Nearly Campbell's – A Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
In our house in South London, soup came in a Heinz tin. Heinz was about half the price of Campbell's, which probably explains why it was Heinz in our store cupboard – tomato, mostly, the one I've already had a go at in the Nearly Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup.
Campbell's was something the Spindlows had. We had our own house, mortgage and all; the Spindlows lived in a council flat. And yet they had roast beef on Sundays, while we had a meat pie – which sometimes came in a tin, courtesy of Fray Bentos. Make of that what you will.
When I was invited round to Jeremy Spindlow's, his mum served up "an early tea": a bowl of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, with bread spread not with butter but with Stork margarine. American soup, in a red and white tin, in a South London kitchen. I've never forgotten it – and this cream of mushroom soup recipe is my attempt to get back to that bowl.
Decades later, Campbell's condensed soups are not something you'll find easily in a Jaén supermarket. So I did what the Nearly Series always does: I read the label. Water, mushrooms, vegetable oil, modified cornflour, wheat flour, salt, cream, whey, soy protein, monosodium glutamate, yeast extract, dried garlic and "natural flavouring". Nothing sinister – but the mushrooms are doing a lot less of the work than you'd think.
This version turns that round. Real chestnut mushrooms, a handful of dried porcini, butter, cream, and a teaspoon of my own umami seasoning standing in for the MSG and yeast extract. Make it thick, the way it comes out of the tin, and you have homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup for cooking with. Loosen it with milk, and it's soup. Stork margarine optional.
Why This Is the Best Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe for the Tin-Lover
The tin gets its body from cornflour and its savouriness from MSG and yeast extract. Here, a butter and flour roux does the thickening, dried porcini and their soaking liquid bring depth, and the umami seasoning covers the rest. It tastes like the soup you remember – only more of mushrooms. For me, that makes it the best cream of mushroom soup recipe for anyone who grew up with the tin.
The Nearly Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
Makes about 600ml condensed – roughly two tins' worth – or four bowls of soup once loosened.
Ingredients
- 250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped (keep a few back to slice and fry for the top)
- 10g dried porcini, soaked in 150ml hot water
- 30g butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 40g plain flour
- 400ml whole milk
- 100ml single cream
- ½ vegetable stock cube, crumbled
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of dried thyme
- 1 tsp Nearly McCormick's umami seasoning
- Salt and white pepper
The umami seasoning is my own homemade blend of ground trompette de la mort – the recipe is here: Nearly McCormick's Homemade Umami Seasoning.
Method
- Soak: Soak the dried porcini in the hot water for 20 minutes. Lift them out, chop finely, and strain the soaking liquid through kitchen paper to catch any grit. Keep the liquid.
- Cook the mushrooms: Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chestnut mushrooms and chopped porcini and cook until their liquid has gone and they are starting to colour – around 8 to 10 minutes.
- Make the roux: Stir in the flour and cook for a minute, stirring, so it loses its raw taste.
- Add the liquids: Gradually stir in the milk, then the cream and the porcini soaking liquid. Add the stock cube, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme and umami seasoning.
- Simmer: Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon heavily.
- Blend: Blitz half of it smooth and stir it back in, so it is creamy with some texture left. Taste, then season with salt and white pepper – go carefully, as the stock and seasoning both bring salt.
Condensed or Soup?
As it comes out of the pan, this is homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup – thick, spoonable, and ready to stand in for a tin in any recipe that calls for one.
To serve it as soup, loosen it roughly half and half with milk or water and heat through. Top with a few sliced mushrooms fried hard in butter, and a grind of black pepper. Bread and Stork margarine for the full Spindlow experience.
Ways to Use It
- Chicken and mushroom pie filling
- A quick stroganoff with strips of beef or pork
- Pasta bakes and gratins
- Poured over chicken breasts before baking
- American green bean casserole, if you are feeling transatlantic
Storing and Freezing
This cream of mushroom soup recipe keeps for three days in the fridge in a covered container. It also freezes well in tin-sized portions of around 300g – ideal when you are cooking for one and a recipe calls for "one can". It may look a little grainy after thawing; a good stir while reheating brings it back.
Footnote:
This cream of mushroom soup recipe is part of the Nearly Series – cupboard classics made from scratch in a Spanish kitchen.
It also features in my Soup Recipes, Mushroom Recipes and Veggie & Vegan Recipes collections.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper condiments, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef
