Cream of Mushroom Soup

Before the issue of gluten came into my life, cream of mushroom soup was one of those pantry staples for quick weeknight dinners.  A quick dinner could consist of making some meatballs, browning them and then throwing in a can of cream of mushroom soup – and voila – a quick meatballs and gravy dinner.  Or another favorite was to brown pork chops and again, add a can of cream of mushroom soup and dinner is served.  And let’s not forget the holiday favorite of green beans with cream of mushroom soup.  And then gluten became an issue and that quick standby sauce became just a fond memory.  Now, you can always make your own cream of mushroom soup and freeze it for when you need it.  This works and is quite simple to do, but if you are in a time crunch or just haven’t planned ahead than it is not as convenient as opening up a can.

Well, things are changing.  I recently went to the store and discovered two prepared gluten-free cream of mushroom soups:  1) Pacific Natural Foods Organic Cream of Mushrooms Soup (condensed) and the Gluten Free Café Cream of Mushroom Soup.  I bought both brands and took them home with hopeful expectations.  I tested both products with my ol’ standby meatball recipe and found them both to be quite good.  Our family thought that the Gluten Free Café’s was slightly better.  We found the Pacific Natural Foods to be good as well but a little too thick for everyone at our table’s taste (note:  we mixed 1 cup condensed soup with 1 cup milk).  Either way, if you are looking for a quick sauce or meal solution keep an eye out for these two products.

- Chef Jessica

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