How do you improve a can of soup?

[True2marie]

If you are like me, you do not always have time to make homemade soup. To add flavor or texture to a basic can of soup, I tinker with what comes out of the can. Here are my top ingredients - penne pasta, ground beef, bread, cream and beans.

These ingredients are inexpensive and simple to prepare. They give your canned soup base (tomato, vegetable or chicken) the feel of being less 'processed'. It's a wonderful compromise.

 

[crimsonghost747]

I often do the same. It really depends on what type of soup we're talking about, for example if I have a veggie soup I might mash a few potatoes and add a bit of onion etc.

Also, a simple quick fix called Tabasco works with everything no matter how much of a hurry you are in.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

The one my mother did as we were growing up (single parent family on benefits) was to add grated cheese to tomato soup. It was lovely.

 

[OhioTom76]

I usually only do this with canned/boxed broth, I will add leftover fresh vegetables to it - anything that was about to go bad, carrots, celery, onions, etc... I rarely buy canned soups, because I can usually make them myself with leftover fresh ingredients for less. The rare times I do use canned soups, it is generally as part of a non-soup dish, such as a casserole or meatloaf.

 

[Sandra Piddock]

I agree with OhioTom - if I use canned soups, I tend to use them as part of a recipe rather than alone. However, if all I have is a can of soup, I find adding an Oxo cube gives it more flavour - or brown a small pack of smoked bacon lardons and add that to the soup. As a rule, though, I make my own, almost always from leftovers. You can make a huge pan of soup for little more than the cost of a can of so-called 'premium' soup.