Canned soups are a great staple to keep on hand for a quick meal, especially if you’re investing in the best canned soups you can buy at the grocery store. Still, we’ll be the first to admit it: Even if you shell out the cash for those better brands, no canned soup wouldn’t benefit from some umami rich additions. So, when the time for convenience soup comes, don’t settle for less. Instead, give canned soup a new dimension of flavor with another pantry staple, soy sauce.
Soy sauce is made from a lot of flavorful ingredients. From classic chicken noodle to hearty beef barley, this one addition alone can completely turn around an otherwise lackluster canned soup. With a few shakes of the bottle, you can infuse a line-up of bowls with a mouthwatering depth of umami. Canned soups are often lacking in flavor and intrigue, so this is the perfect way to pop up the pot.
Soy sauce’s high acidity brightens up flat-tasting broths, and for those that taste bland, the sauce adds a salty punch. Just don’t go overboard, because canned soup is salty as-is. Additionally, soy sauce can bring depth and balance to a beefy broth or added richness to a lighter stew. Is there anything it can’t do?
How to incorporate soy sauce into the pot
To add soy sauce to your soup, we recommend cooking your dish as usual according to the instructions on the can — a simmer on the stovetop is typically the standard. Once the soup is hot, add a few dashes of soy sauce to the pot and stir. Now grab a spoon and taste. If you feel like your soup needs more sauce, add more to your heart’s content. Or, if you overdid it with the shaking, you could always balance out the flavor by adding more liquid. A simple choice like water is best, as other options will add more salt, which will overwhelm the soup’s flavors. That’s all there is to it.
If you’re ready to elevate your favorite canned soup but don’t have soy sauce on hand, there are a few other pantry staples you could try out instead. Fish sauce, for example, is another great option. Just like soy sauce, adding a teaspoon of fish sauce to your soup of choice will add a burst of umami flavor. Worcestershire sauce is a great dupe for soy sauce as well. Other ideas include an added dash of broth for balance or vinegar or lemon juice for brightness.
Canned soup might not be perfect, but it’s a great base that’s easy to elevate with ingredients you already have on hand. With pantry staples like soy sauce, don’t be afraid to add a can or two to the cart.
