In a Relief Society Meeting last month they shared with us a recipe for
Condensed Cream of "Something" Soup.
It is a dry mix that, when you need some cream soup for a recipe you just add water. It is much less expensive then buying a can of soup at the market.
Since I had everything needed to make up a batch I went a step further and made up a gallon containers worth.
Cream of "something" soup recipe1 cup non-fat dried milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup bouillon (if you have cubes you have to smash them up)
You can use whatever kind you like (ie, beef, veggie)
You can use whatever kind you like (ie, beef, veggie)
4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions (I used the minced onions from Sam's Club)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme (I couldn't find the thyme so I used dried parsley instead)
1 teaspoon pepper
(For the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water. Cook until thick)
I keep it in the pantry and as you can see the recipe is taped on the outside. (so I don't lose it...cause I will if it ain't connected!)
Anyway, the lady that showed us how to make this awesome stuff made up a sample. She just cooked up some elbow macaroni and mixed it with the soup, added a little cheese and warmed it through in the oven.
It was GOOD!!
Last week I was in a pinch as to what to cook for dinner so I made that same recipe up but added chicken. The pan was emptied!
That rarely happens at our house.
Tonight, after painting furniture all day.(post to come later) I didn't really want to cook all day.
Lightbulb...
I will make that again but add something new.
Todays addition??? The ever loved, every devoured while still too hot to touch.
BACON.
I don't know about all of you but bacon is the
candy of meat for me! I have to make a few extra pieces just... well just because!
There are no exact measurements. Make it according to your family size.
Elbow macaroni, cooked
Cream of Something soup, thickened
cheddar cheese, grated
chicken, shredded
bacon, cooked and diced
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix to combine. Pour in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling.
98 comments:
we've probably eaten this mac and cheese 4 times since that relief society lesson too! So easy and so good! I always put in loads of broccoli because it makes me feel healthy despite all the cheese (hey its calcium and protein right?). The best is to make it with pepperjack cheese instead of cheddar
Oh! I will have to give this a try! We are always looking for a new recipe for dinner!
And the powdered cream of chicken soup mix is BRILLIANT!!
Yum! I think I need to make this! I am pinning this and I am also a new follower, I would love it if you stop by and check out my blog and become my newest follower!
Thanks!
Kirsten
I'm going to try it this week, for sure!
I never thought about making my own soup mix! Casseroles using Campbell's condensed soups are my go-to recipe, and I usually end up adding odds and ends that we have left over. This mix would be great for me! Thanks for sharing!
I saw this on Pinterest, I love the idea. Thanks!
Ha! I looked earlier today for "cream of Soup" substitute- perfect! Saving this on pinterest!
I found this on Pinterest too. The best thing about this mix is that it's gluten free! I can't tell you how many recipes I've had to pass over because they called for cream of something soup and all the store brands have gluten in them. This has saved my sanity!!
Found on pinterest. You can add in pureed cauliflower and the kids wouldn't even notice. :)
Found this on Pinterest also...can't wait to make up a batch!
re-pinned! Thank you!
"the candy of meat" Love it!! I'd seen a similar idea a few years ago but have never tried it. I think I have all the stuff in my pantry so it's going to the top of my to-do list for today.
As for sneaking in veggies, my fav thing to do is shred zucchini and/or squash into stuff. If you use a fine grater all you can see are small specks that can be passed off as seasonings and the taste is so mild no one realizes it's there!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This is a great recipe I've been using in place of condensed soups for a while. For those of you who watch sodium like me (why thank you, high blood pressure), you can omit the bouillon cubes (which have lots of sodium) and just mix with low sodium chicken, beef or vegetable broth instead of water when it's time to use. Works great!
I use this recipe (or one similar at least) because it's gluten free. Works and tastes great!
Here's the one I do:
http://glutenfreeinutah.blogspot.com/2010/04/gluten-free-cream-soup-mix.html
They're so much better than expensive cans.
Maybe I'm missing something, but do you blend it all together? otherwise the bouillion cubes would just be blocks in the powdered mix?
Mrs. Lemon,
If you have bouillion cubes crush them up and then put them in or just use the already powdered kind!
Vicky
found you thru pinterest too!
maybe i'm missing something, but how much does this make? 1/4 c of bullion cubes would be quite a bit, right? but 1 cup powered milk isn't much, so what is the finished quantity?
(i looked again, to make sure i wasn't being blind, and i don't see it)
thanks for posting!
Is there a way to make this for cream of celery?
To make it cream of celery you would just add celery at the time you add the water and make it into soup.
Yes the bouillon to milk ratio is high but I think when you add the cornstarch into it it evens out. I can't quite remember how much one batch makes because I make a ton at a time to fill the container but I imagine you get 1 cans worth for each recipe. If I am wrong let me know!
Thanks,
Vicky
Any idea how many bouillon cubes (crushed) will equal 1/4 cup??
I tried this tonight and it's great! I did add broccoli and it was great, my kids loved it.
Marilyn - I counted 8 cubes.
When using bouillon cubes, which do you use? chicken, beef, vegetable?
I imagine you can use any kind you would like. I don't see any reason to just stick with chicken. Have fun!
Vicky
wow! if my mom would have known... this is awesome! Pinning!!!
I'm going to make this! We have been trying to stop eating the canned stuff since most (all) of them have MSG in it! This is a wonderful alternative, can't wait to try.
You had me at Bacon! Found you via Pinterest, I have left over shredded chicken and a few slices of bacon in the fridge. I'll be making this tomorrow!
As for adding in veggies, I love adding shredded zucchini and shredded carrots to my recipes. If you need to hide the veggies more, you can do cauliflower.
Where do you find bouillon cubes (or powdered bouillon) without MSG in it? That's the main reason I have for not buying the condensed soup, but all the cubes and powder have it, too. I use bouillon paste for most things, which doesn't have MSG, but I don't think it would work in a dry recipe.
Pinned it, made it, made the casserole, loved it, linked to the pin and your blog! Thanks for sharing it.
I found powdered bouillion at my Kroger that is all natural and has no MSG! It's not low sodium, but better than the other junk for sure. I just hope 1/4 cup of powdered is equivalent to 1/4 crushed cubes! I'll probably mix it with broth when I make it just in case.
@ Christy: Whole Foods has no-sodium bouillon cubes. WFM also ensures all of their products are free of preservatives: so no MSG or anything else created in a chemistry lab. I love the no-salt vegetable cubes.
Just found your fab recipe on Pinterest. I am your newest follower. Have a great Friday!
This is just what I have been looking for!! I am going to put shredded zucchini in it to sneak a vegetable in.
Since you used chicken cubes, this would be a substitute for cream of chicken, right? What would you use for cream of mushroom, cream of celery, etc?
It just makes a cream base. I think the chicken cubes are just for flavor. You could use vegetable or beef if you wanted. That is the good thing about this recipe. You can change it to suit your needs.
Thanks for sharing -repinning this!
Found on pinterest like I saw some others said. To disguise veggies, a secret I've used is to puree them and mix into the dish. Works better for some dishes than others, like works great for soupier dishes, dishes with sauce, or some other type of more liquidy base. However, the veggies are really liquidy when pureed, more pasty, so you can play around with different veggies for different dishes and find what works for you!
Ergh, I meant the veggies are *not* really liquidy when pureed, they are usually more pasty
speaking of "candy of meats," have you seen the chocolate covered bacon candy bar? I've seen it at Cost Plus World Market. It's actually quite good!
Anyway, I found this on pinterest and this is so wonderful!!! I'm almost done with converting my pantry into zero (or low) packaging. This was the latest obstacle I've been trying to overcome. Thanks!
i need gluten free but my son needs corn free. would anything besides cornstarch work?
Found this on Pinterest. Whipped up a batch with vegetable bouillon. Rocked our world. Happiness is having a jar of this in my freezer! Thanks for sharing it.
@musicmom27 You might try arrowroot or tapioca starch.
Hi!! I just wanted to let you know that I made this for supper and it was super yummy!! I also posted about it and linked back to your blog for the recipe!! You can find it here!
http://www.kortneyskrazylife.com/2011/10/whats-for-supper-chicken-bacon.html
Thanks again for sharing!
Kortney @ Kortney's Krazy Life!
Oh wow!!! Fantastic!
Christy....if using bouillon paste, I think you would just add it into the water (to taste) and leave the bouillon out of the dry mix. This would be great with the mushroom paste
@ musicmom27 you could also try potato starch. I use it in a lot of my recipes
I add broccoli and spinach to a lot of my recipes! The trick with broccoli is to dice it up and with spinach, puree it then stir it in...
def. going to try this recipe! I LOVE all things cream of mushroom :)
So happy to find this! I've found others online that use 1/2 cornstarch and 1/2 flour, so I'm going to sub half of my cornstarch for brown rice flour and see what happens! Yay for homemade!
We love this mix! I made one recipe's worth and it seems to make 3-4 servings. It's perfect and I feel so much more less guilty! No more "junk" from the cans! Now, I need to get my hands on the no-sodium boullion! I also made the chicken bacon noodle bake for my family with the Dreamfields very low carb macaroni and turky bacon! It rocked!!! Thanks so much!
Saw this on Pinterest - now it's my pin, too. Plan to make it this week.
thanks for sharing this! I was searching for something like that, since cans of condensed cream soups are really hard to find here in Germany ;) I used to use packages of instand cream soups instead, but this is so much better!
I'm curious as to whether this is thick like undiluted condensed soup or diluted. Because there are some recipes I make that call for undiluted condensed soup. So would you use it the same as that? Or add less water for a thicker consistency?
Has anybody tried using this in a crockpot? We eat out if the crockpot 4 nights a week and would lie to find a way to cut on some fillers/sodium.
I'm going to have to try this! I'm still kind of new to cooking, and i've also started making my own mixes, like ranch dressing mix and such. Thanks! I've saved this on pinterest and i'm sure i'll be very glad I did. :)
I hope it works in crock pots cause I just used it
How long does it take to thicken up? How much of the dry stuff equals a can? Can't wait to try it!
DO you have to thicken before adding into your casserole? or do you just add the powder and water in and it thickens? I'm planning on making a big batch today!
I have a recipe similar to this from many years ago, but it uses 2C of the dry milk not 1C
Wow, thanks for posting! I'm definitely going to try this. You've got a new follower!
this is GREAT! i just saw it pinned. does the posted recipe = one can of cream of ___ soup?
This recipe equals one can of soup.
Do you have the recipe for a gallon's worth?
My dinner tasted very... umm... IDK. I tried the macaroni, but added broccoli and ham. I am wondering if I did the onions wrong. Is it 4 tablespoons of minced onions? Is freeze dried different than the regular minced onions? Is that where I went wrong?
Thanks that is a life saving tip. I made this tonight and it was too salty for my taste. But this is a great solution!
This is the best substitute I think I have found so far in cooking. Cooking for family with food allergies (MSG) and heart conditions (low salt/fat/cal etc) can be challenging at times and this is such a wonderful find! I used this to make a poppy seed chicken casserole and I could not tell the difference from the canned stuff! I subbed low sodium chicken stock for the water and bouillon and it turned out great (to combat the no MSG and low sodium family requirement) and used 2 cups of dried milk as recommended in the above comments. I blogged my experience at:
http://noutensilunused.blogspot.com/2012/01/cream-of-something-soup.html
Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe!
Might anyone happen to know the 10 oz. can equivalent of soup mix to use assuming I left the dried milk out of the mix and instead incorporated soy milk when cooking the soup? My husband is lactose-intolerant and dairy-free powdered milk is hard to come by. Thank you!
I don't know about broccoli, but if you steam cauliflower and puree it, it'll just go right in with your cream of something and cheese :)
This looks amazing! Does anyone know if there is a good substitute for the cornstarch? I am allergic to corn and always make my casseroles from scratch as a result since corn is in about everything! So this is a great recipe! Thanks for posting!
This is so inspired! I am trying to weed out all processed foods out of our diet and this is perfect! Do you know the shelf life of thus soup mix?
Yes Please! Thank you Thank you!! This is exactly why I Love Pintrest!
I was thinkging about your question of how to sneak in broccoli...have you ever tried roasted broccoli? Its soo delicious! Even my kids will eat it and its super easy...
take a broccoli bunch and cut the floret off cut up the pieces, I even cut pieces of the stem (I slice it super thin into sort of like chips) and toss with a little olive oil, put it on a cookie sheet, top with thinly sliced onions if you like, add your favorite seasonings like garlic,rosemary, sea salt etc, and cook at 350 for about 30 minutes. It will get kind of tender crisp, the pieces that get kind of burnt looking are like candy for me! its sooooooo wonderful. Try it!
Blessings, Misti
VICKY@ONE ORANGE GIRAFFE - You mentioned that you go ahead and make up a gallon of the "Cream of Something" Soup - how many batches of this recipe does that take?
Sorry I should have been more specific. I make up a gallon of the mix. The jug in the picture. I am almost out so when I make more I will count how many batches it makes. Sorry about the mix up!
Vicky
Vicky@One Orange Giraffe - ok, so you just make 1 batch of the above recipe, and dump it in the jug, make another batch, dump it in the jug, etc. until the jug is full??? I plan to do the same as you - keep a larger container of it in my pantry but I just wasn't sure how much dry milk, minced onions, etc. that I would need in order to do that.
Yep that's what I did. If I was better at math I would probably be able to do it an easier way. Next time I make it I am going to note on the side of the jug how many batches it takes to fill it. Might make life a little easier the next time round.
V.
lol - ok thank you!!!
Is there any substitute for the non fat dried milk? I have a recently developed dairy allergy, but most of our favorite foods have cream of something soup, and I've been searching for something I can make ahead of time like this. (There's tons of make the liquid first and save in fridge) but I'm afraid they'll go bad before I get to them. Thanks in advance!
So in the 9x13 pan of casserole, about (I know you didn't measure) how much chix, soup, bacon and cheese did you use. I am a 'by the recipe' girl, ...not so good at the wing it part:)
Thank you so much for sharing this. I get so discouraged by all the yummy recipes with cream of something required and of course I don't have it on hand. This will be a huge sanity saver! BTW, I found you on Pinterest.
OK so figuring this out...
This recipe calls for approximately 2 cups of ingredients (plus a few tsp of other stuff).
If a can calls for 1/3 cup of the powder, that means that this recipe creates about 6 cans worth of powder.
Since 1 gallon is 16 cups, that means that to make 1 gallon mix you need to multiply this recipe by 8.
So 1 gallon container should equal about 48 cans worth of powder.
Does that sound right at all?
If my info above is right, this would be the recipe to fill a 1 gallon container (I multiplied it by 7 instead of 8 so your 1 gallon container wouldn't be overflowing):
7 cups non-fat dried milk
5 1/4 cups cornstarch
1 3/4 cups boullion
1 3/4 cups freeze dried minced onions
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon pepper
So...when substituting this for a can of cream of soup, how much of the mix do you add it? How much water do you add to it? What consistency am I looking for?
I don't care for the texture of cream soups in the can, so I'm excited about this! Thanks for sharing!
Katie,
1/3 cup mix to 1 1/4 cup water. Once it comes to a boil it will thicken. Add more water to thin it out.
Vicky
Found this on Pinterest. I'm excited to give it a shot. We use a ton of Cream of Mushroom soup at our house! Thank you!
;o)
Niki & Clan, I bet you could add dried mushrooms to the mix, might need to adjust the liquid:mix ratio.
what a great idea! thanks for sharing!
@Montanna - Yes, there is a dairy-free way! You can actually get powdered soy milk and use it in place of powdered milk. I will be using that variation when I make this.
Very awesome, by the way. I avoid all recipes with "one can of cream of ______" in them, even when they look delicious. Now we can have cream soup casseroles too!! YIPPEE!
Like most, I got here via pinterest, by the way,
I so appreciate the replacement for the soup! Thanks! I just started a blog reviewing recipes found on Pinterest, and this one is here: http://pineatreview.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/replacement-for-cream-of-something-soup/
--Denise
Vicky@One Orange Giraffe - I'm so excited to try this! I keep seeing this question, but I'm just not quite understanding the answer (sorry). So many of my recipes call for a can of cream of something soup that has not had the liquid added back into it. So how much water would I have to add to the 1/3 cup mix in order to reach the consistency of the soup as it comes out of the can, before adding anything else?
thank you, thank you!!! I'm trying to do healthier and less canned foods so this will help greatly! I do already have a substitute for canned soups but this sounds way easier!
I'm also going to try your Ckn Bacon Noodle Casserole...it sounds yummy!
Vicky@One Orange Giraffe can I use minced dried onions? I wasn't able to find freeze dried onions.
I didn't have freeze dried either. I just used the dried minced onion from Sam's Club. They worked just fine.
I'm so excited that I found this on pinterest! Amazing!! New blog follower here! :) ~ Megan
I make a rice, cheese, broccoli casserole using cream of broccoli and cream of onion soup. Bring the 2 cans of soup (or your recipe)to a boil with 2 c. broccoli, and 2 cans of milk (soup label directions). Upon boiling add 3 c. minute rice. Remove from heat let rice set up. Stir in cheese of your choice I use cheese whiz (I know...probably a bad choice but it's good). Sometime I add chicken or ham.
Now I can use your recipe instead, because the condensed soups I use for SO many recipes contain soy, and I am allergic to soy products. Thanks for sharing! Roxann
Looking for low sodium bouillon? Buy Epicure! Great stuff and good for you.
I make a lot of cheese dip using cream of chicken or c/of mushroom soup in it. Can I use this soup mix in it instead of the store bought soup? That sure would save me a lot of money.TW
I just made a vegan version of this!!!! Since becoming vegan I haven't found an easy and quick cream soup, and, being Mormon..this was a problem. Thank you SO much for the inspiration! I hope to have the tweaked recipe on my vegan blog this week! I an enjoying cream of asparagus right now as I write this and it's delish!
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