Thanksgiving and Christmas are troubling holidays—not for what most might think of. For me, it is the food. Every corner of the grocery store is a minefield of highly preserved “food” that most of America serves without blinking. Canned cream of mushroom soup is easy to grab. Just scrape out the can, add a can worth of milk, and in a few minutes, you have green bean casserole ready for the holiday oven.
But what is in that can? There are many ingredients we could avoid. Cheap GMO/BE seed oils, soy protein concentrate, MSG, and yeast. For me, yeast (think nutritional yeast) often causes me to get a niacin flush across my face. It is why I cannot use many ready-to-use chicken broths. I don’t enjoy flushing, for sure.
Ingredients (Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, 10.5-ounce can)
Water, Mushrooms, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola, And/Or Soybean), Modified Cornstarch, Wheat Flour, Salt, Cream, Whey, Soy Protein Concentrate, Monosodium Glutamate, Yeast Extract, Dried Garlic, Natural Flavoring.
The thing is, we can replicate that added MSG with fresh mushrooms, giving the savory flavor – but naturally. Instead of a few tiny dice of mystery black fungi, this soup is full of tasty bits! Enjoy it. And no protein concentrates needed, nor wanted.
If you need dairy-free, use your favorite unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk. I wouldn’t suggest coconut though, as it tends to be naturally sweet.
Handcrafted Condensed Cream Of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, chopped finely
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp low sodium vegetable bouillon powder*
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Directions:
In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium. Add the mushrooms and saute, stirring often, until they are fully cooked and have let out all their moisture.
Add in the milk, cornstarch, broth powder, salt, and pepper, mixing well with a whisk.
Continue whisking as it thickens – it will become very thick.
Take off the stove, transfer to a storage container, and chill.
Use in place of one can condensed soup as called for in recipes. To use in a green bean casserole, stir in 10 ounces of milk, then proceed as normal.
Notes:
*Making your own low-sodium vegetable broth powder is easy. Here is one recipe for it.
~Sarah