Cream of Anything Soup!
Cream Of Anything Soups From Scratch!
I’ll admit, I love those green bean casseroles with cream of mushroom soup! But the thought of what is in that can scares me from making it any longer. I worry about additives that can be harmful and chemicals that really just don’t need to be in my food. And sometimes I can taste the metal can flavor in the soup. But I love my sister’s green bean casserole, and my son loves her broccoli casserole, both made with canned cream of soup. So I set about trying to make a healthier version that would still be convenient for my sister to make, and hit the no-additive note with me. And it really doesn’t take that much more effort to do it.
There are three ways to make ahead these recipes for Cream-of-Anything Soups. Pick your convenience or try them all! I pressre can broths such as chicken or beef broth and even vegetable broth, and any of these broths be used as the base for cream soups. (Having said that, you CANNOT safely can cream of any kind, either in a water bath or pressure canner, so cream soup itself must not be canned.) These dry mixes can be made ahead and added to broth and milk when preparing the dish.
Bone stocks are such a great way to stretch your food dollar and deliver wholesome nutrition to the table. If you are familiar with canning meats this is easy to do. If you are just getting into canning meat, I have a whole section of recipes and tips to share with you on this site. You do need a pressure canner to can meats and broths.
Instant Cream of Soup Starter Mix (bulk mix, store in a closed mason jar. Label)
2 cups dry milk powder
1 cup corn starch
2 teaspoons homemade onion powder (see recipe on website)
1 teaspoon dried crushed thyme from your garden
1 teaspoon dried crushed basil
2 teaspoons dried crushed parsley
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or black pepper can be used if you don’t have pepper powder from the garden)
3 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin
You can add ½ a cup of crushed dried Vegetable Soup Mix Powder(recipe here) to this recipe as well.
Combine all ingredients, store in a jar. When you are ready to make cream soup, add 1/3 cup of instant mix to about 1-1/2 cups of broth or water and wisk. Chicken broth really does add flavor to the casserole and soup, so use that if you have it. Bring to a simmer over medium heat while stirring and it will thicken, about 2-3 minutes. Add casserole ingredients to the soup or pour over.
*This instant recipe can be made without the powdered milk and cornstarch, if you’d like to use real milk instead. I’m not a fan of dried milk but love the convenience, so this recipe works well for all you dried milk users!
To make soup using liquid milk and broth:
Start with a roux:
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup broth, divided
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
In a Saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter (not margarine). Stir in 1 tablespoon flour. Wisk quickly and let it bubble for just a minute. Then slowly add in ½ cup broth, wisking til smooth. As the mixture bubbles, slowly add the remaining half cup broth and milk. Let simmer and it will thicken. Stir every minute or two. Let it cool a bit, then prepare casserole as with canned soup.
Variations of Creamed Soup:
To Make Cream of Celery Soup: ½ cup finely chopped celery in ½ cup water with 1 teaspoon salt added. Let celery sit in the salt water for about 15 minutes while preparing the soup base. Drain and add to soup, let simmer for five minutes. The salted water may be used in the soup as well, adjust salt in the recipe.
Cream of Chicken Soup: Use chicken stock as above, and add ½ cup finely chopped cooked chicken. Simmer a few minutes.
Cream of Mushroom Soup: Saute half a cup chopped sliced mushrooms in a teaspoon of butter for a few minutes, until slightly done. Add to soup.
Creamed beef broth soup: Use beef broth for a more heartier flavor. This is great for stroganoff, beef pies or Swedish meatball recipes.
Try it and let me know what you think!