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Leftover potato soup makes an easy, comforting thermos lunch for school. I’ll show you how to pack it so the soup stays hot, the toppings stay fresh, and nothing leaks in the lunch bag.
Thermos Potato Soup for Lunch
I’ve packed plenty of thermos lunches over the years, and soup is one of my favorite ways to make sure my kids have a filling meal they enjoy on a cold day. My go-to recipe is my slow cooker potato soup, which conveniently yields enough leftovers to pack for school the next day. You’ll love it too, because it reheats well and it stays warm in a thermos until lunch.
How to Reheat Potato Soup & Pack It In a Thermos
- Preheat the thermos
Fill the thermos with boiling water, close the lid, and let it sit for 5 minutes. This warms the inside so the container doesn’t pull heat away from the soup. - Heat the soup
While the thermos warms, reheat the leftover potato soup on the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot. Starting with very hot soup helps it stay warm longer. - Fill and pack
Carefully empty the hot water and immediately fill the thermos with soup. Close the lid tightly, pack it upright in the lunch bag, and add the bacon bits and shredded cheese in small lidded containers so the toppings can be added at lunchtime.
Laura’s Thermos Lunch Packing Tips
Preheat the thermos with boiling water for 5 minutes, then empty it and immediately add piping-hot soup. Warming the container first helps prevent heat loss. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your thermos to make sure the soup stays at a safe temperature until lunchtime.
You can make the potato soup ahead and refrigerate it, but fill the thermos in the morning. Reheat the soup until piping hot before packing it because starting with cold soup won’t keep it hot until lunchtime.
Yes. Pack shredded cheese and bacon bits in small lidded containers so they can be added at lunchtime. This keeps the bacon from softening in the hot soup and lets everyone add their favorite toppings.
Use a thermos with a leakproof lid, check that the rim is clean before closing it, and tighten the lid securely. Pack the container upright in the lunch bag. If you’re choosing a new container, these thermos containers for school lunches are a good place to start.
I like adding homemade cheese crackers, fruit cups, or fresh veggies in separate containers. You can also pack a blueberry yogurt parfait for a more filling lunch. Keep cold sides chilled separately from the hot thermos.
More Ways to Make Lunch Easier
Potato Soup Thermos Lunch
Watch How It’s Made:
Ingredients
- 1½ cups potato soup
- Toppings: shredded cheese, bacon bits
Instructions
Preheat the thermos
- Fill the thermos with boiling water, close the lid, and let it sit for 5 minutes. This warms the inside so the container doesn’t pull heat away from the soup.
Heat the soup
- While the thermos warms, reheat the leftover potato soup on the stove or in the microwave until piping hot.
Fill the thermos
- Carefully empty the hot water and immediately add the hot soup. Close the lid tightly and pack it upright in the lunch bag.
Pack the toppings
- Pack bacon bits and shredded cheese in small lidded containers.
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