A can of soup makes for an inexpensive, light, and easy meal that's ready in just a few minutes. These quick meals are always convenient, but they aren't always that filling.They're typically low-calorie and low-volume, and while they're perfect for throwing together a fast lunch, they can leave your stomach growling later in the day.
It's not difficult to doctor up a canned soup to make it a more filling and wholesome meal. Leftover ingredients from the fridge can be tossed in to augment the soup and add protein or other much-needed nutrients. One way to do this is by adding in some starch. Pasta and other grains, such as rice, are likewise inexpensive but add a bit of bulk and fiber to the soup, increasing satiety. These grains can either be cooked directly into the soup with a few extra adjustments or cooked separately and added in later.
Pasta makes for a classic soup add-in that's easily accessible and can be ready in as little as 8 or so minutes.If you have leftover pasta in the fridge, that makes things even simpler: stir the pasta into the hot soup to reheat and enjoy.
With dry pasta, either cook the noodles separately according to package instructions or cook them directly into the soup as it heats.Be aware, though, that pasta will absorb the liquid in the soup; add a little extra water, or better yet, some chicken stock to bulk out the amount of liquid and give the pasta something to soak in.
Small pasta shapes such as fusilli, macaroni, rigatoni, penne, and ditalini work well in canned soup. Egg noodles will also work and taste especially good in chicken-based soups. Long noodles can work, too, though instead of spaghetti, reach for something like vermicelli.
Grains For A More Complete Soup
Just like pasta, other varieties of grains can upgrade canned soupto make it a complete meal. These grains can also provide extra nutritional value beyond what pasta can impart.
Rice is a common soup accompaniment that can both be mixed directly into the broth, or served alongside thicker soups as a sort of side dish. White rice will work, but using brown rice is even more ideal nutritionally, as it's high in dietary fiber, magnesium, antioxidants, and a host of other vitamins and minerals. Wild rice is also a great soup choice, rich in manganese and dietary fiber.
Another grain that works well in canned soup is barley. Fluffy, chewy, and delicious when stirred into a chicken or beef soup, barley comes in both hulled and pearled forms and boasts plenty of fiber and nutrients like iron, thiamine, phosphorous, and selenium.
Often, grains take much longer than pasta to cook— ideally, cook them separately from your soup, then add them in when you're ready to eat.
The pasta will absorb the liquid in the soup, so you can add a little extra water or chicken stock to bulk up the dish. Fusilli, macaroni, rigatoni, penne, and ditalini work well in canned soup, and egg noodles complement chicken soup.If you want long noodles, use vermicelli instead of spaghetti.
Leftover chicken or beef from the night before can be added to boost a soup's protein content. Ziesmer's personal favorite is to create a heartier soup by adding chunks from a grocery store rotisserie chicken. Cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta can also be added to turn a light soup into a hearty stew.
Small pasta shapes such as fusilli, macaroni, rigatoni, penne, and ditalini work well in canned soup. Egg noodles will also work and taste especially good in chicken-based soups.
Canned soup isn't just a staple for when you're sick. It can be a healthy and convenient option when you need a meal that keeps you full and satisfied. It can also be a great way to add nutritious foods like vegetables, beans, and lentils to your diet.
Canned soup noodles contain more alkaline salts than regular noodles. Gluten and alkaline salt react to make a chewier, denser noodle that doesn't soak up liquid as much.
To ensure you get it just right, make sure the soup is nearly cooked before adding the pasta. Smaller pasta shapes soak up broth readily so ensure you serve the soup as soon as it's cooked. Alternatively, you could cook the pasta separately and add to the soup at the last moment.
No, in almost every case, you should not rinse pasta after it's cooked. It's true that rinsing noodles or pasta after cooking halts the cooking process. “This is also known as shocking,” Tiess says. But rinsing also removes the starch water after the noodles are strained, which is what helps adhere sauce to noodles.
Noodles left to simmer in soup for too long become slimy and overly soft, and they can break down and make your soup too starchy. If you're adding them on reheating, you can add uncooked pasta after the soup is simmering steadily and cook it for 10 minutes or cook your pasta separately and add it just before serving.
But can it be considered a complete dinner meal in itself? To rightly be considered as dinner, a soup must not only be filling, but must also be correct on the calorie chart. Hearty soups like Russian Borsch, Vietnamese pho, and Italian Minestrone are considered as main courses.
If soup is the only thing you are eating, it may not provide you with enough nutrients. It is best to eat soup as part of a balanced meal that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources.
The addition of meat and vegetarian replacements like chicken or tofu, as well as carbs like rice or legumes add additional heft to any canned soup. Veggies and a splash of citric acid can brighten up a boring tomato soup.
Pesto, hot sauce, lemon juice—the list goes on. Any of these will enhance the flavor profile and give your can of Campbell's the boost it needs to go from good to great.
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