Healthier alternative for cream of chicken soup?

I have lots of recipes that call for a can or two of cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom or cream of celery, etc.). One of the things I like about cooking for my family is that I can scam in veggies and make things a bit healthier. But adding a can of that stuff seems to defeat the whole purpose. They are loaded with fat and sodium.





Does anyone have a recipe for a homemade, healthier cream of something soup that will work in a casserole? Or does anyone know of a brand of cream soups that is low in fat and sodium?Healthier alternative for cream of chicken soup?
Easy - Campbell's 98% fat free - cream of chicken, cream of celery, and cream of mushroom. Instead of filling the can with water to add to whatever you are making, add fat free or reduced fat milk. Looking for something more heavenly - use 1/2 fat free milk and 1/2 fat free half and half. Remember, using any one of these extremely reduced fat soups is a great alternative to a lot of recipes:


-Make a creamy chicken bake with any of the reduced fat soups. If you use mushroom, toss in some freshly sliced mushrooms, same for celery. Serve over rice or noodles. Going extra healthy? Use brown rice or whole wheat noodles.


-Homemade soup in an instant? Yes you can. Start with some veggies - my fav is to use garlic, onions, celery, and onions. Saute this down - use Pam or Olive Oil to reduce bad fats and calories. Add in the soup concentrate, milk/1/2 and 1/2, and even some broth - chicken, veggie, beef. If you want something hardier and elss fattening, substitue legumes (beans - you can get them canned and ready to use - cantenelli are easy and likable for those not use to using beans) - or add chicken to the soup. Want to make it a totally mushroom soup? Add white, shitake, and portabella mushrooms to the soup.


-Lastly, it can be a great thickener to things like a cream sauce for pasta, filler for lasagna, or something of that sort. Let your imagination and taste buds lead you on this adventure. I would make a veggie lasagna, substiuting whole wheat pasta (or even layering tufu) - or you could do it the old fashion, lovely way of regular lasagna (which will always be my personal fav). Add ricotta cheese (low-fat, not fat free, tastes and blends pretty much the same as full fat), mozzerella (I would only use whole fat or part skim), and parmesean (sorry, here I will have to use full fat) to cream of mushroom or celery. Use this as the ';beshemel'; (white) sauce in the pasta. You will save tons on heavy cream and whole fat cheeses. However, it will taste devine.





*Remember that the most important thing is that you and yours like it. How about adding some peppers, shrimp, veggies, or tufu? It is all up to your own tastebuds.


Healthier alternative for cream of chicken soup?
Plain yogurt, sour cream and tofu are some really easy thickening ingredients you can use without any extra hassle of whipping up something from scratch. Add them to organic chicken or vegetable broth and whip it together in a food processor or with a whisk in the pan on low to medium heat and add it to the soups or casseroles you are making. adjust amounts of broth to whichever of these you are using to find the consistancy you are looking for.
Just make a very thick white sauce and use that. You could add some chicken bouillon, or use chicken stock instead of water, if you wanted; or add any other seasoning that you like (garlic is good). If you want healthier, try not making so many casseroles. If you grill, broil, or BBQ the main entree meat, steam the veggies, and serve the starch as separate entities on the plate it will be alot healthier.....Steamed veggies are delicious, and your kids may eat them that way (rather than overcooked in a casserole). My daughters loved veggies as kids, and all 5 of my grandkids adore all veggies. Yours might like them raw or lightly steamed, and dipped into Ranch dressing...
I've been experimenting using heavy cream, and sometimes adding a bit of cornstarch or flour, and sometimes some sour cream. Definitely not improving the fat counts but at least it's whole food and not that sodium-laden crud that comes in the can...
all ';cream of'; soups are so fattening. whether they are homemade or not so all i can suggest to you is fat-free versions