Here's How To Spice Up Your Favorite Store-Bought Soups

Some may sneer at canned soup, but they'd best do it out of my earshot. Canned soup, whether condensed or ready-to-eat, has long been one of my staple foods. I've been eating it all my life, although, admittedly, not always as directed.

For one thing, I only use half the water required for condensed soup. Also, I tend to add salt, even though many canned soups are considered high in sodium. But the No.



1 thing I do with canned soup is spice it up. My main comfort food from childhood is Campbell's vegetable (aka alphabet) soup, although with a pinch of salt and half a teaspoon of Tabasco. Over the years, I've branched out to add all manner of spicy embellishments to canned soups.

I've been amused to see some of the big brands following suit, and I do approve of the spicier soups I've tried from Campbell's Chunky line, like spicy chicken quesadilla and ghost pepper chicken noodle, and Progresso (chipotle corn chowder and spicy chicken tortilla). Here are some of my tips for adding flavor to several basic varieties of soup, including such perennial chart toppers like chicken noodle, clam chowder, and tomato, as well as a few of my favorites, such as black bean and lentil. And if you're wondering why I didn't cover the creamy options like mushroom or chicken, these ultra-bland soups have always seemed more like casserole ingredients than stand-alones.

Black bean When I was growing up, Campbell's black bean soup was in heavy rotation in my household. I recall it being smooth and somewhat creamy, and my mom made it more of a meal by adding chunks of hot dog (the concept of plant-based protein had yet to catch on), although she also made a more grown-up version with a slug of sherry. As an adult, I was surprised to encounter bean soups that were more, shall we say, lumpy (whole beans will do that), but I soon grew to love them just as much, if not more, than the Campbell's kind.

(Which is just as well, since it seems to have joined that long list of .) Most current varieties of canned black bean soups seem to have some kind of Southwestern or Mexican spice profile, but they're not remotely incendiary, though they seem to go a bit too heavy on the cumin (not one of my favorites). To add more flavor (and, admittedly, cover up some of the cumin ), I add chipotle powder or sauce or chopped chipotles en adobo if I already have an open can.

To balance out the flavor mix of earthy beans and smoky spice, I finish with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and maybe a sprinkling of chopped cilantro when it's on hand. Chicken noodle Chicken noodle soup may be one of America's favorites, but I've never been a fan. To me, it's the epitome of boring, and while the new, spicy versions like the aforementioned ghost pepper are more interesting, they're also a bit one-dimensional.

However, if you look at chicken noodle soup as more of a blank canvas, that opens up some possibilities. My favorite one is to turn the soup into a sort of faux pho — well, not exactly, since its inspiration is a Malaysian chicken soup recipe I downloaded from a long-defunct recipe app. Starting with the plain chicken noodle soup, I skip my usual salt and instead splash in some fish sauce.

(Soy sauce will probably work just as well.) I then add powdered ginger and garlic, or grate in a little of the fresh stuff if I feel like putting in extra effort. As a finishing touch, I stir in sambal oelek, an that's actually Indonesian in origin.

Well, Malaysian sambal oelek does exist, but it contains ingredients such as tamarind paste, sugar, and galangal, whereas I stick with the with the rooster on the bottle), which is made in the more plain Indonesian style with chiles, salt, and vinegar. Clam chowder Many of these soup makeovers I'm endorsing are ones I've been used for a long time, and were either my own idea or from a source I've long forgotten (except for the previously mentioned Malaysian recipe, but that was for soup made from scratch, and simply suggested seasoning possibilities.) When it comes to clam chowder, I'll admit I've not done much beyond adding my beloved Tabasco — until I saw Old Bay Seasoned Campbell's Chunky clam chowder.

I bought it, loved it, and wondered why it had never occurred to me to do something similar. Well, kudos to Campbell's. You got there first, but I'm stealing the idea.

Why do I need to reinvent the wheel if the product already exists? Well, one of the main reasons is nutrition: A single can of the Campbell's kind contains almost 400 calories, while Progresso's light New England clam chowder has only half that amount. Another is that Old Bay itself isn't all that spicy, despite containing a small amount of red pepper. I do, however, have some Old Bay hot seasoning, which seems to be the same thing, but with extra pepper.

I can also supplement with a pinch of cayenne, or even betray my Maryland roots by using the similar-but-spicier Cajun seasoning. Lentil soup I'd always thought of lentils as a rather bland food, especially the pasta e lenticchie my mom made when my family was pinching pennies. (Lentils, elbow macaroni, and a ham bone may be someone's idea of rustic charm, but I couldn't stand the stuff.

) That all changed when I first encountered mulligatawny soup, an Anglo-Indian dish made with lentils and other ingredients, including chicken, apples, and sweet potatoes. But it wasn't these elements that excited me; rather, it was the Indian-style spices. While I've never been inspired to make mulligatawny soup, my first thought upon eating it was: Wow, these flavors could be easily adapted for canned lentil soup! Even if some of the elements are missing, the most important part is the seasoning.

This I duplicate by adding curry powder or garam masala to the soup, along with a generous sprinkling of ground ginger. The curry powder I have at present is on the hot side thanks to the inclusion of dried chiles, but when I've had to make do with a not-so-spicy seasoning in the past, I've also added a pinch of cayenne. Tomato soup Tomato soup is something I grew up hating, because Campbell's version is creamy in texture (despite containing no actual dairy) and also includes sugar.

I find sweet and creamy tomato sauces gross, so I've never cared for and am slightly horrified by the thought of ." The first time I encountered a non-creamy, not-too-sweet tomato soup as an adult was at Medieval Times, of all places, and it came as a revelation — tomato soup I didn't hate! I've since discovered that some store-bought tomato soups eschew the bisque format, and therefore, are not only palatable but also something I can work with. Many non-creamy tomato soups (including the one served at Medieval Times, to the best of my recollection) opt to use basil or other Italian-style seasonings, but I prefer a different flavor profile.

To avoid eating a soup that tastes like marinara sauce without spaghetti, I add a few spoonfuls of salsa and then boost the heat with chopped pickled jalapenos. I finish things off with some lime juice and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro for a somewhat Mexican-inspired soup. As to what you can do with the creamy kind of canned tomato soup, this isn't something I can speak to, as I haven't eaten it since I was six and my mom made me.

I daresay a splash of hot sauce would do it no harm, though you could always use pepper vodka to mimic the trendy pasta sauce. Recommended.