Canned cream of “X” soups are handy, for sure, but they are a questionable blend of ingredients, and they are going up in price monthly. Where we live, a can is $2 now for what used to go on sale for .50 cents a can just a year back. Now, if you had a dry base mix to which you could add whatever you wanted, think how fun that could be for lazy dinners, especially with the holidays coming up in the next two months.
You know exactly what is going into it, and the flavor you want.
This is a can of a certain company with the red label. Their basic ingredient list is on a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Ingredients: Water, Mushrooms, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola, And/Or Soybean), Modified Cornstarch, Wheat Flour, Salt, Cream, Whey, Soy Protein Concentrate, Monosodium Glutamate, Yeast Extract, Dried Garlic, Natural Flavoring
The mix below? No added oil (and especially, no cheap oils). No wheat flour, no soy protein. If you are careful what brand broth powder you buy, the mix is gluten-free, as we made it. (Each brand will be different, of course. The no sodium added we use isn’t the greatest for ingredients, but it avoids heavy added salt.)
A batch made, with freeze-dried crumbled mushrooms added in. I used this in a beef stroganoff recipe, and it was so good.
Cream of Soup Dry Mix
Ingredients:
- 1 cup instant dry milk
- 1 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- ½ cup sour cream powder (Amazon)
- ¼ cup dried diced onion
- 3 Tbsp low sodium bouillon/broth powder (a packet is 1 tsp, so nine packets)
- 1½ tsp Italian seasoning herb blend
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Directions:
Add ingredients into a small mixing bowl, whisk gently to mix. Transfer to a quart mason jar using a funnel. Put on lid and ring, shake until powders are fully mixed. Let settle before opening.
To make a batch of soup (to equal a can of condensed soup used in a recipe with milk added), add ½ cup dry mix to a small saucepan, whisk in 2 cups water till smooth.
Place over a medium burner and whisk constantly to prevent lumps or scorching until bubbling and thickened.
Salt to taste.
Make a batch ahead, and chill the soup to use in the next 24 hours to save time.
It makes a shy quart of dry mix, with 4 to 5 batches, depending on how packed your measuring cup is when making batches.
Options:
You can convert this recipe to many flavors by adding freeze-dried ingredients. In particular, the crumbled and powdery bits at the bottom of freeze-dried cans is perfect for this – no waste! Crumble the freeze-dried meat(s) and vegetables into small pieces, and add up to a half cup of dried ingredients to each batch of prepared soup you make. Soak the dry ingredients in half the water to produce for 10 minutes, then add in as you start cooking the soup.
You can also combine flavors. Mushrooms and Chicken together are great or add in more herbs. Maybe some Parmesan cheese as well.
- Chicken
- Shelf Stable bacon pieces/bits
- Asparagus
- Celery
- Mushroom (consider using dehydrated cremini or shiitake mushrooms as well)
- Broccoli
- Cheddar Cheese
~Sarah