Need a quick recipe? This tutorial on how to make condensed soup is great for cream of chicken or mushroom and takes just a few ingredients!
In an effort to keep our grocery bill low and also feed my family healthy foods, we’ve learned the easiest way to do this is to make it at home. Not only does it save us time and money, but by cutting out common ingredients in processed foods, it’s allowed my stomach to heal.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a lot of extra time in my day. Preparing foods that tastes good (because even if it’s healthy if my kids and hubby hate it, it’s wasted) and are healthy are high on my priority. When I find a from scratch homemade version of something that tastes amazing, only contains real food ingredients, and can be made in just 5 minutes, I’m in!
When I first started reading ingredient labels and investigating the things in the foods I was purchasing and cooking with, I wasn’t very happy with what I found. I embarked on a journey to replace the processed foods we’d come to see as common on grocery stores with homemade versions.
I used to buy cans of condensed cream of chicken and mushroom soup almost every time I went to the store. They went into so many of the casseroles and meals I was preparing. However, those babies can add up and if you start to look at the ingredients… let’s just say they were one of the first things we tossed.
Even if you’re not looking to improve your health, you can make the at home equivalent for less than a dollar, in less than 5 minutes, and that’s with organic ingredients and no preservatives, woot, woot! (I get a little excited about this kind of stuff, if ya can’t tell)
Imagine never having to worry if you have a can of that on hand when you go to prepare a meal and never having to purchase it from the store again. Amazing, right?
Step 1: Melt 3 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil over medium heat.
Step 2: Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour (cornstarch if you’re gluten free will work, too) and create a thick paste.
Step 3: Pour in 1 cup of liquid. You can use chicken broth, milk, or a mixture of the two. For dairy free use all chicken broth or your favorite non-dairy milk of choice.
Step 4: Stir until liquid is absorbed into paste. Cook over low medium heat for a minute until mixture thickens up. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic and onion powder if desired. If mixture is too thick, add in 1/4 cup liquid at a time until desired consistency.
For cream of mushroom soup, dice up a handful of mushrooms and saute in the butter for 2 minutes before adding in flour. You may also dice up garlic and onion and saute if you don't have any garlic or onion powder.
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Will this freeze? I'd like to store up a ton in ice cube trays but don't want to waste it if it doesn't keep in the freezer.
Hmmm, where I'm from we can this a Béchamel sauce... Not a soup at all...
I have not used Cream of Anything soup in years. Once I found out how to make it from The Tightwad Gazette, I just never found the reason to buy it. It's easy and tastes better to make it yourself!
Thank you! My daughter has a food allergy and cream if anything contained soy. This is perfect!
If I wanted to make this into cream of celery would I just substitute the celery for the mushrooms?
Yes, just simply saute minced celery in the butter before adding the flour and chicken stock or milk. You can also use celery salt for an extra kick.
This is one of the first things I teach new cooks! This is the base for cream sauce: cream of soups, white sauce for creamed peas, etc., sausage and gravy, casseroles......
Substitute the milk for beef broth or chicken broth and you have gravy!
My only criticism is the flour mixture looks a little thick, I'd reduce the flour just a bit. Most importantly, stir, stir, stir when adding the liquid in slowly. :-)
I know it says it makes a mason jar's worth...but what size mason jar? I ask because we use a "family size" can of condensed cream of chicken and I'm wondering if I should double the recipe (triple?) and if I could make this ahead of time. About how long is "the longest" one can keep this in the fridge? (If I make it on a Sunday for a dinner later in the week, when should I plan on eating the meal...or should I just make the meal on Sunday and reheat it?
I also use a family size can of condensed cream of chicken in my "double batch" of chicken pot pie (two 9" pies), would this hold up in a pie as well?
Jennifer,
Great questions. It makes approximately 2 cups of sauce, so I would double it if you normally use the family size. It will keep in the fridge for 2 days, probably up to 3.
It works great in pies! I use it in my chicken pot pie all the time. It also holds up great in the slow cooker.
This seems so easy to make. I can't wait to try it! Thank you so much for providing substitutions, too. We're a food allergy family, so I'm always having to tweak recipes. I'm looking forward to the pantry makeover!
Alison,
Thanks so much and I look forward to having you on it, too!
Love this recipe and love that you mentioned you can use a non-dairy milk or chicken broth! My youngest has food allergies so this would be perfect for us! Thanks so much!
Becky,
You're so welcome. I try to always give alternatives for those things, even homemade non-dairy yogurt is an option in the 5 Day Pantry Makeover. Enjoy! Homemade bone broth makes this even cheaper.
How do you store these? Can they be canned or frozen?
You can definitely freeze it, but it's not safe for home canning.