Copycat Campbell's Tomato Soup

“A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite.”

— Leo Tolstoy

He got me lavender kombucha! The boy knows me...

True dat, Tolstoy.

For our wedding anniversary, I asked Todd to pick out absolutely whatever he wanted to have for dinner and I would make it or buy it. Do you know what he chose? Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup! I wasn't really that surprised...

So I ask, "What kind of tomato soup?" And he tells me, "The canned Campbell's kind." Oh that crazy boy, for the love of Buddah!  

Clearly, there was no, nooo way I was going to buy a couple cans of tomato soup for our anniversary dinner. I just couldn't. So, I knew I had to try to replicate it instead. I intended to find a copycat recipe online and follow it precisely. There was actually supposed to be no post today at all.

However, much to my dismay, I couldn't find one! Sure, there were a few but none of them seemed very accurate. Have you looked at the back of a Campbell's tomato soup can?

No, probably not. Well, there was no choice but to make a copycat recipe entirely myself and to be perfectly frank I had pretty low expectations. Did you know there's xanthan gum in Campbell's tomato soup? Who knew?! And high fructose corn syrup, of course, but I opted for brown sugar instead. Also, their soup is primarily made with tomato paste....erm....okay, so obviously some ingredients had to change.

Imagine me serving Todd a bowl of reconstituted tomato paste, hahaha. "Here you go, Honey!" Don't worry, that didn't happen.

This soup is spot-on, you guys. It's pretty shocking really. So, if you have a weird obsession with the taste of Campbell's canned tomato soup (like someone I know) this is your recipe. You're going to love it!

Copycat Campbell's Tomato Soup

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

An incredibly accurate copycat of Campbell's Tomato Soup. You'll never need to buy another can again!

Ingredients

• 2 28 oz. cans of whole peeled tomatoes
• ½ cup water
• heaping ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. seasoning salt (I use Johnny's) or table salt
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 2 dried bay leaves
• dash ground black pepper

Ingredients

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients except for the bay leaves. Blend on high for several minutes, until very smooth and creamy.
2. The xanthan gum will make the soup sort of frothy. Never fear though, it will clear when heated.
3. Transfer to a medium saucepan, add the bay leaves, and heat over medium-low for about 10 minutes, until the soup turns a dark red and the froth goes away.
4. Serve hot!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 00:10
Total time: 00:15
Yield: 4-6 servings

More Delicious Soup Recipes

German Word of The Day

Tomato Soup --> Tomatensuppe (two-mahten-zoopah)

Good Deed of The Day

Stop what you're doing and listen to this podcast episode that a reader directed me to. It will BLOW. YOUR. MIND. Fo' real. yo. 

Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

So, one of my lofty goals in life is to eat more lentils and beans. Yep. That's pretty much my life's work. Eat. More. Food. No really, lentils and beans are unbelievably good for us and most people I know (including myself) definitely aren't getting enough.  My goal is to have at least one dinner that has a substantial amount of either lentils or beans per week. For some reason, soup always seems to end up being the most practical implementation of this goal.

Now, I've never been a huge chili-loving person. Maybe it was the ground meat, I dunno, just never really loved the stuff. I prefer my chili mild and non-traditional. You know, the kind that's all like, "I'm-posing-as-chili-but-I'm-really-a-stew..." Yea, give me that one. The humble and kind one, not the self-assertive, rude, and overbearing one. Yes, in my mind chili is brash. But not my delightful Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili...I'm not a crazy person, I swear. 

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

If you're expecting this to be an in-your-face (like I said, brash), I'M CHILI, type of chili...this isn't that kind of dish. People get seriously all weird about their chili, so this is just a courtesy heads-up. I live in Alaska, not Texas okay?

However, if you want a completely lovely, and delicious non-traditional chili spiced with common chili spices that hint you could be eating some kind of cousin of chili...then, darling step right up and devour away. 

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

A spiced chili-like stew filled with protein rich lentils and tempeh, and tender sweet potato. 

Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

Serves 8-10

• Aromatics:
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric 
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander 
• 1/4 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
• dash of black pepper
• Sustenance:
• 1 7 oz. package of tempeh, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced
• 2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (I like BPA-free cans and no salt added)
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups dry lentils (I like red)
• fresh chopped cilantro, for topping 

In a very large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the remaining aromatic ingredients and saute for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and the onions begin to soften. 

Add the tempeh, red bell pepper, and sweet potato. Saute for a few minutes, then deglaze the pan with the canned diced tomatoes. 

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

Add the broth and lentils. Stir well and bring to a boil over high heat, then cover partially and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Next, remove the lid and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. 

Serve hot and topped with fresh cilantro. 

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

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German Word of The Day: Lentil --> Linse (pronounced: lynnzah)

Good Deed of The Day: Save the bees!! Bees are super important, peeps. We kind of need them. Chemical giants Dow and Syngenta have asked the Environmental Protection Agency to authorize the expanded use of two highly toxic pesticides that could have deadly consequences for bees. Tell the EPA to reject the companies' reckless proposal and protect bees from the devastating impacts of these two dangerous chemicals.

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Miso Soba Noodle Soup with Shiitake, Tofu, & Butternut Squash

RESTAURANT WORTHY soup right here. Finally! I sucked it up and actually made a proper dinner. Todd and I also took a couple of loads over to the new rental. It was a late night.

The Thimble Home doesn't feel right anymore.; all our plants and my artwork has moved to the new place. I mean really, what's a home without plants and personal art anyway? We both can't wait to be out of the Thimble Home. It served it's purpose and would of been a pretty perfect temporary stay except for a handful of things:

1. Our very, very loud motorcycling neighbor and the fourwheeling kids down the road.
2. The fact that an absolutely horrid, stale smoke smell has impregnated the walls and somehow seeped into all my clothes. Seriously the grossest thing ever. 
3. Our landlord, whom I'm pretty sure wants us out so she can demolish the place and build a duplex. Thus, the total lack of keeping up with repairs. 
4. The absolutely insane layout of the home. It's basically a tiny, wandering hallway.
5. No bedroom. No dishwasher. No lawn.
6. Serious water problems. Floor literally crumbling. Part of roof ripped off. Washer broken. Etc.

Those are the biggest issues. And of course, it has a few redeeming qualities as well. Mainly that it's situated on a fairly lightly trafficked road and it has a bit of privacy.

Anyways, thanks for letting me rationalize our move with you! Point is, I haven't really cooked anything substantial in about a week and I was maybe going a tad crazy. There's only so many bagels and bananas one can consume!

This soup was the perfect remedy. Miso, shiitake, tofu, kale, soba, and butternut squash all married together to help Todd and I keep our immunity robust during this stressful (and dusty!) time of chaos.

Whole foods, clean eating, and completely delicious. An umami-filled, restaurant-worthy, and hearty soup!

Miso Soba Noodle Soup with Shiitake, Tofu, & Butternut Squash

• Oven:
• 10 oz. extra firm tofu, diced
• 5 oz. frozen diced butternut squash (about 1 1/2 cups)
• sesame oil
• liquid amino acids or soy sauce
• Broth:
• 8 cups water
• 1 large piece of dried Kombu (optional)
• 1 oz. dried Shiitake mushrooms (or 8 oz. fresh)
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 large green onions, sliced
• 1/4 tsp. (to taste) fresh chili paste
• 1/2 cup miso paste
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• Sustenance: 
• 1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped small
• 10 oz. dried soba noodles

Notes: Fresh butternut squash may be used instead of frozen, but the cooking time may need to be adjusted accordingly. Be sure that boiling the noodles is the very last thing prepared. They shouldn't sit, for they will stick together. 

Preheat oven to 375 F. Press the tofu if necessary and towel dry. Dice and scatter on a rimmed baking sheet along with the diced squash. Drizzle with sesame oil and liquid amino acids. Brush to coat evenly and bake at 375 F for 35 minutes. Add to the soup when done baking. 

Meanwhile, combine all the broth ingredients (excluding the miso and lime juice) in a large soup pot and bring almost to a boil.

Then, kill the heat and stir in the miso and lime juice, ensuring there are no miso clumps. 

Now, wash and rip or chop the kale into small pieces. Place in a microwave safe bowl and cover with a microwave safe plate. Zap on high for about 3-4 minutes, until fragrant, bright green, and limp. Set aside.

Pull the whole mushrooms and kombu out of the broth with a slotted spoon and carefully slice all into bite size pieces. Add back to the broth along with the cooked kale and stir. Careful not to burn your fingers!

Bring a medium saucepan to a boil for the noodles. Once boiling, add the dried noodles and cook for about 4 minutes until al dente. Drain, return to pot and coat with sesame oil to prevent sticking. 

To serve, place desired amount of soba noodles into a bowl and laden the soup over. Serve hot. 

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German Word of The Day: Moving --> Verlegung (pronounced: verleeh-gun)

Good Deed of The Day: This is so sad. One life for another in this case does not seem to be the appropriate action. Sign this petition to save the killing of this family's beloved furry companion, Nika the Husky. 

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