The 10 Best Recipes To Make With Cream of X Soup

Condensed cream of mushroom, celery, or chicken soups are the unbreakable, always there-for-you ingredients that make a creamy and rich base for any number of delicious meals. It might seem like a can-forward recipe is of a different time, a cop-out that keeps the meal from being truly homemade, but I don’t see it that way. There’s absolutely no shame in taking a shortcut or two every now and then to get dinner on the table or feed a large group.

If you want to make your own condensed soup as a base for any of these recipes, start here. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the canned soup aisle or digging around in the back of your pantry for this timeless building block of comforting casseroles and bakes.

“To lighten up this tuna casserole you can always add in more vegetables, or swap the potato chips for breadcrumbs.” —Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

“The secret ingredient in this mac and cheese? Cream of mushroom soup! If you are not a mushroom lover, Reddit users recommend subbing cheddar cheese soup.” —Robin Asbell, Simply Recipes Contributor

“For a cheesy finish, top the whole thing with shredded cheddar before baking.” —Devan Grimsrud, Simply Recipes Contributor

“Adapt this recipe to suit your time, needs, and preferences: frozen shredded potatoes can be substituted for fresh, and canned cream of chicken soup can be substituted for homemade.” —Summer Miller, Simply Recipes Senior Editor

“This recipe can be baked in a number of vessels. I’ve used various glass Pyrex baking dishes as well as two round pie plates. Whatever you use, make sure it can hold at least 6 cups.” —Sara Haas, Simply Recipes Contributor

“If you happen to have leftover chicken, use it for this casserole. Just chop it up roughly or shred it and measure out what you need. It doesn’t have to be exact, so if you have a bit more or a bit less, just go with it.” —Nick Evans, Simply Recipes Contributor

“For this recipe, make sure you’re using quick-cooking rice, such as Minute Rice. This ensures the rice will cook through without drying out the chicken breasts.” —Jasmine Smith, Simply Recipes Recipe Developer

“I found that using frozen hashbrown potatoes, even after thawing, are easy to overcook and become soggy when baked as a casserole. Using refrigerated hashbrowns fixes that problem.” —Catherine Jessee, Simply Recipes Test Kitchen Assistant

“Andrew recommends Campbell’s soups for this recipe.” —Sara

“To simplify this recipe, skip making the bechamel and use a few spoonfuls of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup instead.” —Simply Recipes Editors