Can the Canned Soups! (with photo)

[quirkycooking]

I was discussing with some friends how so many recipes these days call for a can of soup... and those of us who are trying to avoid additives and preservatives and too much salt (and dairy in a lot of cases) don't use canned soup. As Doris Longacre says in the "More With Less Cookbook" (one of my old favourites):

"Contemporary casserole recipes all seem to call for a can of soup . . . Will there finally be only three flavours identified at a carry-in dinner - cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, and cream of celery? Buy a wire whisk and break the mushroom soup cycle. Save money and cans by returning to the basic five-minute white sauce. Variations are as infinite as the herbs and seasonings on your cupboard shelf and the cheeses, broths, and vegetables in your refrigerator."

One of the first practical things I learnt to cook was a basic white sauce (by hand) - once I got a Thermomix, it became even easier!! This recipe makes over 500mls of sauce, which can be substituted for cans of soup in any recipe (I use rice/almond milk for a 'cream of' soup as I'm dairy intolerant, but you can of course use cow's milk, or with stock for a clear 'consomme'). To make a smaller quantity, halve the recipe and reduce the cooking time to 5 minutes. Check out the many variations you can make - you'll never need to buy tinned soup again!

The photo above is a mushroom sauce made with this recipe - mushrooms and some red capsicum are sauteed first in oil, then butter/ghee, flour, chicken broth, and rice milk are added, with a dash of worcestershire sauce and a pinch of Rapadura, and cooked as outlined below. Delicious served over baked potatoes!

Place in bowl and cook for 7 mins at 90 degrees on speed 4:
- 500g rice/almond milk
- 50g plain spelt flour (or corn or rice flour for gf)
- 30g butter/ghee/olive oil
- 1/2 t salt
- other optional flavourings (see below)

Flavour Variations . . .

Parsley Sauce - Chop a handful of parsley first, on speed 7, then add rest of ingredients.

Cheese Sauce - Add 60-70g strong flavoured cheese chopped in cubes, and 1/2 tsp each mustard powder and paprika.

Tomato Soup - Use tomato juice as liquid, add dash each of garlic powder, onion powder, basil & oregano.

Mushroom Soup - Chop 1/4 of an onion or a stalk of shallots on speed 5, 3 seconds. Add a good handful or two of mushrooms and chop on speed 3, 10 seconds. Saute in the butter/ghee/oil before adding remaining ingredients.

Cream of Celery Soup - Chop 2 stalks celery, quartered, and 1/2 an onion, on speed 5 for 3 seconds. Saute in butter/ghee/oil before adding remaining ingredients.

Cream of Chicken Soup - Use chicken broth or stock powder in water as half of the liquid. Add 1/2 t sage, a dash of tamari or worchestershire sauce, and diced cooked chicken if available.

Creamed Corn or Chicken & Corn Soup - Make as for cream of chicken soup, adding a cup or two of fresh or frozen corn and leaving out the sage. If making creamed corn, leave out the chicken pieces.

Vary flavour with any of the following:
- curry powder
- garlic, onion or celery salt/powder
- grated nutmeg
- lemon juice
- Worchestershire sauce
- Tamari sauce
- chili powder
- chopped or blended vegetables
- chopped parsley/chives
- chopped boiled eggs

(If you want to add veges, put them in bowl first, chop on speed 5 for 3 seconds, and saute with the butter/oil - 3 mins, 100 degrees, speed 3; then add other ingredients and cook as above.)

Add your own variations in the comments below!
 

[judydawn]

This is so right Jo, I see so many recipes calling for a can of soup.  Thanks for all this information, I have printed it out for future reference.

[Amanda]

I agree too, Jo.
Any recipe I see that starts with a can of soup (or a packet), I immediately pass over!
It seems to be much more common in the US than here in Oz, though.

[riv_mum]

I agree too, Jo.
Any recipe I see that starts with a can of soup (or a packet), I immediately pass over!
It seems to be much more common in the US than here in Oz, though.

ME TOO! mainly because i never knew what to substitute it with (apart from vegie stock concentrate!). I have several American books with great quick and easy recipes in them which I will now use!

The can of soup thing is much more a US thing, I have noticed that in cookbooks.

[quirkycooking]

The can of soup thing is much more a US thing, I have noticed that in cookbooks.

Yes - I have a lot of American recipes (coming from an American family), and also get a lot off the internet - and if you want something that's quick, it always seems to have a can of soup!  Especially crockpot recipes!  But even creamed corn I make myself using this method.

[Thermomixer]

Thanks Jo.

One cookbook that I think I threw out was from Campbells - the soup people.  Think my mum gave it to me.  As you would guess, everything had cans of soup or veg !!!!

[cathy79]

Thanks Jo, this opens up worlds of "easy" recipes.  One question for you - what's your thoughts on evaporated milk?  Do you use it or do you use something else?

[quirkycooking]

Thanks Jo, this opens up worlds of "easy" recipes.  One question for you - what's your thoughts on evaporated milk?  Do you use it or do you use something else?

I don't use evaporated milk - I just make a white sauce that's twice as thick as usual.  Or if it's in a sweet recipe, I might make a cashew cream and use that. 

[cookie1]

Thanks for that. The canned soup can now be healthy.

[cathy79]

Thanks Jo, there's a multitude of recipes that are now possible for adaptation that would previously been passed over.

[CreamPuff63]

ok, if the recipe called for a can of cream of asparagus soup...what would you do?

[sargo]

ok, if the recipe called for a can of cream of asparagus soup...what would you do?

Assuming you have access to fresh or frozen asparagus (that is not ridiculously expensive) then it’s easy to make a cream of any vegetable soup. 

This is a recap of Mark Bittman’s cream of any veggie soup:

1 lb of veggie trimmed and chopped
½ cup of rice or 1 medium baking potato
4 cups of stock (chicken, vegetable, (or reconstituted from bouillon cubes but watch out for the salt content.)
¼ to 1 cup of heavy or light cream (or use evaporated milk!).  It depends on how rich you want this. 

Cook vegetable and rice or potato in broth until very tender.  Puree then add cream and check for seasoning.  This can easily be done in the TMX.  Does this help?

[quirkycooking]

ok, if the recipe called for a can of cream of asparagus soup...what would you do?

Assuming you have access to fresh or frozen asparagus (that is not ridiculously expensive) then it’s easy to make a cream of any vegetable soup. 

This is a recap of Mark Bittman’s cream of any veggie soup:

1 lb of veggie trimmed and chopped
½ cup of rice or 1 medium baking potato
4 cups of stock (chicken, vegetable, (or reconstituted from bouillon cubes but watch out for the salt content.)
¼ to 1 cup of heavy or light cream (or use evaporated milk!).  It depends on how rich you want this. 

Cook vegetable and rice or potato in broth until very tender.  Puree then add cream and check for seasoning.  This can easily be done in the TMX.  Does this help?

That sounds good, Sargo.  I would probably make a white sauce with asparagus and vege stock concentrate in it - either tinned asparagus, or fresh asparagus cooked a little first then add all the white sauce ingredients and cook as for white sauce.  (I don't use cream/dairy, so I'd use homemade rice/almond milk.)

[judydawn]

Thanks Sargo.  Is your recipe one which is ready to eat?  As a substitute for a can of soup, would we need to half the amount of liquid stock used?

[sargo]

Thanks Sargo.  Is your recipe one which is ready to eat?  As a substitute for a can of soup, would we need to half the amount of liquid stock used?

Yes, this is ready to eat.  It will depend on what purpose the soup serves in the recipe you are using.  Does it call for condensed soup?  What other liquid is in the recipe?  How many servings are there in your can of asparagus soup?  You could reduce the liquid in this recipe but then I would be cautious that it might "catch" as you simmer it.