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We Asked 4 Chefs Their Favorite Canned Soup, and Their Answers Will Inspire Dinner Tonight

melanie5890
Oct 1
2 min read

FEATURED IN PARADE


By Julie Andrews, MS, RDN, CD, FAND • September 15, 2026


Parade asked four chefs and culinary experts to share the canned soups they actually keep in their kitchens, what they look for on the label, and how they turn a pantry shortcut into something that tastes more intentional.


Melanie’s take


  • Favorite canned soup: Amy’s Organic Lentil Vegetable, lower sodium. Melanie likes that the lentils and vegetables keep their texture and that it tastes homemade enough to eat as-is.

  • Read the label. She checks canned soups, stocks and broths for sodium and looks at ingredient lists for fillers, gums, stabilizers and added sugars.

  • Taste before you fix anything. If a soup isn’t delicious to you, identify what is missing before automatically adding ingredients.

  • If the flavor is weak, gently simmer the soup uncovered to reduce water and concentrate the flavor.

  • For brightness, Melanie reaches for sherry vinegar or lemon juice.

  • For richness, a little cream or coconut milk can change the character of the soup.

  • Presentation matters too: crème fraîche, sour cream, pesto, gremolata or spiced seeds can add both flavor and visual appeal.

  • For cooking, Melanie makes a case for cream of celery as an unusually versatile canned soup because its neutral savory flavor works across chicken, turkey, seafood, potatoes, rice casseroles and sauces.



The bigger idea


The point isn’t to make canned soup pretend it was made from scratch. It’s to understand what you’re starting with and use cooking skills—taste, reduction, acidity, richness, texture and presentation—to make it work harder.


That approach reflects how Melanie teaches at Nourish & Gather: recipes are useful, but knowing how to taste, adjust and make decisions in the kitchen gives you far more freedom.


More ways Melanie uses canned soup


In the Parade story, Melanie also shares ways to treat canned soup as an ingredient rather than a finished dish. Tomato soup can become pasta sauce, shortcut vodka sauce, stuffed-pepper filling or a casserole base. French onion soup can add depth to pot roast, gravy, braised short ribs and meatballs. Cheddar or butternut squash soup can become part of creamy vegetable dishes, mac and cheese or queso-style dips, while bean soups can be reduced for enchiladas, tacos, burritos, bowls or chili.



PARADE • Food & Drink • Canned soup, pantry cooking and chef techniques


 
 
 

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