The Canned Pantry Staple Ree Drummond Loves To Experiment With

If you're constantly experimenting with new recipes, it may be easy to dismiss canned foods as subpar substitutes for their homemade versions. In actuality, however, cans of your favorite ingredients are pantry staples that can spruce up a variety of recipes. For proof, take canned peas or canned artichokes, which can easily enhance any pasta dish. Or, try the canned version of your favorite soup — a pantry staple for Food Network's Ree Drummond. Specifically, the Pioneer Woman repurposes cans of tomato soup as her starting point for a more complex soup recipe.

As outlined on her website, Drummond makes a tomato soup that starts not with roasted tomatoes but with canned, condensed tomato soup. You can find generic options on Amazon, as Drummond doesn't specify any one brand. Rather than simply heating up that soup, however, Drummond uses it as her recipe's base. She combines the condensed tomato soup with water and diced tomatoes but spruces up its flavor with the additions of pesto, oil, parsley, cheese, and seasonings. She also sprinkles in croutons for added texture. Each of these additions transforms a simple can into an elaborate meal.

Of course, Drummond's recipe is just the tip of the tomato soup iceberg. You can use a can of the pantry staple across recipes, whether it's the star ingredient or simply an addition.  

As evidenced by Ree Drummond, canned tomato soup can work wonders in your kitchen, saving you time, effort, and energy in making your next fall-inspired lunch. Drummond spruces up the pantry staple as an herbaceous soup, but you can also use the canned ingredient in homemade chili recipes, chicken curries, and pasta variations. Additional recipe options range from a tomato macaroni and cheese to a meatloaf made with a tomato soup glaze. Given the soup's versatility, it makes sense to keep a can on hand and experiment à la Drummond. 

Yet in using any given can, remember that canned tomato soup and canned condensed tomato soup aren't the same thing. The latter comes more concentrated and typically requires the addition of liquid — whether water, milk, or broth — before it takes on a desirable soup texture. It's therefore the better option if you want a more pronounced tomato flavor, which may explain why Drummond uses it as her tomato soup base. All that's missing is a side of grilled cheese.