Campbell's vs. Progresso

[SobaAddict70]

For those of you who might be uninitiated (or perhaps living under a rock ), Campbell's and Progresso are two popular brands of canned soups that are available in the United States and possibly overseas.

Campbell's is possibly the more famous of the two brands, and is mostly known for its extensive range of condensed soups. However, it has in recent years, begun to branch out onto a line of vacuum-packed jars full of pre-prepared cooked soups. Progresso is famous for its own line of chunky, non-condensed soups. By that, I mean such wonders as lentil soup and minestrone.

Canned soups aren't a replacement for homemade, from scratch soups...not by a long shot....however, for many of us, they harken back to a simpler time and are the closest thing to more than a few people of comfort food. In fact, sometimes, there's really nothing better than a bowl of Campbell's cream of tomato with croutons, along with a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold winter's day.

Which brand do you prefer (or do you prefer a brand that's neither of the above), and what style of soup do you like most? What uses do you have for them? Any recipes you'd like to share? Any horror stories you'd like to share? (This thread isn't necessarily about singing their praises either, for those of you who prefer the real thing. )

Soba

[PoorLawyer]

I like progresso's Manhattan clam chowder better than Campbells. I like Campbell's condensed split pea soup better than any other brand though

[fifi]

Ah Soba, you are speaking to my heart. There is nothing like a bowl of Campbell's cream of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwhich (made with Velvetta, thank you). I don't want anyone messing with this combination. It is a comfort thing and one of the things I always have when recovering from an illness.

I do have a recipe that depends upon canned soup and that is an old crock pot recipe for beef stew.

Coat two pounds of stew meat with two packets of Lipton's onion soup. Put in the bottom of the crock pot. Pile on the potatoes and carrots. Top with a can of Campbell's mushroom soup and turn the thing on. This results in a wonderful old time beef stew that I haven't really equalled by more orthodox cooking methods.

[FistFullaRoux]

Although Campbell's condensed tomato soup is nowhere near highbrow, it is hard to top when it's cold out. I like Progresso for chunkier soups. Although I had so much Campbell's chicken noodle when sick as a kid, I connect the taste of it to being ill.

Due to the nature of my work, it is possible for me to get stuck there for an extended period of time. There is always 3 or 4 cans of Campbells stashed at my desk (With the pull off tops - no can opener needed - and if Progresso would do that too, I'd have them in there instead). It's a quick, microwavable, no hassle meal. I can score crackers from the salad bar in the cafeteria.

[Lyle]

Does anybody else eat Campbell's cream of tomato filled with crumbled saltines? Am I the weired one?

[Big Bunny]

My local grocery sometimes puts the lower-price line of Progresso on sale for $1.00/can. I stock up for "emergencies."

My favorite is tomato with basil.

These soups can be made more hearty by throwing in a half-package of ramen noodles, soaked separately.

BB

[menton1]

I find the only canned soup to be palatable is by Wolfgang Puck, the best of the lot being the Chicken with Wild Rice. And the only time I would even consider canned soup is when you are desperate, or the temp has gone below 15 degrees outside.

[Toliver]

Ah Soba, you are speaking to my heart. There is nothing like a bowl of Campbell's cream of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwhich (made with Velvetta, thank you). I don't want anyone messing with this combination. It is a comfort thing and one of the things I always have when recovering from an illness.

Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup

There is a local deli that makes a Cream of Tomato Basil soup that is to die for. Talk about ultimate comfort soup. Someone I worked with wheedled the recipe out of the woman who runs the deli.

She starts with Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup but uses half & half (or was it cream?) instead of regular milk. She then adds some chopped basil, a dash of lemon pepper and lets it simmer until the basil flavor (which isn't too strong) permeates the soup. The mouth-feel of this soup is so sensuous it should only be sold to consenting adults. Wow.

Like fifi, the grilled cheese (Velveeta) & Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup combination is a comfort food for me from my youth. Definitely a winter food, too.

And Lyle, sometimes I also get a hankering for crumbled saltines in my Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup. I'll probably explode from the salt intake someday but until then, it's some good stuff, Maynard.

edited to add: fifi, I've made the same crock pot beef dish and I openly admit that I enjoyed it quite a bit. I know it's kind of Sandra Lee-ish but it does taste good.

Everyone sing (to the tune of "I'm Sandra Dee" from "Grease"):

Look at me, I'm Sandra Lee,

Lousy with my recipes,

Why make fresh bread when I can buy it instead,

I won't, I'm Sandra Lee!

Edited March 5, 2004 by Toliver (log)

[clothier]

I like canned soup. Almost any flavor. The only one I don't like is tomato. I ate it once when I was sick as a kid, and, well, bad things happened. Nothing is worse then the feeling of tomato soup coming out your nose.

Anyway, it is what it is. And I like canned soup. I like it even better when our friends from the UK call it "tinned".

Progresso. Campbells. Yum.

[jhlurie]

Can't agree much on this one. When I was a kid, like the commerical says, I really appreciated many of those condensed soups. But the rest of the commercial, where the adults are supposed to latch onto and "like" the canned chunky garbage... no. I can make some few specific exceptions--mostly in my memory--for individual types like the soup with the little sirloin burger things in it, but for the most part all that canned soups make me do is shudder.

This, as some of you might recall, was one of my "I will never" declarations. Even with some lingering memories of Sirloin Burger soups and some of those condensed ones... in my closet the soups are there for an extreme fallback after being trapped by a blizzard for a week.

[clothier]

did you say "blizzard"?

what's your favorite flavor?

[Mulcahy]

Campbell's Cream of Tomato reminds me, like many others, of being small and having someone take care of me.

I love Progresso's Tomato Basil Tortellini.

Am not a fan of either's clam chowders. (My husband loves the Progresso Manhattan Clam). My favorite New England Clam is Snow's.

My only problem with all of the soups is that they're super-salty, which I guess is a processed food problem, but it's still annoying.

Now I'm dreaming of a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup . . . Sigh.

[lleechef]

did you say "blizzard"?

what's your favorite flavor?

blue......no.......red........AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[clothier]

Lisa, you slay me.

[jhlurie]

Clothier and/or lleechef, you are welcome to start a "Dairy Queen" topic if you want.

Back on soups. The over salted thing is big for me. But the texture is what really gets me. Vegetables aren't supposed to have that texture. That's why I can at least comprehend liking the condensed soups, but I'm wary of anything with "chunks".

[clothier]

but you said blizzard.

and besides, weren't we talking soup?

[lleechef]

I was talking about soup but then the blizzard thing came up and I got distracted by clothier.

[clothier]

fine. blame me. Be that way.

soup.

I liked Bookbinders canned soups, they were yummy.

[GG Mora]

It used to be that Progresso soups kicked Campbell's ass all the way down the block. I used to keep my larder stocked with Progresso, and had a special fondness for their Split Pea, Tortellini, Lentil, Beef Barley and Manhattan Clam Chowder. This is going back 10 or 15 years. I never bothered to make my own soup since Progresso was so good. I'm not sure precisely what marked the decline or exactly when it started; I will only say that at this point I prefer Campbell's to Progresso by a mile. The descent into suckdom was slow, and imperceptible at first, but in the last 3 or 4 years Progresso Soups have become nearly inedible. For a time, I would kid myself that they hadn't gotten that bad, and every few months, in dire need of a steaming bowl of soup when there was none to be had in fridge or freezer, would spring for a can of Progresso Something, only to be reminded that the world had changed. My last can of Progresso Soup – and I mean my last can as in "I'll never eat Progresso Soup again" – was a can of Tomato Tortellini, or whatever it's called these days. It was so vile that if you told me every ingredient had been formulated in a lab somewhere, I would believe you. The "broth" was thickened to a fine slime with God knows what and had a nasty, bitter, chemical flavor; the tortellini were plasticky-textured and flavorless. Whoever it is that owns "Progresso" these days (is it General Foods?) should be forbidden the use of the name or sued for making false claims: that shit is NOT Progresso Soup.

Edited March 5, 2004 by GG Mora (log)

[KatieLoeb]

It used to be that Progresso soups kicked Campbell's ass all the way down the block. I used to keep my larder stocked with Progresso, and had a special fondness for their Split Pea, Tortellini, Lentil, Beef Barley and Manhattan Clam Chowder. This is going back 10 or 15 years. I never bothered to make my own soup since Progresso was so good. I'm not sure precisely what marked the decline or exactly when it started; I will only say that at this point  I prefer Campbell's to Progresso by a mile. The descent into suckdom was slow, and imperceptible at first, but in the last 3 or 4 years Progresso Soups have become nearly inedible. For a time, I would kid myself that they hadn't gotten that bad, and every few months, in dire need of a steaming bowl of soup when there was none to be had in fridge or freezer, would spring for a can of Progresso Something, only to be reminded that the world had changed. My last can of Progresso Soup – and I mean my last can as in "I'll never eat Progresso Soup again" – was a can of Tomato Tortellini, or whatever it's called these days. It was so vile that if you told me every ingredient had been formulated in a lab somewhere, I would believe you. The "broth" was thickened to a fine slime with God knows what and had a nasty, bitter, chemical flavor; the tortellini were plasticky-textured and flavorless. Whoever it is that owns "Progresso" these days (is it General Foods?) should be forbidden the use of the name or sued for making false claims: that shit is NOT Progresso Soup.

Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel...

I'm much more of a Progresso girl myself. On a recent thread about Italian Wedding soup, I believe I correctly identified Progresso Chickarina as the canned version of said classic soup. It's better if you skim the tinny tasting fat globules off the top first. Chickarina is my go to "grownup sick soup" having O.D'ed on Campbell's Chicken Noodle as a kid, much like FistFullaRoux.

Any canned soup can be improved by stirring a healthy spoonful of pesto into it. Makes even canned Minestrone a bit more like a bowl of Soupe a Pistou. A dollop of pesto in canned tomato soup covers that nasty metallic taste and the olive oil tames the starch thickened slimy texture too.

It's all about making do in limited amounts of time for me. On the weekends when I have time to cook (if I'm not working 6 or 7 days that week!) I will often make big batches of homemade soup and portion it up and freeze the leftovers. That hasn't been happening much lately so I'm back to doctoring up canned and jarred products to have a quick but palatable bite when I get in late and don't feel like fussing anymore.

[Pickles]

Coat two pounds of stew meat with two packets of Lipton's onion soup. Put in the bottom of the crock pot. Pile on the potatoes and carrots. Top with a can of Campbell's mushroom soup and turn the thing on. This results in a wonderful old time beef stew that I haven't really equalled by more orthodox cooking methods.

I couldn't take all that salt. But I've heard that does come out well.

I think Campbells Chicken Noodle is just vile stuff, but I love the Tomato, made with skimmed milk. I don't think the stock/liquid portions of Progresso have much taste. They kinda taste like canned perspiration with some meat and veg tossed in. I guess I am used to my own soups, which are very richly seasoned. But Progresso is more generous than Campbells with the added ingredients. I picture an assembly line at Campbells. with little elderly ladies in hair nets with tweezers and bowls of celery and carrots in front of them...dropping a couple pieces (perfectly square and uniform in size) in each tin as it glides past them.

[FoodForThought]

I try to veer away from canned soups, because of consistency and what I consider a lack of flavor balance in many brands, both Campbells and Progresso, but I do have a few favorites. BTW: I have this phobia about "meat" in cans, so I never buy soups with chicken or beef, the idea of canned meat is grim.

I personally consider Progresso to be the better of the two. The Vegetarian Classics are decent, although I find myself having to alter them, for example ones that are too thick, I dilute with chicken broth and a pat of butter, which gives it a richness; and the Progresso split pea soup is watery, so after heating it a bit, I take a hand mixer and whip it up, this breaks up the peas and makes it thicker.

The Progresso Onion Soup with Vidallia Onion, is perfect for making French Onion soup, toast up some French Bread add some Swiss Cheese, and broil or microwave and I find that incredibly satisfying.

There was a recipe my Mother used to make for meatloaf, that she got from Campbells soup, it calls for condensed Mushroom soup, and although in theory it sounds horrible to me, it is actually fanastic, and I occasionally make that when I hunger for comfort food.

And count me in on the Campbell's Tomato soup and Grilled Cheese sandwhich! I love it!

[Lyle]

Welcome FoodForThought. Your post was very bold.

[cdh]

Until Progresso makes a soup that matches Campbell's Scotch Broth, I'm firmly on the Campbell's side.

I do agree with those who note a decline in the quality of the Progresso offererings in recent years. I find that they taste much more like the can than the soup recently.

MMMMMMMmmmmmmm lamb and barley soup.... mmmmmm... drool....

[tanabutler]

I find the only canned soup to be palatable is by Wolfgang Puck, the best of the lot being the Chicken with Wild Rice.  And the only time I would even consider canned soup is when you are desperate, or the temp has gone below 15 degrees outside.

I'm pretty much in complete agreement. I am a homemade soup lover, to the point where I thought canned was blasphemy. But then I got sick a few months ago and all I wanted was soup. Too weak to make my own, I got the Wolfgang Puck chicken soup with wild rice, added a shot of Meyer lemon juice and some cracked black pepper, and it was just fine. (The lemon juice really zinged it up.)

The other soup I will eat is from Trader Joe's: organic tomato and roasted red pepper soup in a carton. It's what I had today (I'm sick with fever and chills) and it just hit the spot.

I grew up on Campbell's Soups, and left them behind with all my memories of bad food in the Deep South. I used to love the Bean with Bacon (especially fun to play pirate finding sunken treasure in) and Cream of Mushroom. Now their over saltiness is prohibitive, and I swear I can taste the additives, just as I can in packaged cake mixes (which I've also sworn off forever).

It's pretty hard to blow clam chowder, though, and Progresso's is okay there.