This is such a fun project for families to make and gift their loved ones, especially at Christmas time. Relatively inexpensive ingredients come together in beautiful layers, like sand art to create a wonderfully delicious soup mix. The jars can then be adorned with festive ribbon, ornaments, and recipe instruction tags, ready to gift loved ones, teachers, neighbors, or whomever you want to bless. Read more below for the full recipe, instructions, and a quick video of the process, including final soup preparation. We’ve taste tested this recipe for quality assurance. It’s kid-tested, mom approved!

Christmas Soup in a Jar: Ingredients and Directions

Ingredients:

• 1 (32 ounce) quart sized jar with lid
• 1/4 cup beef bouillon granules
• 2 tablespoons Onion Powder
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1/3 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1/3 cup uncooked white rice
• 1/2 cup dried green split peas
• 1/2 cup dried lentils
• 1/2 cup elbow macaroni
• 1 cup Fusilli or tri-color rotini

Directions:

Layer ingredients into a wide-mouth, 32-ounce jar, starting with dried bouillon, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Funnel in the rice varieties, one after the other, then peas and lentils, and pasta varieties. The tricolor adds a beautiful touch of festive color, but you can use whatever pasta you have. Print the “Christmas Soup” direction card or create a personalized card to go with the soup mix. Enjoy creating this beautiful gift in a jar!

To Prepare Christmas Soup

Ingredients for Prepared Soup:

• 1 quart Christmas Sup in a Jar Mix
• 1 lb. protein choice (ground beef, browned)
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 4 cups water
• 28 ounces diced tomatoes

Directions:

Sear ground beef or any other protein of your choice. Add stock, water, diced tomatoes, and Christmas Soup mix to the pressure cooker. Set the cooker to the soup setting. Release the steam and enjoy a delicious soup! Alternatively, prepare it on the stovetop by browning the meat and adding all the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and let it simmer for 40 minutes. Enjoy!

The kids and I had a great time preparing these festive jars. We also thoroughly enjoyed the final product, Christmas Soup. Check out the fun video below for a glimpse into the process. Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy it too. Merry Christmas!