There are many advantages to having canned soup on hand in your home pantry. For the busy family on the go, canned soup can be ready in minutes and paired with a salad, whole grain crackers, or favorite sandwich. Keep some favorites on the shelf for those nights when you are tempted to run for fast food. Some budget friendly recipes include canned soups They can be used as a good starter for a healthy family meal. See some great meal ideas down below.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR WHEN SELECTING A HEALTHY SOUP
Soups with a clear broth and lots of vegetables, lentils, or beans are your healthiest soup choices. These types of soup are a good source of fiber which fill you up for a satisfying and healthy meal.
- Keep the salt low! Soup can be high in salt (sodium) so look for labels that say low-salt and check the nutrition label for salt content. Choose soups that have 600 milligrams or less of sodium per serving. (usually a can has 2 servings).
- Keep the fat low! Broth based soups are generally lower in fat than the cream soups, but always read the label to be certain. Look for your low-fat or no-fat options when purchasing.
- Stretch it out! Don’t forget you can add chicken or beef broth to any canned soup. Add canned or frozen vegetables, noodles, or left-over or canned meat for a heartier soup.
BUDGET FRIENDLY MEAL IDEAS USING CANNED SOUPS
Creamed soups are helpful to have on hand to make a quick, easy, budget-friendly family meal. They come in many different varieties including chicken, mushroom, celery, potato, and broccoli just to name a few. They can be eaten as is or added to recipes to create a tasty casserole.
- Cream of chicken soup can be added when making a gravy for a pot pie, chicken casserole, or mixed with shredded chicken to serve over rice.
- Cream of mushroom soup adds the perfect flavor when mixed with low-fat sour cream to make a creamy sauce to mix with beef and serve over noodles. This creamy sauce is also good over enchiladas, sprinkled with a little cheese and baked.
- Tomato soup is great to have on hand for a quick weeknight dinner. Add tomato soup to boiled whole grain pasta. Mix in low-fat shredded cheese and crumbled hamburger for a yummy one skillet dinner. Tomato soup is also a great vegetable soup starter.
