the entire family. It’s also beneficial since you can store it in gallon-sized bags and lay it flat in the freezer. So, there are ways to store it where it doesn’t take up a ton of space! For more than the fifteen below, you can browse every soup on the site by points.
It’s true that only certain soups freeze well. For instance, it’s commonly said that you can’t freeze soups that contain dairy. However, with these types of soups, you can cook it with broth and other components and then add the dairy later on when you reheat it, as long as the dairy isn’t the primary component. To get an idea of some good make-ahead options, we have a list of 15 fantastic soups that are all Weight Watchers friendly. You’ll love these healthy, nutritious soups that can be made and ready for hectic weeknights!
1. Tarasca Soup
This is the soup I reach for when I want that deep, smoky chile flavor without a long ingredient list. Pinto beans, tomatoes, onion, and a handful of rehydrated dried chilies get blended into something closer to a spoonable puree than a brothy soup, and it is done in about 30 minutes.
It thickens as it cools, which is exactly why it makes such a good leftover: store it in the fridge, then loosen it with a splash of broth when you reheat and finish with yogurt, cilantro, and toasted tortilla strips.
2. Sweet Potato Soup
Roasting the vegetables first is the whole trick here. Sweet potatoes, zucchini, onion, and an apple go into a hot oven until the edges caramelize, then get blended with broth and skim milk into a soup that tastes far richer than it is.
It keeps in the fridge for five days or in the freezer for up to three months, so a double batch whenever sweet potatoes are on sale is an easy win. Save the chopped peanuts for the day you serve it.
3. Quick Weight Watchers Chicken Tortilla Soup
When the week is already full, I want the soup that asks the least of me, and this is it. Shredded cooked chicken, black beans, corn, crushed tomatoes, and cumin simmer in chicken broth in one pot, and it is also built to go straight into the slow cooker. Hold the cilantro and the tortilla strips until you reheat so they stay bright and crisp.
4. Weight Watchers Friendly Tomato Soup
This delicious tomato soup is made with fresh ingredients and has a refreshing and vibrant flavor. You can prepare it ahead of time and pair it with patty melts or grilled cheese on the day you eat it. The recipe includes diced tomatoes, tomato paste, potatoes, onions, and chicken broth. It also has a small amount of minced garlic to give it more flavor. If tomatoes are in season, make a large batch and freeze it; it thaws into the same soup you put away.
5. Cuban Black Bean Soup
Black beans and diced tomatoes with carrot, onion, cumin, and oregano, simmered in broth until everything is soft and the flavors have settled into each other. It is pantry cooking at its best and comes together in under 30 minutes on the stove, or you can use the slow cooker option and forget about it.
This one is meant for meal prep: cook a big pot, portion it, and keep some in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. A squeeze of lime and fresh cilantro at serving time wakes it right back up.
6. Weight Watchers Turkey Taco Soup
All of the taco flavors, in a bowl you can make on Sunday. Lean ground turkey browned with taco seasoning, then onion, green bell pepper, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and kidney beans in beef broth.
The post calls it freezer-friendly for good reason: make a big batch, freeze it flat, and reheat whenever you need a quick meal. Lime wedges on the side are the one thing I never skip.
7. Spring Minestrone
A lighter minestrone that swaps the usual white beans for chickpeas and leans on green vegetables: peas, asparagus, potatoes, and a couple of handfuls of leafy greens stirred in at the end. It is ready in 15 minutes in the pressure cooker, which is the kind of math a busy night needs. It freezes well, too; thaw it in a covered pot over low heat with a splash of extra broth so it does not dry out.
8. Mediterranean White Bean Soup
White beans, diced tomatoes, basil, and herbes de Provence, plus a quarter cup of brown rice that quietly thickens the broth as it cooks. It reminds me of minestrone but it is simpler and quicker, and it is happy with canned or frozen ingredients in a pinch.
The recipe was written with meal prep in mind and freezes well; the rice will keep drinking up broth in the fridge, so thin it out when you reheat.
9. Lentil Soup
The simplest soup on this list and one of the most reliable: brown lentils with carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a rich chicken broth. Forty-five minutes of mostly unattended simmering, and any stray green beans or broccoli in the fridge are welcome in the pot. The post calls it a meal prep hero, and that holds up: lentils keep their texture through freezing, thawing, and reheating.
10. WW Friendly French Onion Soup
Make our version of Weight Watchers-friendly French Onion Soup if you want an extremely savory and decadent meal! This recipe combines beef broth, onions, butter, olive oil, and cornstarch. When making this to eat later, you need to hold off on assembling the soup. In other words, leave out the artisanal bread, mozzarella cheese, and emmental cheese until the day you serve it!
11. Egg Roll Soup
Everything you like about an egg roll without the wrapper. Lean ground beef, shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onions in beef broth, seasoned with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and oyster sauce for that takeout depth. It is ready in under an hour, and the post’s advice is mine too: make a big batch and eat it through the week, because the cabbage only gets better after a day in the broth.
12. Weight Watchers Cabbage Soup
This is cabbage roll filling turned into a slow cooker soup: browned ground turkey, cabbage, peppers, celery, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and a cup of minute rice stirred in near the end. Chop the vegetables and cook the turkey the night before, keep the crock in the fridge, and set it to low in the morning.
The recipe was practically written for this roundup: freeze it in individual portions in zip-top bags so dinner is waiting on the nights you get home late. There is an Instant Pot version in the post as well.
13. Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Split pea soup is the definition of a make-ahead meal, because the peas dissolve into a thick, creamy base that reheats like it was never put away. This lighter version uses carrots in place of potatoes and diced turkey ham instead of a fatty ham hock, and it cooks in 15 minutes under high pressure. No Instant Pot? The post notes it works in a traditional pressure cooker or a slow cooker too.
14. Wild Rice Chicken Soup
Creamy without the cream: chicken breast, wild rice, carrots, celery, and peas in chicken broth, finished with skim milk and a spoon of cornstarch so it coats the spoon. The post walks through Instant Pot, slow cooker, and stovetop methods and is honest that slow cooking gives the best consistency. It freezes very well; reheat it in a pot with a splash of milk and it tastes freshly made.
15. Weight Watchers Quinoa Soup
A Latin American lunch staple: quinoa simmered in low-sodium chicken broth with carrots, diced pumpkin, peas, celery, and oregano. The quinoa swells and gives the broth body, and the whole pot is budget-friendly and quick. It can be frozen and reheated without losing anything, which is more than most grain soups can say.
