Fast and Easy Condensed Soup Recipes!

I have posted two condensed recipes in the past. One for condensed cream of chicken soup and one for condensed tomato soup. While the recipes are really good, they aren’t exactly what you would call convenient. And isn’t that the whole point anyway?  The gluten free diet is not always simple and with our hectic lives, and we deserve a break too!

I have finished my condensed cream of mushroom soup recipe, which was really just a tweaking of an old cream of mushroom soup recipe that I have had for years. The reason I have yet to post it is because when I make it, I make a lot of it so I have it on hand. The problem though, is that I have to use it quickly because it does not freeze well and as I was researching home canning…well, it is not as simple as making your own preserves. You need to pressure can foods with low acid content and it just freaks me out. I am thinking either death by Botulism or death by pressure cooker…neither sound like my idea of a good time!

The other day, I came across an article on what condensed soups really are. I don’t know why this did not occur to me before, but basically it is soup with very little liquid and not the way I had presumed, just a really thick soup. I have just been adding more roux to thicken soups with a lot of liquid.

I then came across this really cool website: Everyday Food Storage. It is really interesting! Crystal Godfrey has made a mix, called “Magic Mix” that she makes up in large quantities and stores in the refrigerator to use as needed. She uses this Magic Mix to make everything from pudding to you guessed it…homemade condensed soups! The website is not a gluten free food blog, but she does have some gluten free recipes on there too, or you could convert the recipes into GF.

I haven’t looked at the website too in-depth yet (since I have zeroed in on the condensed soups) but will definitely become a regular visitor. I made up my own gluten free version of the Magic Mix, using my Tom Sawyer’s All-Purpose GF Flour (By the way, for my fellow Albuquerquean’s…R. Downs on Montgomery carries Tom Sawyer flour).

Here is the list of ingredients (my GF substitutions are in red) and the link (click on the Magic Mix title) to the website page for the recipe instructions (the recipe is down the page a bit).

Magic Mix

2 1/3 C. Powdered Milk (I am sure you could easily use a powdered rice, potato or soy milk if you need dairy free)
1 C. All Purpose Flour (Yes, use All Purpose) (I used Tom Sawyers GF All Purpose Flour)
1 C. (2 sticks) Margarine (***HAS TO BE REAL MARGARINE, NOT SPREAD***) or Butter, at room temperature (I used Smart Balance in the tub, I am sure you could also use a vegan spread for a dairy free substitute).

Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1 C. Magic Mix
3/4 C. Chicken Broth (either from a can, bouillion, or liquid from canned chicken) (I used from the can)
1 t. Dry Parsley (I omitted this)
Dash of Onion Salt (I used 1/4 tsp. Onion Powder and omitted the salt all together, since the chicken broth has salt in it)
Mix together with wire whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  (I folded in a little, not all, of the canned chicken, chopped up after the soup had thickened)

Here is Crystal’s instructional video:

Easy Peasy! I tried it today for both Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom soup, since I need both for a casserole I am making tonight.

Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (How I made it)

11/10/09 UPDATE: Use this updated recipe instead of the following recipe for Condensed Mushroom Soup!

1 C. Magic Mix
3/4 C. Liquid (I poured the mushroom liquid from the can into a measuring cup. Since it was not 3/4 of a cup worth, I used Beef Stock to make the combined total 3/4 cup)
1 t. Dry Parsley (I omitted this)
Dash of Onion Salt (I used 1/4 tsp. Onion Powder and omitted the salt all together…I am trying to reduce our sodium intake)

Mix together with wire whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  (I folded in a few of the canned mushrooms, chopped up, after the soup had thickened)

I like the Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup but I think it needs more mushroom flavor. I found some powdered mushrooms online today and placed an order (after I called and spoke with Brian to make sure they are GF and they are!). I hope by adding some of the mushroom powder it will enhance the mushroom flavor without adding any liquid. I am also beginning to save, instead of discarding, the mushroom juice from cans I open for a different reason. I will put the juice in ice cube trays and store in the freezer until needed. It may be enough just to use 3/4 cup of mushroom juice (no beef stock). I will experiment with both, and report back!

Crystal mentions in the video about using some Kitchen Bouquet to add coloring to the mushroom soup. I contacted the company to see if it is GF and it is! Here is the email I received:

September 14, 2009
Heidi Kelly
Reference Number: 5919336
Dear Heidi,
Thank you for contacting us about our Kitchen Bouquet product.
We would like to inform you that the product in which you are inquiring about is gluten free.
Again, thank you for contacting us.
Sincerely,

Tracy Wise

Consumer Response Representative

Consumer Services

*I did add about 1/4 tsp. of Kitchen Bouquet to boost the color in the Condensed Mushroom soup.

I weighed each batch of soup and for the chicken it came out to 11oz (Campbell’s is 10 3/4oz). The mushroom came in a little shy at 9 1/4oz (Campbell’s is also 10 3/4oz). Too close to worry about!

**I am sorry, but I forgot to take a photo of the Condensed Chicken soup until it was too late and I had already put it in my casserole! I will get one next time.**

An ingredient comparison with Campbell’s (Hi-lighting other troublesome ingredients besides the obvious, gluten) :

Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup:
ChickenStock, Water, Vegetable Oil, Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, Cream(Milk), Contains Less Than 2% Of: Salt, Dehydrated Cooked Chicken, SoyProtein Concentrate, Monosodium Glutamate, Chicken Fat, Yeast Extract,Flavoring, Beta Carotene for Color, Chicken Flavor, PartiallyHydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Butter (Milk).

**I bet you could “yellow” the coloring of the Homemade Condensed Chicken soup with a pinch of Turmeric, which according to Dr. Oz has many health benefits :-)**

Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup:
Water, Mushrooms, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Cottonseed, Canola and/or Soybean) Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, contains Less than 2% of: Cream (Milk)Salt, Dried Whey (Milk) Monosodium Glutamate, Soy Protein Concentrate, Yeast Extract, Spice Extract, Dehydrated Garlic.

Crystal Godfrey’s recipe has what 6 items? Even if you aren’t gluten free, but are concerned about all the “stuff” in processed foods…homemade condensed soup is now REALLY EASY to make 🙂


PS. The casserole came out excellent!! Very creamy with the condensed soups. Will post tomorrow 🙂