Grabbing a quick cup of soup for lunch? Fix it up right with some easy DIY add-ons. (Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune)
December 12, 2011|By Judy Hevrdejs, Tribune newspapers
I'm a fan of those soups in microwaveable containers. The price is usually right. Some can sit in your desk drawer for months (years?). There's a good variety to choose from. And when the weather's blustery, they solve the lunch problem for desktop diners.
It's an ever-expanding section of the supermarket soup aisle. Campbell's is there with classic, Chunky and Select Harvest lines. Healthy Choice has a presence, as does Progresso. You may find Safeway's soup cups (Eating Right) or the vegan brand (Dr. McDougall's Right Foods). And that doesn't include all the Asian-inspired noodle cups.
One of the newest is Campbell's Slow Kettle Style soups in five varieties that sound (and taste) sort of gourmet: portobello mushroom and Madeira bisque with shallots, thyme & sage; Tuscan-style chicken and white bean with asiago cheese, thyme and rosemary; or southwest-style chicken chili with black beans and sweet corn. The catch? The container resembles Campbell's other microwaveable soups, but can't be put in the microwave.
Which is probably not a problem for the cubicle crowd. Most of us keep a microwave-safe bowl tucked in a drawer next to the mustard packets.
Now, while I love the convenience of these soups and there is quite a variety, they can get a bit tiresome. Which is why I am constantly embellishing them. To add texture, maybe some crunch, freshness, some heft. It's simple to do. Consider:
With traditional soups:
•Head to the cafeteria or local market salad bar. Purchase a small handful of fresh spinach leaves or small scoop of shredded carrot, peas or beans (kidney, black, garbanzo).
Top heated soup such as tomato or split pea with salad-bar croutons.
Check your refrigerator. If you have a small amount of leftover cooked grain (rice, barley, quinoa) or cooked vegetables (green beans, broccoli, corn, etc.), bring it along to add to soup.
With thicker, meatier soups:
Spoon over cooked, heated leftover noodles or potatoes (mashed or cubed).
Sprinkle with salad-bar purchased shredded cheese just before serving.
Cooking tips:
Soups will be very hot, take care removing them from the microwave oven.
Pay attention to the soups while they heat. Microwave ovens can vary.
Add cooked ingredients to the soups once the soup is cooked.
Soups may need to sit for a minute or two once microwaved. Read directions carefully.
And a caveat:
Surprise! You thought a single container of those microwaveable soups served one? Wrong. Most we checked are designed to serve two. Go ahead and enjoy the whole thing but double the nutritionals.
What does that mean? Of the soups we looked at, calories ranged from 100 to 230 calories per serving (or about 200 to 430 calories per container). And sodium? From 310 to 770 mgs per serving (610 to 1540 mgs per container).
Of course, that's a lot less than a fast-food double cheeseburger with fries.
Have you created any great soup lunches using the microwaveable products?
jhevrdejs@tribune.com
Twitter: @judytrib