Some of our most of our favorite meals use a cream of soup in one way or another. Celery, chicken, you name it. Hubs grew up on cream of chicken being used from things like gravy, to chicken & rice, and even chicken corn chowder. I must admit, opening up cans and cooking a meal from them is very enticing. In fact, even though I do a lot of canning and home preservation, I still open up some cans and create dinner from them.
But the problem with using cream of soups in our family is that Monkey gets migraines when he consumes a lot of MSG. Some times the after effects of his migraines can last upwards of a week! He’s experienced migraines since he was 2, and I’m glad to say that his episodes have become less frequent in the last 5 years. At the same time, I’ve also learned his triggers and what we need to avoid. In order to limit his episodes, I’ve had to learn where to pick and choose on what will make up his intake limit.
When I started limiting what we brought in the house that contained MSG is when I started learning how to make homemade cream of soups. It allowed me to continue to make some of our favorite meals without putting Monkey though his migraines.
Some of the recipes I tried had you create a powdered version to leave in your pantry, and divvy out as needed and mix with milk or broth. While it was simple enough, it didn’t hold up like the kind in a can.
This version on the other had, while it does require a little bit of prep, is really simple to make. Whipping up a batch takes less than 10 minutes {less than 5 if you omit sauteing the celery}, and uses things that I bet you already have in your pantry. This recipe replaces one 10oz can that you buy at the store. And the best part is that it can easily be doubled or tripled, and then frozen for future use.
Since I always have celery and chicken broth on hand, I use this recipe as my go-to for any recipe calling for a can of “condensed cream of” soup. You can season it however you like, or use whatever you have on hand. It’s pretty versatile that way.
The only thing I wouldn’t change is the butter-flour-liquid {broth & milk} ratio. That’s what gives this it’s thick, creamy goodness to allow it to replace the store bought kind.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/2 cup broth {chicken, vegetable, whatever fits your needs}
- 1/2 cup milk
Directions
- In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt butter. While butter is melting, measure out flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and sage in a small bowl.
- Add celery to melted butter. Saute until celery is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- When celery is translucent, add flour mixture to the melted butter, whisking to combine. Continue to whisk, cooking on low until flour is no longer bubbly, is slightly darkened, and smells nutty. This takes approximately 3 minutes.
- Slowly add broth, continuously whisking to allow broth to combine with flour. Be sure to whisk the sides too so there are no more lumps of flour.
- Slowly add milk, whisking to combine. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat.
- This recipe replaces one 10oz can, and can easily be doubled or tripled. Use it to replace store bought cans in your favorite recipes.
Leave a Reply