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Cheapism may earn a commission if you buy through a link on our site. Canned soup is a perfect pantry staple. It has a long shelf-life, is inexpensive, there’s lots of variation in flavors and cuisines, and you can use it as an ingredient to build other dishes. Canned cream soup is the obvious choice for casseroles, but there’s a lot you can do with tomato soup, onion soup, and consomme, too.
Besides canned cream of chicken soup, this recipe uses another pantry shortcut staple: stuffing mix. Along with chicken breast, a few vegetables, broth, and fragrant sage, this casserole is like an entire comforting holiday dinner in a pan. Reminiscent of Salisbury steak, these hamburger steaks include green pepper and celery for texture and garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce for a flavor boost. Form them and bake them in a creamy gravy of cream of mushroom soup.
Cream of chicken soup teams up with canned refried beans, green chiles, and enchilada sauce for a Tex-Mex meal that’s only a little spicy. Cook the ingredients in a cast-iron skillet, then layer and bake the pie in the same one to save on dirty dishes. All out of cans of sloppy joe sauce? No problem, as long as you have a can of tomato soup hiding in the pantry. This is a super easy recipe with only a few other ingredients. Try adding some of your favorite barbecue sauce or mustard for a little more tang.
This recipe looks really impressive, especially when you consider how easy and fast it is to make. It only uses six ingredients, and you just mix the filling together, then create the braid with refrigerated crescent roll dough. This is a great way to use up leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken meat. Make a can of black bean soup more interesting with a few small additions. Smoked paprika and lime juice give it a depth of flavor that’s hard to get in a can, and toppings like cabbage, tomatoes, and avocado give it freshness and texture. You’ll love this creamy, stroganoff-like casserole recipe that includes cream of mushroom soup, ground beef, and French onion dip mixed with curly egg noodles.
Fried onions on top give it crunch and an extra punch of flavor. With both bacon and ham, plus bell pepper, onion, and baby potatoes, this recipe is a breakfast or brunch main dish. Canned cheddar cheese soup makes a rich, thick sauce. The best part is that it cooks in the crockpot overnight so it’s ready in the morning. Pork and peaches are a classic combination. In this recipe, sliced pork tenderloin — or pork chops, if that’s what you have — cooks in a sweet and savory sauce made with golden mushroom soup, peaches, soy sauce, and pecans.
It’s not unusual to use a packet of seasoning mix in meatloaf, but have you tried using a can of condensed soup instead? The condensed French onion soup mixed into the beef gives the meatloaf flavor and moisture so it’s less likely to dry out. Chicken spaghetti is a classic casserole of pasta in a cream of mushroom sauce with chicken, bell peppers, and cheese. This version calls for simmering a whole raw chicken so you can use the flavorful broth in the casserole along with the meat.