Homely, gloppy creamed canned soups were the mainstay of many a home cook's repertoire for decades. Casseroles, an essential dish of the second half of the 20th century, stay moist and delicious with the addition of canned soup.
Yet, in the last 20 years, but especially in the last 10 years, the canned creamed soups have fallen into such disrepute that Campbell's Soups, the queen of soup makers, is in a bit of trouble. Americans are now very sodium conscious, and the creamed soups are very high in sodium. Sadly, when you take salt and fat out of a creamed soup, it becomes deeply unpalatable.
But there are ways around the sodium problem. I never add extra salt to any dish that was made with canned soup. As for fat, well, get ready to find some interesting new dietary guidelines set to emerge on dietary fat. (Suffice it to say that the government has finally noticed that Americans have gotten physically huge during the low fat craze.)
Lots of people say the taste of canned soups is yucky. I concur, but I don't buy creamed soups to eat them in a bowl. I add them to casseroles to make them smooth, moist and creamy.
A bag of egg noodles, boiled, drained and mixed with cream of chicken soup, shredded cheese and a little melted butter becomes a delicious side dish or vegetarian main dish that even a middle schooler could make. Just pop in on the oven in a buttered casserole dish for 20 minutes on 350 degrees.
Pour a can of cream of mushroom soup mixed with with dried onion soup over beef roast, spread it around and put the roast in the oven on low (300 degrees) for a few hours and you'll have a moist, delicious main dish with almost no work. You can boil some potatoes as a side on the top of the stove.
And who doesn't like party potatoes? You know the dish I mean: mix thawed shredded potatoes, sour cream, a can or two of cream of chicken soup, and spread it all in a buttered casserole, put it in the oven at 350—yum!
The canned cream soup isn't the way to go for every meal. There is some blandness there, and variety makes for a healthy diet. But if you've set aside your old cream-soup based recipes because they seem too old-fashioned, dust them off and give them a new try. You may be surprised at how happy your family will be at the delicious results.
If you'd like to share your own home memories or tips (or recipes), send ideas to tkwolford@aol.com. Or you can write me via traditional mail at The Farmer's Exchange, P.O. Box 45, New Paris, IN 46553.