The One Ingredient That Will Level Up Canned Soup And Make It Taste Homemade

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Canned soup is a convenient and comforting staple that will always come to the rescue on busy weeknights, to say nothing of lethargic sick days. With the many varieties of canned soups on the shelves, you can easily enjoy a different flavor every day for weeks. Whichever type tickles your fancy, the one ingredient that will give soup a homemade taste is acid. Whether it's lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar, tomato juice, hot sauce, or even white wine, acidic ingredients are, themselves, staple ingredients to provide an easy way to improve store-bought canned soup.

We have already argued that you should always include an acidic component in homemade soup to counter the effects of over-salting. The same argument applies to canned soups that often contain elevated sodium levels, especially canned condensed soups. If you find a canned soup too sweet or even too spicy, acidity is also the antidote. Not only will acidity balance its flavors, but it will bring more complexity to the overall profile of canned soup. Acidity is the tangy, sour component that will brighten up the savoriness of canned soup. Plus, it does not take much to level up a serving of canned soup. Simply add a splash of vinegar, the juice from half a lemon or lime, or a dash of hot sauce to canned soup once it gets hot and steamy over the stove. If you're using citrus juice, try this clever frozen citrus hack with the help of an ice tray.

The addition of acid has transformative effects on the flavor of any type of canned soup, but certain types of acid will work better for some soups than others. Lemon and lime are perhaps the most universally complementary acids, providing a subtle and bright acidity. But for acidic ingredients that also bring heat sweetness, or umami, you should be more selective and careful about soup pairings. A sweet apple cider or white wine vinegar, for example, would work well in a canned lentil soup. A vinegar-based hot sauce like Tabasco sauce would bring tangy heat to a creamy canned soup like condensed cream of chicken, broccoli cheese, or cream of mushroom. A lime-based salsa like salsa verde or an extra acidic tomato and lime based salsa roja would pair well with black bean soup like this vegan version from Amy's or this Campbell's condensed bean with bacon soup. 

You could also add a tangy finish to a sweet corn chowder with both a squeeze of lime juice and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Other easy upgrades include adding some fresh herbs. Fresh basil leaves will upgrade a condensed tomato soup, while fresh rosemary will taste delicious with canned white bean soup. Packaged staples like croutons, tortilla chips, crackers, and sunflower seeds are also great as crunchy, filling, and flavorful garnishes.