This not a request as such but a question. Why do so many recipes have soup, especially mushroom added to them? I've noticed that at least one of Robin's daily recipes has it in. Canned soup contains a lot of hidden salt and other additives which, if you're on certain diets, isn't too healthy.
Jan from Grantham, UK
Editor's Note: This is a common American ingredient in many casseroles and "quick" meals. If you have suggestions for healthy alternatives, please post them here.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I would like a recipe to use in place of canned cream soups such as mushroom, celery, and chicken that tastes like Campbell's or store brand.
They all have chemicals and preservatives that I can't have, but I pass up so many great looking recipes because I don't quite know what to substitute easily. I have tried some of the organic/natural brands from the health food store, but they taste and smell horrible to me.
By Dorothy Myers from NY
You could take milk and thicken it up using just a touch of flour till it gets to the consistency you want. Then flavor it according to the recipe you are making.
A homemade version will not taste like Campbell's since it doesn't contain all the salt and other additives you want to avoid. Make your own cream of whatever substitute by using a basic white sauce with celery or mushrooms added.
This recipe doesn't taste exactly like Campbells, but it's a good start:
2 Cups powered milk, or milk substitute
1-1/4 Cups cornstarch
Add 1 teaspoon of Ranch Dressing powder to sauce for recipes such as Tuna Helper.
Add a tiny piece of beef boullion and a small can of drained mushrooms to sauce for Cream of Mushroom Soup.
I agree with Olive Oyl. Why would you want a soup to taste like a canned soup? YUK! Take any potato soup recipe or chowder recipe and add a puree of whatever you want broccoli, mushroom, roasted onion, carrot, corn. The list goes on. Also add some larger pieces or whole if it peas, corn, etc. I haven't used a canned soup in years. I mean years. I've made my own since I've been married over 40 years. It's easy if you have a crock pot. Don't even have to worry about it. Take a look on google to find a good basic soup first.
Simply make a white sauce then add chicken or beef bullion for flavoring. In case you don't know, a white sauce is made from milk, butter & flour(look online for exact directions. Basically you melt the butter then add the flour to it, then add the milk a bit at a time.). I believe you could also use any gravy recipe too.
My Mom use to make those discussing Campbell soup recipes when I was growing up. Yuck! (sorry Mom!) She'd put the cream soup over chicken legs & rice. Oh! How I hated it!
I make a quickie version of cream soups if I need a can for making a recipe. I use about 1/4 c. water with a bouillon cube, 1 cup milk, garlic salt or powder (dash), salt & pepper to taste, and about 2 tbs of cornstarch(dissolve in a slight amount of hot water. Bring to a low boil until it's thick, stirring constantly. Works well in most recipes.
There are so many cooking sites available that you should be able to just look up what you want - they all taste better than anything out of a can. If there are things you shouldn't have, just leave them out, or look up Substitutes in Recipes on Google, and they'll tell you what you can use instead. I never use canned soup, they're so full of preservatives and other muck. Play on Google a bit for recipe sites, and you'll get some really good ideas.
I printed out a great one from this site. It was dated around 2007, but I can't find it now. However, this is it.
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
dash salt
dash pepper
Put it in a blender "briefly" until smooth and pour into saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-high heat until it begins to thicken. Take off heat at first bubble of a boil.
Makes 4-6 servings
Variations
Cream of Cauliflower: To basic mixture add 1 box (10 oz.) frozen cauliflower cooked per box directions until tender and well drained, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 3 mashed chicken bouillon cubes, pinch dry parsley and a dash of garlic salt. Stir over lowest possible heat until piping hot. Serve at once.
Cream of Celery Soup: Do just as cauliflower soup, but substitute 1 cup cooked, drained, diced celery instead. Add a pinch of celery seed and a pinch dry, canned parsley flakes.
Cream of Broccoli Soup: Add 1 box (10 oz.) frozen, chopped broccoli cooked per box directions and drained. Continue as previous recipes.
Cream of Potato Soup: Add 3 cans (1lb. ea) sliced, drained potatoes, 1/2 bottle (10 oz.) Hormel real bacon pieces and a dash of liquid smoke. Continue as previous recipes.
Cream of Mushroom Soup: To warm basic recipe, add 1 can (8oz.) drained, sliced mushrooms, dash onion salt and black pepper to taste. Heat through
Now I would use fresh veggies or potatoes. Like I said I copied this from this site and I retyped (Sandra's) recipes. For the Celery soup. I added the finely sliced celery right in the soup pot and cooked it all together and I didn't have the celery seed. Oh, so good!
I am going to assume you have as many allergies to additives as I do. Perhaps also milks & white flours? When I make, per se cream of chicken soup, I trim or peel off the fat, leave on the bones, add a little water to the saucepan & a little salt (if you prefer).
Sometimes I use a little chicken bouillon beads instead of salt to give a little boost to the flavor. Simmer until so tender it falls off the bone. Remove bones & dice chicken fine. Reduce broth to make more flavorful. Return meat to the saucepan. Then I'll add a touch of homemade onion powder & homemade celery powder or just use the real thing chopped fine & added to the saucepan in the beginning.
You can whirl the entire soup in the processor if you prefer--I usually only whirl half of it as I like mine kinda chunky. Thicken with a little cornstarch dissolved in a little water, or you can use half cornstarch & half flour if the flour doesn't give you any problems.
Thank you everyone for your responses. I now have plenty of choices.
Although Susan is coming across as annoyingly smug, unnecessarily condescending and as a result - unhelpful, I will agree with her overall message. You may find that after you start incorporating a fix like the helpful comment that Patricia Eldridge offered, that it tastes better than the canned version! I hope you found what you were looking for and thank you for posting this question because I was looking for a healthier choice as well!
Hubby has CHF. We cant used salt. Its hard! More recipes need to be salt absence friendly.
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