With all the crazy things happening in this world right now, we all need a little more love. And maybe an easy meal that requires very little expense, thought or prep time. This Friendship Soup in a Jar is a great way to spread some love, show someone else that you care, and give them the gift of sustenance, comfort and peace.
Sharing love in troublesome times takes many forms. For me it always comes back to food. The very thing that nourishes us, connects us. Sharing meals connects us in a very deep, meaningful way that can transcend differences of opinion. Let’s treat our fellow humans with respect, love and dignity REGARDLESS of the color of their skin or their accent.
I’m making this friendship soup in a jar for someone very close to me and very dear: a mother of four, a business owner who lives in the Minneapolis area who has been really stressed about the ICE events happening there lately. She tells me most of the activity is in the heart of the city, but there have been raids and incidents much closer to her home as well. For us, this brings it home. We see the events in Portland and elsewhere and feel outraged yet allow ourselves to feel “safe” because it’s so far away. These events are real and they are incredibly against what America stands for. Americans being murdered in the street and then the evidence being covered up and no investigations or trials allowed. People are being kidnapped off the streets, thrown in concentration camps and flown to far away places immediately before lawyers and courts have time to react.
So she has been scared for her family, scared that one of them might become the next “example” that may be murdered on the street by our own government. She is doing what she can to help those impacted and encouraging everyone in the family to do likewise. I made this soup to help make her life just a little bit easier. I hope it brings comfort to them. And maybe it will bring comfort to you and your friends/family as well. Let’s share some love because as they said at the Super Bowl this year:
The only thing more powerful than hate is love.
Make a few extra jars of soup mix and share with the people near you that need a little extra TLC right now. You can point them to this post for instructions for cooking the soup or write out the simple directions for making the soup. The impact of small acts of love add up and build upon each other, giving us strength and resilience in the face of hope and despair.
Notes about this Friendship Soup recipe:
I adapted recipe from An Off Grid Life but I’ve since seen many other recipes that look pretty much identical. My version is a little different and here’s how:
- I divided it in half for a pint of soup mix instead of a quart. If you have a lot of mouths to feed, double the recipe. We have just a few light eaters in this house so a quart jar version is way too much for us. I think we had 18 plus cups of soup when I tested with the full quart of soup mix.
- I altered the ingredients a bit to make it even simpler when you go to make the soup. Instead of beef bouillon, I used Caldo de Tomate con Sabor de Pollo (Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor), a popular Mexican ingredient you should be able to find in your regular grocery store in the Mexican foods section. Using this lovely stuff adds tomato flavor so you can skip adding tomato paste to the soup when you’re cooking the soup. One less ingredient.
- I added just a little bit of hot pepper flakes, not enough to make it spicy, but enough to give it a little more interest. If you WANT it spicy, add more hot pepper.
- I also omitted the pasta that most friendship soup recipes call for. This soup has plenty of goodness going on without pasta!
I never thought I would love soup from a mix but I absolutely adore this friendship soup! It’s complex, flavorful, hearty, nutritious and so simple. In a pinch, you could make this soup with nothing but the soup mix and water. But let’s hope all of us have a little more than water to add to the soup. Hugs to all of you, my dear foodie friends. Stay safe and don’t be afraid to speak up when you see something wrong, especially if you see something with your own eyes that doesn’t jive with what you’re being told has happened. Each voice gives strength to another voice.
Print
Friendship Soup in a Jar
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 50 min
- Yield: About 9 servings
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This pretty soup mix is the perfect gift for anyone who needs a little love and comfort. It’s also great to have on hand for whenever you need a hearty, healthy, easy meal with very little prep time.
Ingredients
For the soup mix:
- 1/2 cup dried split peas
- 1/4 cup pearl barley
- 1/2 cup dried lentils (I used half red, half brown)
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: cumin, garlic powder
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons tomato chicken bouillon
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Tablespoons long-grain white basmati rice (or other white rice)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
To make the soup:
- 1/2 lb. ground beef (or other ground meat) — or for a vegetarian version: 2 – 3 cups chopped mixed veggies (ok to use frozen)
- 1 jar soup mix
- 1 pint home-canned tomatoes or 1 15-oz. can tomatoes
- 1 1/2 – 2 quarts water or salt-free broth
Instructions
- To make the soup mix: layer the soup mix ingredients in a jar.
- To make the soup: if using meat: brown the meat in your soup pot. Add the soup mix, tomatoes and water or broth. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and split peas are tender. Taste and add salt &/or pepper to your liking.
Notes
RECIPE SOURCE: Sumptuous Spoonfuls – https://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/ … © Copyright 2026, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. This recipe was made by a REAL person with REAL ingredients. The photos are real photos taken by me personally. There is nothing AI here. This is real food made by real people for real people. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Nutrition facts are an estimate based on ingredients using lean ground beef. Your results may vary.
