Confessions of an Onion Soup Mix User

[Marlene]

I tend to use the low sodium Lipton's onion soup mix. I don't know that it makes a huge difference though.

[Sarabeth]

I use it in my favorite brisket recipe:

http://www.misterbrisket.com/NewFiles/recipe.html

[FabulousFoodBabe]

When I had my business in California, I expanded from purely catering to include taking over the catering/gourmet-to-go department of Greek family-run, perimeter-oriented market. The established clientele had some things they were used to having for parties. One of them was "bacon rolls."

Off the top of my head, it was:

Cream cheese, very very soft, mixed with Lipton Onion Soup mix.

Pepperidge Farm white bread, crusts off.

Bacon

Toothpicks

Method: spread bread with cream cheese mix. roll up with bacon on the outside of the bread/cheese rolls and secure with a toothpic. Broil (or we just put themin the convection oven) until the bacon is brown, turning a few times. Pull the picks when the rolls are cool.

Customers could stand over a pile of these and eat them until they were sick.

[Kris]

I used to use the Lipton onion soup mix in my meatloaf and to make party dip. I don't use it anymore due to the sodium content.

I have an aunt who uses it in practically every meat dish she makes - turkey wings, steak, pot roast, brisket - you name it.

[Kris]

...Probably the one use I never hear anybody mention for this product is "soup." Has anybody actually made soup from it?...

Hell no. When I used this stuff, I NEVER made soup out if it. And I don't know anyone who does either. For some reason, that just never appealed to me.

On a related note: I must confess though that although I've given up Lipton onion soup mix in my cooking, once in a blue moon I'll use the Knorr Vegetable Soup mix to make Spinach dip (served with crudite). I only make it when I'm having a party, because whenever I serve it, my guests go crazy over it. I've never tried recreating this dip using fresh veggies (carrots, leeks and whatever other dehydrated stuff is in there). But somehow I don't think it would go over as well.

[Fat Guy]

I like the sour-cream-and-onion dip, however I find most people don't give it enough time to rest. You really have to make this dip several hours ahead of serving it, or the dehydrated stuff doesn't fully rehydrate. You've also got to mix it really, really well both when you originally mix it and right before you serve it.

[beccaboo]

I sometimes add it to my hamburger bun dough (leaving out the rest of the salt, of course). I've even put it in my fluffy-sandwich-type bread--it makes a nice peanut butter sandwich!

[Pam R]

beccaboo, I've gotta admit - that's the first time I've heard of using it in a bread dough. I get the hamburger bun one - but with peanut-butter? Really?

[Basilgirl]

I use it in burgers, just like Mom

Also make a pretty good beef roast in the Crockpot, a packet of onion soup mix & a packet of Italian dressing mix, beef broth. No salt.

[Toliver]

Pam - can you share the Oven Baked Fried Rice recipe?  Sounds pretty good!

←

I second the request...If not to make it then to at least rubberneck at it while I drive past on the Home-Cooking Highway.

[Big Bunny]

When I was a kid, in the fifties, I had Lipton's Onion soup all the time. It was as easy as making tea, and better than bouillon.

I haven't had it in years, now I have a craving.

BB

[Angela Alaimo]

Loloz. Wait until I tell my DH that I need to borrow some of his onion soup mix (the sour cream dip) to roast some potatoes with, and I learned about it on the eGullet!

xo

[beccaboo]

beccaboo, I've gotta admit - that's the first time I've heard of using it in a bread dough.  I get the hamburger bun one - but with peanut-butter? Really?

←

Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, not peanut butter and jam. I like whole wheat toast with peanut butter, Vegemite and onion, though, so I like my peanut butter on the savoury side.

[bushey]

My former sister-in-law used to make a wonderful chicken dish.

Apricot Chicken

1 pkg onion soup mix

1 jar apricot preserves

1 sm. bottle Red Russian Dressing (light versions work as well)

Mix together and pour over cut up chicken. Bake at 350 for about one hour, until bubbling and slightly browned.

We make this at home sometimes, but I always cut back on the ingredients so there's less soup mix, less dressing, and I use apricot fruit spread.

[Pam R]

beccaboo- Ah.. vegamite. That explains a lot.

bushey... I'm pretty sure I've been served that chicken. Lots of Russian dressing sales at Passover time...

OK. A little late, but the Oven-Baked Fried Rice recipe is in RecipeGullet. Clicky.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Smithy
Updated link (log)

[Kris]

I use it in burgers, just like Mom ...

←

My late paternal grandmother used to mix Lipton Onion soup mix with ground beef to make burgers for the grill.

I never really liked them like that since it reminded me of meatloaf. I prefer a more simple tasting burger.

[Kent D]

My Momma always browned off a roast on Saturday night, and dropped it into the crock pot on low with a pack of onion soup and 2 cups of water...and Sunday after church we'd have a nice, well-done chunk of roast beef with some rather tasty gravy (after she'd stir in some Kitchen Bouquet and some cornstarch).

I, on the other hand, eliminate the browning, drop the roast, the soup mix, a cup of wine and a handful of chopped carrot and celery, some bay leaf and cracked black pepper into the slowwwww cooker, and I cook it to a nice, pink medium.

Oh, and I like to add a 1/2 package of onion soup mix to my wheat bread dough, and make rolls. Great to soak up the gravy...

Edited September 14, 2006 by Kent D (log)

[kayb]

Lord, what a rabbit hole.

 

I've used Lipton onion soup mix for several of the above listed uses, most notably roast beef and roasted potatoes. Never tried it in meat loaf but it makes sense. I've mixed it with cream cheese and spread on pre-baked dough (often of the Pillsbury Crescent Roll variety) to top with fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrot curls and grated cheese for a very 80s crudite appetizer.

 

I also often use it for flavoring my homemade vegetable beef soup.

 

[Smithy]

That appetizer sounds good, @kayb. How long do you need the mix and cream cheese to sit together until the mix softens? Fat Guy noted above that the sour cream dip needs to sit a couple of hours before the flavors mingle properly. I assume the same is true with your cream cheese spread?

 

[kayb]

23 hours ago, Smithy said:

That appetizer sounds good, @kayb. How long do you need the mix and cream cheese to sit together until the mix softens? Fat Guy noted above that the sour cream dip needs to sit a couple of hours before the flavors mingle properly. I assume the same is true with your cream cheese spread?

 

Yes. You want the cream cheese to be room temp or so to mix the dip in. I'd usually do that the day before, refrigerate it, then let it sit out to soften an hour or so before spreading. Works easier if you've done a sheet of dough to spread the cheese on the entire sheet, cut with a pizza cutter, then put the veggies on afterward.

[andiesenji]

I loosely blend half sour cream and half cream cheese with a package of onion soup mix the day prior; then

I set it out next morning, so it softenes and gets to room temp because  the flavor is more pronounced than when it is cold.

When it has softened, I beat it with a mixer until it is quite soft and fluffy.  (And won't cause fragile chips to break.)

 

I often use it in a casserole with very mild sausage and apples - 1/2 an envelope to 12 ounces of sausage and 3 cups roughly chopped apples.

 

 

[Smithy]

We used Lipton's Onion Soup mix on a pork shoulder roast last night, in what has become one of our favorite ways to treat this cut of meat. Cut potatoes into smallish chunks, maybe 1-1/2 inch diameter. Microwave them to give them a head start on cooking, then load them into the bottom of a heavy pot (we used enameled cast iron). Last night we added carrots, but we don't always do so. Coat a pork shoulder roast (this one was boneless, 3 or 4 pounds) with Lipton's Onion Soup mix. Load that into the pot, making sure that potatoes insulate it around the bottom and the sides. Don't add water. Cover and put in a low oven. Last night, "low" was about 250F. We pulled the pot out 2.3 hours later, when the internal temperature was 171F. In truth, we'd meant to pull it sooner, knowing it would continue to get hotter after the pot came out of the oven, but we'd gotten distracted. It went up to 184F after that, and we feared it would have overdone the roast. 

 

 

No need to worry. The roast was done perfectly, and the flavors excellent. 

 

 

Onion Soup mix. It isn't just for brisket and dips any more.

 

 

[Anna N]

19 minutes ago, Smithy said:

The roast was done perfectly, and the flavors excellent. 

I am not afraid of salt but the last time I remember using Lipton’s onion soup mix I found the saltiness overwhelming. I’m guessing you did not?

[Smithy]

19 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I am not afraid of salt but the last time I remember using Lipton’s onion soup mix I found the saltiness overwhelming. I’m guessing you did not?

 

I did not, but I didn't need to add salt at the table. It may be that the quantity of meat and potatoes for that one packet of mix was enough to dilute the salt to my preferences. It may also be that our salt tolerances are different. 

[heidih]

I never have salt on the table, ad we did not salt the meat when using the mix. There is sugar in there so I think it balances well - if you can  say that about such a product. We were also an odd family that always had plain white vinegar on the counter next to dinner table so we could "adjust to taste".  No supertasters in our group