Super Soup Sunday

Is it just me, or during the cold months, curling up with a bowl of soup is just traditional? I find that my soup consumption October-March jumps significantly. Whether it be tomato soup, a hearty stew, or a broth based soup, they warm you from the inside out. For me, I am more fond of homemade soups because I still can’t seem to get past the canned taste of store-bought soups and sky high sodium levels. However, just recently I was contacted by the Progresso soup company and asked if I would be willing to try various cans of soup from their new line. I agreed with no expectations being I have only tried their Hearty Tomato which actually is now my favorite canned tomato soup!

“We craft all our soups, broths and foods from authentic recipes using only the highest quality ingredients. We are dedicated to making better taste better for you. We believe that food should always be delicious, and there is no reason that delicious food can’t fit within your diet. At Progresso, we love great food. It’s been our passion for more than 50 years.”

French Onion Soup Chew Review: I was highly impressed by this soup—I have tried another brand of French Onion, and it was too salty to eat. This had just the right amount of salt without being over powerful and it had the perfect balance of onions to broth. If you don’t have time to make a homemade French Onion soup, this would be a perfect substitute topped with a baguette and some Gruyere cheese. Italian-Style Vegetable Chew Review: This water based soup has carrots, celery, green beans, tomatoes, peas and enriched penne pasta. Growing up eating a lot of Italian soups, this soup had some good competition from my past. It would have been more flavorful if it were infused with a chicken broth instead of just water—I also would have amped up the seasoning, adding basil, oregano, and some thyme. But, if your in a pinch and looking for a fast veggie fix, this soup could be an option. Light Chicken Noodle  Chew Review: Whether you have a cold or your grandma is known for making her homemade chicken noodle soup, it’s usually a soup eaten no matter where you are in the US. My grandpa makes a killer chicken noodle soup that sits and marinates in flavors for hours on end which results in an incomparable bowl of flavor. But I still tried to go into the canned chicken noodle with an unbiased review—the only thing I would change about this is by adding some celery and a little onion for more flavor. Other than that, the noodles and the chicken remained a good texture after being heated and the broth was a nice flavor. Plus it’s a light soup which is an added bonus!  Manhattan Clam Chowder Chew Review: I am fond of eating the New England clam chowder, known for being a cream based soup with clams, potatoes, etc. So it was a definite switch to open a can of clam chowder and being greeted with a tomato based soup instead. It still had the potatoes, clams and celery, but also included carrots and tomato paste. Being a tomato flavor fan, I would have to say this is by far on top of the traditional New England clam chowder. And I was pleasantly surprised at the great texture of the clams and the veggie to broth ratio. If you haven’t tried a Manhattan clam chowder, I would definitely point you towards to Progresso brand if your not up to making your own.   Light Chicken & Herb Dumpling Chew Review: Since this was another Weight Watcher’s endorsed soup, I was half expecting it to be a little bland like the Italian-Style vegetable, but I was wrong—without the added herbs it might have been a bit on the less-flavorful side, but the combo of parsley and chicken broth really set a base for the rest. The dumplings were a bit on the too-chewy side for me, but then again I don’t eat dumpling soup often, so I don’t have a wide variety of comparison. Plus, where else can you get a hearty dumpling soup for 80 calories a cup?    Light Chicken Vegetable Rotini Chew Review: I loved that this light soup added corn to the mix—it seems to add a bit of a sweet contrast to the chicken. Progresso does a really good job of maintaining the texture of the meats in their soup, however this soup seemed to have too much pasta in it. I would have preferred about half the amount of pasta and double the veggies—I still don’t think this knocked my socks off, and I probably wouldn’t buy it again. Hearty Tomato Chew Review: Say hello to your new perfect match for a grilled cheese sandwich! This soup quickly shot to the top after the first bite. It definitely trumps Campbell’s original Tomato Soup and even their Healthy Request! The chunks of tomato added a lot and really made it clear that it is a “hearty soup”. The nice thing is, you don’t need to add water or milk—so as soon as it heats up and you are enticed by the smell, you can just dig in! So does this post have you craving some soup, or did it just make you curious as to how the Progresso soups would measure up to your standards? Before you head out and buy some, how about entering a giveaway and try your luck at winning some soup, a nice Progresso soup mug, and a electronic jump rope for yourself? It’s much easier than getting in your car, going to the grocery store, finding the soup, buying it blah, blah, blah. Instead, Progresso will gladly deliver the soup and your other prizes directly to your door. Can’t beat that! How to enter:

• 1 entry: leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite canned soup flavor or brand.
• 2 entries: Link back on your blog to this giveaway.

*Please leave a separate comment for each entry*

Contest ends Friday , March 5th 11:59 p.m. Central Time