An Uncomplicated Life Blog: Better Than Campbell's Crockpot Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

Monday, September 19, 2016

Better Than Campbell's Crockpot Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup is in many holiday dishes, but the canned stuff is full of preservatives. Make your own in the crockpot for a healthy, cost effective holiday season!


Green bean casserole. Gravies and sauces. Specialty side dishes. Cream of mushroom soup is in lots of food served during the holiday season, isn't it? And those creamy dishes are soooo good too! However, the stuff that's in Campbell's cream of mushroom soup is disgusting. Did you know it has over a five year shelf life - for a product that contains dairy? At least, I think there's dairy in it, I can barely pronounce the derivatives and preserved versions of the whole food products. It comes as a surprise to nobody that I'm not into that. And I've devised my own recipe, that's super easy to make (it's done in the Crockpot so the work is done for you!) that tastes even BETTER than Campbell's, minus all the preservative crap.

So easy to make in the Crockpot and so much better for you than Campbell's!

The extra bonus is that this all organic, homemade, better tasting cream of mushroom soup is almost as cost effective as Campbell's. In Dallas, canned soup is $1.19 a can. I bought all these ingredients at Whole Foods and dollar cost averaged the price per mason jar out to $1.88. So for an extra 69 cents and the time it takes you to throw this stuff into a Crockpot, you can have fresh, homemade, preservative free, REAL food cream of mushroom soup for your holiday dishes. 

And the best part is that you can make it right now and freeze it. I bought 8 and 16oz mason jars to store it in my freezer. Then you can take them out as you need them for recipes. This soup is condensed, so no need to change grandma's recipe - just use this soup as a trade in for Campbell's! You're going to be amazed at how much better your food tastes when you use whole foods and real ingredients. Why cook from a can when it's so easy to make your own?


Better Than Campbell's Crockpot Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

- 1 pkg white button mushrooms, chopped*
- 1/2 pkg mini portabella mushrooms, chopped*
- half a white onion, finely chopped
- 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 1 stick of butter
- 3/4 C flour
- 1T salt
- 1 32oz container chicken stock
- 1 can evaporated milk

*I chopped my mushrooms to slightly larger than the chunks you'd see in a can of Campbell's. They cook down, too. 

Plug your Crockpot and turn it on high. Add half the chicken stock to begin warming. In a large skillet, take 2 tablespoons of butter and brown the mushrooms. Add them to the Crockpot and chicken stock. Use the same skillet to saute the onions and celery. Add the rest of the butter once the veggies are soft. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to cook the "flour" taste out of the super thick roux. 

Whisk the flour-butter-veggie mixture in to the Crockpot. Let everything come to temperature, then add the remaining stock. Add the salt. Let simmer on high while covered for about 2 hours. The soup should be thick and simmering. Then remove the lid and cook on high for another 2 hours to allow some of the moisture to evaporate. This is what "condenses" the soup! 



Finally, after the soup has been on high for 4 hours, it should be really thick and chunky with the mushrooms. Add the evaporated milk and stir. Turn off the Crockpot and let cool for an hour or so before ladling into your desired storage containers.  This makes exactly 64oz of condensed soup. 

Great recipe to make your own copycat Campbell's soup for all those holiday recipes! So easy and so much healthier

Use as you would Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup in any recipe! This one is so much better, you'll even want to eat it as a bowl of soup this fall and winter. Just remember to dilute it with water or milk. Enjoy your more flavorful, healthier and less sodium laden holiday season!

11 comments:

  1. Looks soooooo good, Paige. I'm all about those easy crock pot meals.

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  2. Seriously the cream of whatever soups in those metal soup cans makes me gag every single time. This is so brilliant and not full of all that other crap. Such a great share thanks girl!

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  3. This is great. I make a dry version but if I need to make a big batch this would work.

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  4. sooooooo can i just eat this straight? haha. it looks amazing. i love mushrooms. i don't use any cream of anything in cooking, not super intentionally, it just doesn't ever fit with anything we are cooking or whatever. that is scary about the 5 year shelf life.

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  5. I have never made my own, but I will now! How easy!

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  6. This is my favorite soup!! Going to have to make it and the styling on the photos here is so good!

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  7. I love this! What a brilliant idea! Especially with all the horrible news about BPA being in every can this is such a good solution!

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  8. Yes! All the canned crap is so bad! Just grosses me out thinking about it. Great recipe lady!

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  9. This looks amazing! I use the condensed mushroom over top of pork chops so having this homemade version would be awesome.

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  10. Can u cook this soup in the instant pot?

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