Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Cream of Anything Soup

Aaaaand I’m back. Did you miss me here on Monday? Nah, I’m sure you loved Becky’s blog! Not sure what I’m talking about? Check out my guest post on Love to Be in the Kitchen HERE

So I’m popping in to share with you how I make my cream soups. For about a year or so, I’ve really been making an effort to feed my family healthy and clean foods. By that, I felt I needed to cut out as many processed foods as I could reasonably stand. So anytime I come up against a recipe that calls for ‘cream of…’ soup, I make it instead.

Sound hard? It’s not and once you’ve got the recipe down it takes no thought (in fact, I’m writing this post from memory- and I have major pregnancy brain so that’s saying something!)and no time at all. Any recipes tastes sooooo much better this way too.
cream of anything soup

Begin by melting 3 Tablespoons over medium heat, once melted, add 3 Tablespoons of flour, 1/4 tsp of salt and a dash of peper and stir together. It’s going to be doughy like this. Cook it for 1-2 minutes, that gets rid of the raw flour taste.
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Now add a little at a time the broth/milk (it depends on the type of soup you’re making, I’ll explain below). Wisk together until incorporated, then add more of the liquid.
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Add the milk and wisk together.
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At the end you’ll have a beautifully smooth and creamy substitute for that can of cream of something
cream of anything soup

Cream of Anything Soup:
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning or sage (I don't have either of these on hand so I usually just put in chicken boullion, or whatever that powder seasoning is called you can add to water to make broth :) - I'll add about 1/2 tsp-1 tsp .I just go by taste on this one)
1 1/4 C liquid, milk or broth


Directions:
Melt butter, stir in flour, salt, and pepper and heat until bubbling, 1-2 minutes. Add liquid slowly, cook until thick.
For cream of chicken soup: use chicken broth for half of the liquid, other half milk. Add 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning or sage.
For cream of mushroom/celery soup: sauté mushrooms/celery and 1 T onion in butter before adding flour (sometimes a teeny bit more butter is needed too)
There you go, that’s how you can make cream of anything soup if you’re in a pinch or want to make a recipe a little bit healthier.
Enjoy!

50 comments:

  1. This is great! I used to use cream of __ way too much when I first was married. Now I rarely use it and I would much rather use this substitute. I am going to give this a try!

    Becky @http://lovetobeinthekitchen.blogspot.com/

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    1. Awesome Becky, hope you like it. I used to use the can all the time too. I've noticed a huge difference since using this over the can. At Easter I thought I was making things easier on myself and used a can for a recipe- bad idea. I felt sick to my stomach all night, not fun.

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  2. Ditto Becky, except I still use it. I will give this a try!

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    1. Hope you like it, it makes a huge difference to me.

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    2. I tried it tonight. I didn't have poultry spice or the needed spices to make my own, so the flavor was mild, but the taste and creaminess were so much better than the canned stuff! I can't wait to try the mushroom version!

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    3. Awesome, I'm glad you liked it. I don't have poultry seasoning, but what I do is usually add some chicken bouillon or whatever that stuff is called that you can add to water to make chicken broth. I think I do a tsp or to taste. I'll edit the recipe and add that.

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  3. This is a great post. It is cheaper and more delicious than anything out of a can.

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    1. Exactly! My husband made a comment the other day about how great the Hawaiian Haystack sauce was and asked what was special about it. I told him that I made the sauce from scratch and not from a can and that surprised him how much different it tastes.

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  4. Thank you for the follows! I am following you back at all the above. Thanks for your comment as well!

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  5. Thanks so much for the follow backs; I really appreciate it! Hope you have a wonderful Thursday :o)

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  6. Could I make this and freeze for later?

    Thanks!

    Sam
    http://cooksandcreates.blogspot.com/

    (found you on The 36th Ave)

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    1. That is a great question. I'm not sure. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon and let you know. I have been thinking about how to go about saving it for later, but hadn't experimented yet. I'll keep you updated!

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  7. This is great! I've been trying to cut out processed foods and cook from scratch. Thanks for the recipe, it will come in very handy!

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    1. Awesome Tara, cutting out processed foods has really made a difference in our family's health and energy levels. It's a journey for sure, but so worth it. I hope you like the recipe!

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  8. Definitely will have to try this! I am trying to be healthier and and hubby has been pleasantly surprised at how the taste changes for the better when everything is from scratch.

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    1. Isn't it funny how those hubbys can be sometimes? haha Mine was the same. He would ask what was different and when I told him he was amazed that making it from scratch tasted so much better. Thanks for coming by and commenting, sure appreciate it!

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  9. Great to see this post! We just did this yesterday when a recipe called for cream of chicken and we didn't have any. I'll probably get to posting the recipe tomorrow - Chicken and Artichoke Casserole - yum! We did it a little differntly, but i's amazing how easy it is. It's also such a great idea to make it yourself instead of using the soup full of ingredients you've never heard of!

    Kristin
    www.exploringdomesticity.blogspot.com

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    1. Oh yum, chicken and artichoke casserole sounds fantastic. I'm heading over to check it out! It is actually really easy to make the soup yourself and you know exactly what's in it!

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  10. Thanks for showing how to make cream soups! Best wishes, Linda

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    1. Thank you Linda for coming by and commenting! Hope you had a great weekend!

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  11. I have been moving away from processed foods for quite a while myself. Sometimes something will slip through, but I am very conscious now of what we are eating. Making "cream of" soups from scratch are a great way to remove some of the processed foods! Plus, I think they taste 100 times better :-) I would love for you to share this at what i am eating http://www.townsend-house.com/2013/05/what-i-am-eating-29.html

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    1. That's awesome Heather! We're the same way, moving away from processed foods. It really tastes sooo much better! I am jumping over to link up, thanks for the invite!

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  12. I have never made this but I have been curious! Thanks for sharing and cant't wait to try it!
    Thanks. New follower would love for you to stop over and say hi!

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    1. Thanks for following along! I am following you back on BlogLovin. Hope you like the recipe!

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  13. Love this! So easy and so much healthier than the canned stuff :) Stopped by from the Huckleberry Love party.. Hope you have a great Wednesday!

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    1. Thanks for coming by, I'm glad you like it. It really is so much healthier than the canned stuff.

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  14. I love this! I stopped buying cream soups a few months ago and have NEVER looked back. All those yucky chemicals, bleh! I actually recently noticed that most broths and bouillons contain MSG and other chemicals as well, but I found a brand called "Better than Bouillon," (it's actually made from chicken) and it tastes great, and it's not too expensive. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Awesome Bethany! I made the mistake of using a canned soup at Easter and I regretted it so much! Thank you for sharing the 'better than bouillon' I'll definitely check it out. Thanks so much for coming by, have a great weekend!

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  15. I use a lot of the "cream of" soups as bases for other things. I will be happy to cut them out because of everything you mentioned, plus the high sodium content. I have a bunch of recipes that use all fresh items with the exception of the cans of soups, so I will be happy to make them totally "clean" now. Plus I always freeze my own chicken stock to keep it on hand.

    Thanks so much for linking up to Savvy Southern Style!

    Jenny

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    1. I love that you freeze your own chicken stock, what a great idea. When we get an extra freezer, I'd love to do the same. Isn't it funny how you can find a really healthy recipe and they throw a can of soup in there. Almost defeats the purpose. haha. Thanks for coming by, have a great weekend!

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  16. I have printed this recipe for 'cream of anything' soups........this is a great idea........Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week; I hope you’ll join us again!


    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino

    The Chicken Chick

    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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    1. Thanks Kathy, sure glad you liked it. Have a great weekend!

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  17. Thanks for sharing this! Very informative. I am featuring you this week and PINNING also. Best wishes and thank you for linking every week.... Linda

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    1. Thanks Linda. I sure appreciate the feature! Have a great weekend!

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  18. Thanks, I have actually done this and you are right, it's so easy and so much better...it's just that those darned canned soups are so tempting in a time crunch! Thanks for reminding me that it doesn't take much to take a healthier step!
    Jenna

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    1. I know, it is totally tempting to just open a can of soup. I did that at Easter and regretted it, my tummy hurt so bad. I'm really glad you liked it. Thank you for coming by, I hope you have a great weekend!

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  19. Really great idea! I too have been trying to make things from scratch for my family. i never thought of making a roux as a substitute for cream of 'stuff' soup!!! This is really great! Can't wait to try it.
    Thanks for sharing with Give Me the GOods Link Party!
    Amy @ www.commona-myhouse.blogspot.com

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    1. Awesome, cooking from scratch can be more work, but so worth it. Thanks for coming by and commenting, I hope you have a great weekend!

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  20. I love cream soups. Thanks so much for sharing with Adorned From Above's Blog Hop 55. We can't wait to see what you have for us this week. This weeks party is live.
    Have a great week.
    Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com

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    1. Thanks Debi! Glad you like it, I love the taste of this homemade soup so much better.

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  21. Does this recipe make the equivalent of one can?

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    1. Yes, make sure to let it cook/thicken long enough and it will be the same as one can. Great question, I should have put that in the post! Thanks!

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  22. Great post!

    I do hope you'll link up at the Mommy Archive - we're focused on soup recipes this week, Alice @ Mums Make Lists

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    1. Thanks Alice, I hopped over and linked it up. Thanks for the invite!!

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  23. Just made double batch of the chicken version with sautéed onion half to use in another recipe and half to have as soup. Yummy! As for making ahead of time, canning for future use would work. Not sure if it would have to be done in a pressure canner or in a cold packer?

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    1. Yes, canning is a great idea. I'm not sure which method would work, I think a pressure cooker, but I'm not an expert canner. I'm so glad you liked the recipe.

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    2. Pressure cooker. Acid content isn't high enough for cold packing. Dressing then vacuum sealing should work too. My 12 yr old girls helped Mr make this the first time for an old family recipe, and they raved at how good it smelled and tasted. I had one not pour it all in so she could eat it straight. LOL. Thanks for the recipe.

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  24. I just made the mushroom version. Holy deliciousness! Thanks again!

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    1. Oh awesome, so glad you like it! I definitely love the mushroom too.

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