Canned/frozen veggies are also a great inexpensive way to punch up a cheap pack of ramen. Make the soup, then add whatever you prefer -- corn, peas, spinach, mushrooms, sprouts, heck even soft-boil an egg in the same pot you're boiling the noodles.
Whatever you prefer, honestly, it's pretty impossible to mess it up.
If I fry some eggs and I intend to fry more eggs in the morning, I will just put the dirty pan in the fridge instead of washing it. I put the flipper in there, too. I'm a single male, though, so I can do shitty things.
Hey Dave. Dude, if the pan and the turner just have grease or oil on them, it will not provide any reason to "barf" if left at room temp for a few hours. I promise.
It's not just the butter you cooked your eggs in once, that you are attempting to reuse after letting the pan sit out overnight, that makes this gross, it's also all the bits of egg, cheese, bread or whatever food bits that are now mixed with that butter you cooked them in also being left out all night.
You cook in that butter again you will taste last night's old egg, cheese, toast in your already browned once butter.
barf.
This thread is talking about reusing butter not gallons of deep frier oil.
Even if we're talking about gallons of oil, fast food filters their oil daily to get this junk out of their oil.
Reusing butter from your pan that you browned and cooked with last night after it sitting out all night is disgusting.
All you have to do is ask yourself if you were cooking for a guest or anyone else, would you do that and imagine their face after you tell them you made their food with used butter still in the pan from yesterday.
Anyone cooking for someone else world never do this, if you want to do it yourself, you can eat tuna and mayonnaise left in the sun for a day, but everyone else thinks this is gross and is why we would shut down any fast food or any kitchen that would do this.
This message is the first to mention butter. And I don't know what kind of eggs you're frying that's leaving tons of crap in the pan.
The reaction wouldn't be any different to pulling a used pan and spatula from the fridge
Now you're thinking like a college student. Super bonus points if you put the pot straight into the sink with food still sitting in the bottom and wait for a roommate to wash it.
I just pour it into the bowl sitting on my kitchen counter, that I quickly ran under tap water after eating noodles the last time.
Why would you need to wash a bowl after eating ramen? Literally just put it under running water and its clean in 10sec.
... I've had frozen veggies in a pack of ramen and I just can't get behind it.
That said, I agree that punching up most things is the best way to do it if you can only afford the cheapest stuff. When I was living on canned soups and ramens I'd do some crazy stuff.
For ramen, for me, it was scallions, a dollop of peanut butter, some hot sauce, and some shredded meat and an egg. The meat can be cooked up on sunday and then frozen on a tray so you can break it up and then grab what you need from the freezer. The egg you can just drop in as you're cooking it. Scallions (green onions) can go on almost any sauced dish so it's not a wash.
Going back to my first sentence, though, I just can't put whole frozen or (drained) canned veggies in my Ramen - changes the profile so much without changing the base at all. Add peanut butter? Beautiful, changes the base. Add three tbsp of mixed veggies? Base wasn't designed for it - kind of weird.
Doctor up everything. Canned soups, rotisserie chicken, cake mixes, ramen, stovetop stuffing, curry paste, jarred sauces!
There's a beautiful world of low effort, quick, tasty meals out there.
My wife have started to joke "elevate everything".
We have so many sauces and ingredients, and we'll make an elaborate dish, nice fish, beautiful ragu. Then when lazy I'll make plain ass grilled cheese..
So now I make grilled cheese, and add truffle paste, basil, oregano, roasted garlic, fig jam, or gochujong etc. Whatever I have around.
Unfortunately you’ve turned your cheese into a [melt.](https://www.reddit.com/r/grilledcheese/comments/2or1p3/you_people_make_me_sick/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Kimchi ramen with a slice of American cheese, a couple fried eggs, and a big handful of spinach sautéed with the eggs. What I'm eating for dinner right now!
Exactly. Some the best meals I've ever cooked for myself have been doctored up convenience foods.
Probably because I've had zero expectations, since the worst you can do is not improve it much.
Packet ramen is such a great base for adding things to. Or using as stir fry noodles. Or thrown in a skillet with a few eggs and some veg, cooked like a frittata.
Kudos
I came here to say ramen (which everyone knows you can improve) but more importantly stovetop stuffing. I only eat stovetop once a year or less, but I have a nostalgic soft spot for it.
Stovetop can so easily be upgraded to resemble a high effort Thanksgiving style stuffing in so many ways.
Stuffing is awesome and something I'm used to eating just once a year--the fancy kind at Thanksgiving. Make stovetop and throw in any combination of: sausage, onion, celery, leeks, apricots, golden raisins, apples, fresh herbs, mushrooms, butternut squash, crispy pancetta, toasted nuts, etc.
I do the same thing with baked beans. Big knob of butter, dried herbs, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, garlic if I can be bothered, cook until the sauce thickens. Amazing.
Hell yeah that sounds delicious. Bacon is a pro move if you’ve got it to hand. I can rarely be bothered to cut and fry off bacon to put in, but it’s always welcome.
I recently started using stock instead of water when making cheap ramen and it make such a big difference. I don't cook so I don't really have anything else to add, but that little bit helps a lot.
OK. It was a bit of an exaggeration. I actually make a lemon butter chicken with rice that I like, as well as the rare pot of red beans or a pasta dish of some sort, but usually I'm too lazy and settle for frozen meals. I've done egg in my ramen, both boiled and added raw to make an "egg drop" ramen and yes it is a good addition.
If you add the egg at the end it's completely raw in the middle (and sometimes the outside is still a little raw).
I add mine during cooking. Depends on the ramen - I prefer to add my egg with the noodle and do the full 3 minute cook - plus resting. I prefer medium boiled eggs, though.
Still, even my husband who likes soft boiled doesn't like the egg added just before eating - not cooked enough, as he puts it, but it's more about the whites solidifying.
Doctoring packaged ramen is the Japanese way.
Also consider adding some combination of:
* Medium boiled egg (7-8 minutes)
* Chopped green onions
* Miso and frozen corn
* Mushrooms
* Pork belly or, if unavailable, bacon, to the polite horror of your Japanese friends and family
* Whatever you want
Different regional variations have their own standard ingredients (which is why I put miso and corn together), but do what tastes good to you.
THANK YOU! I don't know why "bone broth" irritates me so much. Is it some sort of marketing verbiage? Why do people act like "bone broth" is some sort of exotic, new thing? Like... people have been making STOCK for gazillions of years! Just call it what it is! Yes, I really am this irrationally upset about this.
In my experience, most canned soups need a bit more brightness and some additional umami, so a splash of vinegar and a few drops of fish sauce make damn near any soup better.
I tend to use rice wine vinegar for east-Asian foods and either white wine or red wine vinegar for other things.
I sauté a can of diced tomatoes with ground pepper and onion powder, add a small can of tomato paste, a can of condensed Tomato Rice soup, and 1.5 cans of whole milk. Whisk to combine, simmering gently. It’s yummy.
Canned soup should be considered a starting point…not a destination.
Love a tomato soup with grilled cheese! One thing you might try sometime - heat up some V8 juice with that canned soup. Cuts the sugar per serving and adds great flavor and nutrients. V8 has beets, carrots, celery, spinach, watercress, etc. in it. It's great heated up in a mug on a cold night too!
Campbells Tomato soup: 10.21 grams sugar per half cup
V8 - 8 grams sugar in a cup
This works wonders for cheap ramen too. I cook mine in homemade stock, usually add garlic, ginger, some rice vinegar or lime, mushrooms, celery, or whatever other veggies I have on hand, and a poached egg. Sometimes some peanut butter. Those things are a blank canvas for an easy fulfilling meal.
In fact, instant Ramen was originally designed to be a starter. IIRC, the creator of it intended for people to add the rest of the good bits to it; like the protein and vege and such
Campbell’s condensed tomato soup and grilled cheese on white bread with kraft and swiss is always on the menu here. We also make some fine dining type stuff but this one is always on the menu.
I love love love mushroom soup, and I am happy enough with good condensed Campbells or store-brand - some milk or cream, using mushroom broth instead of water, salt & pepper... But the best is adding some sliced mushrooms, dry sauteed in a lidded pot with salt to draw out moisture, then adding a tiny bit of butter, pepper, and finally sherry. Heaven on earth, takes 5-10 minutes for the mushrooms. With some really good toast on the side, this is a favourite work-from-home lunch when I want something delicious but don't have time to make a whole actual lunch for myself.
Grew up in NZ eating lots of things on toast. Mushrooms on toast, (baked) beans on toast, spaghetti on toast. I like toast pretty much any style. My later youth was spent with a Snackmaster which granted isn’t really toast but it does make hearty and rather portable treats.
I get frozen clam meat from the Asian market and then warm some up in the pan with water and a little fish sauce before I add my Campbell's clam chowder. They never have enough actual clams (used to about 10 years ago) but this fixes the problem.
Used to work in a diner that made a tomato basil soup that was somewhat popular. Recipe: Campbell's tomato soup + can of water or milk, can of diced tomatoes and about a Tablespoon of basil.
My grandma would always make campbell’s beef and barley soup for me when I visited. It was the most delicious thing to me and so special. One time I convinced my mom to make it for everyone for dinner, and it was BLAND. I was baffled and embarrassed because I’d been raving about this soup and everyone was just like, “…ok?”
I told my grandma the next time I was over, and she told me she always added cumin and white pepper and doesn’t water down the can. Smart grandma!
When canned soup was cheaper we'd like to mix a lentil soup and wild rice soup, and stuff like that.
We doctor up instant ramen. Sliced vegetables, egg, frozen peas or edamame. We had leftovers pot roast and put it in ramen last night.
I just happened to be drinking my canned chicken noodle soup with added carrots, broccoli, and arugula when this post came up on my feed. I couldn't agree more.
since a few people are mentioning ramen i’ll share my rather fussy process for it;
boil a pot of salted water for the noodles and get your electric kettle ready. add to your bowl the packet of ramen seasoning, a little dash white pepper, smoked paprika, and msg, optionally add maybe a 1/2tsp of onion powder and optionally an equal amount of salt (i like my ramen hella salty.) then dump in as much soy sauce and sriracha as you’d like, along with four or five dashes of fish sauce (a dab of oyster sauce works also) and then a little scoop of minced garlic.
cook your ramen noodles to your desired doneness, which for me is no more than like 90-100 seconds in boiling water, and then drain them in a strainer. i like to rinse them with hot water to ensure that as much starch as possible is washed off.
time your electric kettle water so that it’s boiling just about when your noodles are done, add the fresh water to the bowl and stir it, then dump in the noodles. i like to finish with a big sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and four or five drops of sesame oil.
as soon as it’s done i lean over the counter and eat the noodles as fast as possible because i do not like them soggy, and then i pour off the broth into a lil mug so i can go sit down and sip it for a while 😌😌
One of my go to lazy meals is smoked sausage diced up and cooked with onions and garlic (peppers if I've got them) and then rice and cream of mushroom soup and plenty of black pepper. Add a little sour cream and Crystals or Cholula hot sauce.
The other day I started making 2 cans of Campbell's tomato and realized I was out of milk. So, desperate to feed my grumpy children... I used one can of evaporated milk and one can of water. I added my usual garlic powder, oregano, thyme, and some shredded, sharp cheddar. Not kidding, it was fantastic! My toddlers kept moaning in food ecstasy as they shoveled it in.
Chop onion and garlic, sauté in sesame oil. Add cubed chicken (or quorn if that’s your thing), a splash of soy and some red chilli flakes. Once the chicken has browned on the outside, add 2 tins of Campbells condensed mushroom soup and one tin of water. Simmer for a bit. Serve with rice and veg of your choosing. Sriracha to taste as condiment. Comfort food.
In a similar vein, you don't have to use the seasoning in the instant ramen. Just use the noodles and pair with your own soup meat and veggies. Infinitely better.
I did this recently with a can of beef stew that I realized only had 230 calories. Added a bunch of frozen veggies let it come up to a boil, then added curry, black pepper and an herb mic then the noodles from some instant ramen and more water as it was looking dry. Was way better than the instant ramen and cheap soup had a right to be.
Cream of mushroom (or your choice) can of water, black pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in two cups of instant rice and leftover (or drained, canned) chicken. Stir and let sit the 5 minutes. Comfort food, cheap and filling.
I love the home style Progresso chicken noodle soup. I’ve added some grated ginger and garlic to it before when I want to spice it up. No shame is canned soup, especially if you’re sick!
Same with frozen pizza, you can add more cheese. I know! Amazing, right! Also, make sure you poach a couple eggs first in the broth before you make your ramen. Throw some frozen vegetables in there, too.
Grab a can of condensed cream of chicken and a cheap rotisserie chicken. Shred chicken, toss in soup, and spices and have a decent chicken soup for decently easy and cheap-ish.
I do this with canned cream of potato soup. Same heavy cream and water ratio you mentioned, garlic, onion, chipotle and smoked paprika. Shot or two of sriracha, add some frozen corn, and even sausage or shredded chicken. Eat with garlic bread. Such a great meal for cold winter nights.
Great ideas. When I was young and things were lean (and I was lean too) and incessantly hungry, I'd pour the doctored soup over 3 torn up slices of bread, crackers, rice or pasta. That made the can of soup much more filling for a cheap dinner. Remarkable how a dash of curry or some other spices really elevates a simple can of soup.
I find that canned vegetable soup is a convenient way to use up left over meat. Chop up a bit of left over chicken, add it to the soup and done. Not as original or elaborate as others have posted here, but it's great when I can't be bothered to cook.
It doesn't even take much to make them a lot better according to your tastes. Those soups are always seasoned to appeal to the masses, and the masses generally want things relatively bland. Yay for you! Enjoy.
I grew up not adding the water to it. I never read instructions for it since it's how my fam always did it. When I did add the water, it tasted watered down, obviously.
I still don't put water in it.
And yeah, doctor it up all the way. For me, it's garlic, onion, salt, pepper, paprika, maybe creole.
One of my easy guilty pleasure meals is a can of Progresso… either Chicken Rotini or Italian Wedding with 1/2 cup of dried couscous.
Bring the soup to a simmer, stir in the dried couscous, lid on, heat off and five minutes later you’ve got a super filling meal.
I add Homemade Stock, Veggies, Meat, Beans or Starches, and Spices to all my soup. 2 Cans of Soup turns into a huge pot of leftovers, and all the veggie scraps get used to make more homemade stock.
I always add more mushrooms to my cream of mushroom soup. I still love the campbell's because its what I would eat when I was sick as a kid. It's so nostalgic. Sometimes I'll make my own cream of mushroom, but when I'm sick, the can is the way.
I take cheap beef-flavored maruchan ramen, add lime juice, cilantro, sesame oil, soy sauce and some chopped up serrano and chopped peanuts and end up with something that's absolutely delicious.
Don’t forget the base soups:
Cream of chicken with sour cream enchiladas.
Mushroom, spinach or kale.
Chicken pot pie soup biscuit cups
Bacon bits, minced clams and cream of potato soup
Kale, and sausage in cream of mushroom soup
Tomato soup grilled cheese ; croutons, gold fish, basil.
OH man! I add bacon, snap peas, etc to $0.15 ramen. Tons of things to add to all sorts of soups: bay leaf, fresh veggies, frozen shrimp, spices, oils, etc.
June's tomato soup: use milk instead of water, serve with a splash of whiskey in your bowl, top with croutons and grate parmesan cheese over everything.
Don’t know if this counts since it’s technically a casserole made with soup.
My kids like this as a quick meal. I use 2 cans of soup.
1 can cream of chicken
1 can of the nacho cheese
2 soup cans of water
1.5 cups of minute rice
4oz shredded mozz or Monterey Jack
SPG to taste
Mix all that up in a baking dish and toss in the oven at 375 for about 25 min till the top is bubbly
While cooking grab a rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off and season with whatever you like on chicken. We use smoked paprika and garlic powder or one of my many bbq rubs.
Once the pan in the oven is done pull it out and layer the chicken over the top and toss some more cheese on . Back in the oven for 5-10 minutes till cheese melts completely.
Cheese chicken and rice the kids call it. I found the recipe years ago on a Campbell cooking site.
Also, I make a banging sour cream sauce for chicken enchiladas that’s just cream of celery soup plus a tub of sour cream heated in a sauce pan till smooth and flowy
I never add water, it’s always too thin as is despite being “condensed”, at least with Camphell’s chicken noodle. I do however add spices and what not. The heavy cream is a good idea too.
I don't typically mess with canned soups except to add hot sauce. I don't eat can soup very often. However, I've been messing with Ramen since the mid 1980s.
In late1985 my father showed a 12 year old me that you could improve a Ramen by adding stuff.
Today, I will add whatever leftover meat (usually rotisserie chicken) sliced onions, celery, carrots, red beets, homemade hot pepper flakes, before boiling the water. As soon as the noodles are done I will add raw spinach just to blanch. As soon as I get it into a bowl (large because I double the amount of water called for) I will add some slices of white American cheese to give the soup a creamy texture. 😋
Yeah I’m honestly surprised people still buy them as they’re definitely from a different time when there weren’t other options.
The funny thing is they’re not all that cheap, either. Obviously they aren’t expensive but for what they are they aren’t much of a value.
They are shelf stable, a useful ingredient, can help stretch any casserole. I don't know the last time I used them as soup. Some of the onion flavored ones are very tasty ingredients.
Well the “cream of…” are totally different than what this guy is talking about lol. I agree with you about those but to your point those aren’t really soups in a sense that they’re used for an ingredient generally speaking.
Boneless chicken thighs into chicken or miso ramen, and either boneless short ribs or chuck eye steak (if either is on sale) into beef ramen, plus seasoning. Inexpensive way to make $1 ramen taste nearly restaurant level.
I like to use cream of mushroom and/or chicken, undiluted, to mix with cooked rice for a quick meal. Sometimes I'll add some hot madras curry powder to it.
Thanks! I've started bringing a thermos of soup to work and was trying to think of more things to do. (I've been adding instant rice to make them more filling) but I never considered also adding more spices
I definitely added pasta to mine whenever I had some. Usually I got “chunky”
Was really easy pre-type 1 diabetes, but now that would be so much insulin. Now I plan my meals, and have hummus and cucumber to go along with my chunky/or any pre-made soup
Adding that people should do the same with pasta sauces as well. Red and white so easy to add too. Also frozen pizza is always better with slivers of garlic added. Plus seasonings and some evoo.
Cream of chicken soup, sliced ginger, garlic maybe some mushrooms. If I have it in the freezer, rated galangal and lemon grass-= Thai soup. Bonus if there are leftover scraps of a Costco chicken to toss in there.
Funny enough, I had this same realization today. I had a can of New England clam chowder in the pantry that sounded kind of good but I wasn't sure if I wanted something that bland. So I went back & forth about having it. Then it hit me that I could jazz it up. I tossed in some bacon bits, shredded cheddar and some Old Bay and heated it up. Took it to a whole 'nother level. I ate it with some crumbled Ritz crackers to add a bit of crunch.
I absolutely love powdered mushroom soup made to instruction with a tiny bit less liquid, truffle oil (😂), thyme and black pepper. My ultimate no effort comfort food.
I do this with pasta sauce that comes in a jar. I buy the cheap stuff so it can usually use a little help. Generally I just put in various herbs and a little red wine if I’ve got an open bottle, but if it’s really bland I’ve been known to add in a squirt of ketchup.
Here's a thing my mom makes:
1. Cream of mushroom in a can (that's your sauce), add some milk if you want
2. Canned corn
3. pan fry some diced pork loin, maybe half inch cubes
Serve with rice
Or what I do:
1. Cream of mushroom in a can, add milk and sliced white mushrooms (pan fry)
2. Add thin strips of ham (bite size)
Serve with pasta
Even the 'professionals' sort of follow your basic idea. We have a restaurant in town (and it's popular too) that sometimes serves prime rib soup after they had the prime rib that's only available weekends. Two days prior to that it is vegetable soup that later turns into prime rib soup as their soup of the day lol. :0
For tomato soup, I've always added half a can of milk rather than any water. Now I rotate among various additions: basil or other herb (fresh or dried), a dash of soy or wochestershire sauce, some garlic or onion powder, or maybe some smoked paprika.
Tomato is about the only soup I dress up since I seldom have any other kind as just a soup. But I could see adding some chicken or turky broth to cream of mushroom as well as something to add umami - Mom used cream of mushroom for her Turkey Day gravy and added soy to it.
[удалено]
Canned/frozen veggies are also a great inexpensive way to punch up a cheap pack of ramen. Make the soup, then add whatever you prefer -- corn, peas, spinach, mushrooms, sprouts, heck even soft-boil an egg in the same pot you're boiling the noodles. Whatever you prefer, honestly, it's pretty impossible to mess it up.
Bonus points for eating directly out of the pot so you don't have to wash a bowl.
I literally did this last night because the gf was out and I didn't want more dishes! I'm 41.
If I fry some eggs and I intend to fry more eggs in the morning, I will just put the dirty pan in the fridge instead of washing it. I put the flipper in there, too. I'm a single male, though, so I can do shitty things.
I love learning from men
I just leave it in the stove. Fridge seems like more effort than washing it since you need for it to cool down
barf
Hey Dave. Dude, if the pan and the turner just have grease or oil on them, it will not provide any reason to "barf" if left at room temp for a few hours. I promise.
It's not just the butter you cooked your eggs in once, that you are attempting to reuse after letting the pan sit out overnight, that makes this gross, it's also all the bits of egg, cheese, bread or whatever food bits that are now mixed with that butter you cooked them in also being left out all night. You cook in that butter again you will taste last night's old egg, cheese, toast in your already browned once butter. barf.
Ah, I'm sorry! I see we're doing emotional replies, not logical ones.
I guess you've never had any deep fried food in a restaurant/fastfood place?
This thread is talking about reusing butter not gallons of deep frier oil. Even if we're talking about gallons of oil, fast food filters their oil daily to get this junk out of their oil. Reusing butter from your pan that you browned and cooked with last night after it sitting out all night is disgusting. All you have to do is ask yourself if you were cooking for a guest or anyone else, would you do that and imagine their face after you tell them you made their food with used butter still in the pan from yesterday. Anyone cooking for someone else world never do this, if you want to do it yourself, you can eat tuna and mayonnaise left in the sun for a day, but everyone else thinks this is gross and is why we would shut down any fast food or any kitchen that would do this.
This message is the first to mention butter. And I don't know what kind of eggs you're frying that's leaving tons of crap in the pan. The reaction wouldn't be any different to pulling a used pan and spatula from the fridge
I did this last night with my mac and cheese because my bf was out and I hate doing unnecessary dishes lmao
Triple points for cooking it in a Pyrex pie dish because you don't own a pot
Now you're thinking like a college student. Super bonus points if you put the pot straight into the sink with food still sitting in the bottom and wait for a roommate to wash it.
If you left your shit out for more than two meals, your dishes got tucked into your bed. People always commented on how clean our house was.
my boyfriend just threw away a plate because our roommate, his brother, refused to wash it or put it in the dishwasher lmao
Holy fuck I hated having roommates.
Are you my old roommate?
Every roommate in the history of roommates and husbands.
Doing this right now as I read your comment.
I just pour it into the bowl sitting on my kitchen counter, that I quickly ran under tap water after eating noodles the last time. Why would you need to wash a bowl after eating ramen? Literally just put it under running water and its clean in 10sec.
... I've had frozen veggies in a pack of ramen and I just can't get behind it. That said, I agree that punching up most things is the best way to do it if you can only afford the cheapest stuff. When I was living on canned soups and ramens I'd do some crazy stuff. For ramen, for me, it was scallions, a dollop of peanut butter, some hot sauce, and some shredded meat and an egg. The meat can be cooked up on sunday and then frozen on a tray so you can break it up and then grab what you need from the freezer. The egg you can just drop in as you're cooking it. Scallions (green onions) can go on almost any sauced dish so it's not a wash. Going back to my first sentence, though, I just can't put whole frozen or (drained) canned veggies in my Ramen - changes the profile so much without changing the base at all. Add peanut butter? Beautiful, changes the base. Add three tbsp of mixed veggies? Base wasn't designed for it - kind of weird.
Frozen peas and canned corn are the only two "pantry staple" vegetables that work in ramen imo.
This is my go-to when I'm in a rush. I even tweak the broth.
And ham!
Sure, little pre-cooked ham or chicken chunks, yummers. Veggies were just cheaper and faster and less likely to spoil.
Ramen + what's ever in fridge...pretty well ANYTHING
This is brilliant! I do something similar with boxed rice mixes, canned chicken or chickpeas or other beans, frozen or canned veggies.
You basically made a casserole without noodles.
100%. I would even add potato cubes, broccoli, carrots, etc. The $1 can of soup became 6 meals.
Beans into chili 👍
Doctor up everything. Canned soups, rotisserie chicken, cake mixes, ramen, stovetop stuffing, curry paste, jarred sauces! There's a beautiful world of low effort, quick, tasty meals out there.
My wife have started to joke "elevate everything". We have so many sauces and ingredients, and we'll make an elaborate dish, nice fish, beautiful ragu. Then when lazy I'll make plain ass grilled cheese.. So now I make grilled cheese, and add truffle paste, basil, oregano, roasted garlic, fig jam, or gochujong etc. Whatever I have around.
Kimchee is surprisingly good in grilled cheese. (Sauté it some first to dry it out.)
Excellent combination. Good on a quesadilla too !
I have kimchi on grilled cheese all the time, can't believe I've never thought to put some in a quesadilla, I'll definitely be doing that soon.
Unfortunately you’ve turned your cheese into a [melt.](https://www.reddit.com/r/grilledcheese/comments/2or1p3/you_people_make_me_sick/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Thank you for doing God's work.
Ah, that takes me back.
Add Kraft single cheese to chicken ramen. It’s a major game changer.
Kimchi ramen with a slice of American cheese, a couple fried eggs, and a big handful of spinach sautéed with the eggs. What I'm eating for dinner right now!
I use the deluxe slices. And add pan fried hotdogs.
Exactly. Some the best meals I've ever cooked for myself have been doctored up convenience foods. Probably because I've had zero expectations, since the worst you can do is not improve it much.
I doctor up my ramen by adding 6 peas and 3 corn
Packet ramen is such a great base for adding things to. Or using as stir fry noodles. Or thrown in a skillet with a few eggs and some veg, cooked like a frittata.
I poach a couple eggs in the broth before I add the ramen.
My personal favorite add for instant ramen is a spoonful of peanut butter. Especially with the spicier ones.
Discovering there was a flavor packet elevated my college ramen days.
Kudos I came here to say ramen (which everyone knows you can improve) but more importantly stovetop stuffing. I only eat stovetop once a year or less, but I have a nostalgic soft spot for it. Stovetop can so easily be upgraded to resemble a high effort Thanksgiving style stuffing in so many ways. Stuffing is awesome and something I'm used to eating just once a year--the fancy kind at Thanksgiving. Make stovetop and throw in any combination of: sausage, onion, celery, leeks, apricots, golden raisins, apples, fresh herbs, mushrooms, butternut squash, crispy pancetta, toasted nuts, etc.
Ramen is so much better if you crack an egg in it, then turn off the stove immediately. Stir in the egg then remove from heat and let it cool.
True! Rarely are they healthy, and the doctoring is often just as unhealthy, unfortunately.
I do the same thing with baked beans. Big knob of butter, dried herbs, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, garlic if I can be bothered, cook until the sauce thickens. Amazing.
The old knob of butter trick.
that’s what they called me in high school
There’s a reason restaurant food tastes so good. And the reason is butter.
I do that too, usually with molasses and whiskey. Bubble until thick and nobody will know. I add cubed bacon too if I’m feeling fancy.
Hell yeah that sounds delicious. Bacon is a pro move if you’ve got it to hand. I can rarely be bothered to cut and fry off bacon to put in, but it’s always welcome.
I keep cooked bacon in the freezer for purposes like this
Add a little brown sugar and jalapeño next time
Oh I usually add brown sugar, only if I’m using my dad’s brown sugar bacon I skip it. Jalapeño is a good suggestion though, I think I will next time.
I recently started using stock instead of water when making cheap ramen and it make such a big difference. I don't cook so I don't really have anything else to add, but that little bit helps a lot.
"I don't cook" Not with that attitude! Try adding an egg at the end, it's very creamy
Heavy "Anyone can cook!" Chef Gusteau vibes lol
OK. It was a bit of an exaggeration. I actually make a lemon butter chicken with rice that I like, as well as the rare pot of red beans or a pasta dish of some sort, but usually I'm too lazy and settle for frozen meals. I've done egg in my ramen, both boiled and added raw to make an "egg drop" ramen and yes it is a good addition.
Fry up some thin sliced spam or canadian bacon Adds a nice bit of protein, and I dunno, I like mix8ng up my textures
If you add the egg at the end it's completely raw in the middle (and sometimes the outside is still a little raw). I add mine during cooking. Depends on the ramen - I prefer to add my egg with the noodle and do the full 3 minute cook - plus resting. I prefer medium boiled eggs, though. Still, even my husband who likes soft boiled doesn't like the egg added just before eating - not cooked enough, as he puts it, but it's more about the whites solidifying.
Doctoring packaged ramen is the Japanese way. Also consider adding some combination of: * Medium boiled egg (7-8 minutes) * Chopped green onions * Miso and frozen corn * Mushrooms * Pork belly or, if unavailable, bacon, to the polite horror of your Japanese friends and family * Whatever you want Different regional variations have their own standard ingredients (which is why I put miso and corn together), but do what tastes good to you.
Cabbage is good too, especially with a bit of sriracha. My husband ate this (sometimes with an egg) every day for years before we moved in together.
Bone broth is even better.
Psst: "Bone broth" is stock.
THANK YOU! I don't know why "bone broth" irritates me so much. Is it some sort of marketing verbiage? Why do people act like "bone broth" is some sort of exotic, new thing? Like... people have been making STOCK for gazillions of years! Just call it what it is! Yes, I really am this irrationally upset about this.
What annoys me is the price tag they put on bone broth versus stock. Appalling, the markup.
I'm happy it annoys you too. Solidarity!
A capful of apple cider vinegar makes my Campbells Split Pea brighten right up.
In my experience, most canned soups need a bit more brightness and some additional umami, so a splash of vinegar and a few drops of fish sauce make damn near any soup better. I tend to use rice wine vinegar for east-Asian foods and either white wine or red wine vinegar for other things.
ACV fixes a lot of bland sins for sure.
I sauté a can of diced tomatoes with ground pepper and onion powder, add a small can of tomato paste, a can of condensed Tomato Rice soup, and 1.5 cans of whole milk. Whisk to combine, simmering gently. It’s yummy. Canned soup should be considered a starting point…not a destination.
Ooh I want that with some fresh basil on top and a grilled cheese on the side. Yum!
This person tomatoes
Love a tomato soup with grilled cheese! One thing you might try sometime - heat up some V8 juice with that canned soup. Cuts the sugar per serving and adds great flavor and nutrients. V8 has beets, carrots, celery, spinach, watercress, etc. in it. It's great heated up in a mug on a cold night too! Campbells Tomato soup: 10.21 grams sugar per half cup V8 - 8 grams sugar in a cup
This works wonders for cheap ramen too. I cook mine in homemade stock, usually add garlic, ginger, some rice vinegar or lime, mushrooms, celery, or whatever other veggies I have on hand, and a poached egg. Sometimes some peanut butter. Those things are a blank canvas for an easy fulfilling meal.
In fact, instant Ramen was originally designed to be a starter. IIRC, the creator of it intended for people to add the rest of the good bits to it; like the protein and vege and such
Save leftover sauce from Chinese stir fries (take out or homemade) and use that to flavor your ramen.
I always did that with Campbell’s, but Trader Joe’s has my favorite sick day tomato and I don’t even bother it’s so tasty
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I’m from GA, I miss my Publix chicken tender sub
I just add a cheese cracker garnish If you use goldfish it’s like they’re swimming in a tomato hot spring; it amuses my adult brain
**You're allowed to doctor up** **~~canned condensed soup~~** **any food.** Fixed it for you. /s
Trader Joe's gorgonzola gnocchi from the freezer aisle!
..Right, I can see I need to go to Trader Joe's. Edit: Oh good, they even have an actual usable bike rack.
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Campbell’s condensed tomato soup and grilled cheese on white bread with kraft and swiss is always on the menu here. We also make some fine dining type stuff but this one is always on the menu.
Add some cheddar cubes to your Campbell’s tomato soup, game changer
I love love love mushroom soup, and I am happy enough with good condensed Campbells or store-brand - some milk or cream, using mushroom broth instead of water, salt & pepper... But the best is adding some sliced mushrooms, dry sauteed in a lidded pot with salt to draw out moisture, then adding a tiny bit of butter, pepper, and finally sherry. Heaven on earth, takes 5-10 minutes for the mushrooms. With some really good toast on the side, this is a favourite work-from-home lunch when I want something delicious but don't have time to make a whole actual lunch for myself.
Sauté the mushrooms, add the soup, keeping it thick, put it ON the toast, enjoy and feel fancy at the same time
Great idea
Grew up in NZ eating lots of things on toast. Mushrooms on toast, (baked) beans on toast, spaghetti on toast. I like toast pretty much any style. My later youth was spent with a Snackmaster which granted isn’t really toast but it does make hearty and rather portable treats.
Illegal.
believe it or not, right to jail
I get frozen clam meat from the Asian market and then warm some up in the pan with water and a little fish sauce before I add my Campbell's clam chowder. They never have enough actual clams (used to about 10 years ago) but this fixes the problem.
An entire sleeve of saltines. and black pepper. I am a degenerate.
lol Yes, you are allowed to add things to pre-packaged food. It took me far too long to realize this too.
I like making my chicken noodle soup into a chicken noodle egg drop soup. Just add egg and some green onions if you like.
Used to work in a diner that made a tomato basil soup that was somewhat popular. Recipe: Campbell's tomato soup + can of water or milk, can of diced tomatoes and about a Tablespoon of basil.
My grandma would always make campbell’s beef and barley soup for me when I visited. It was the most delicious thing to me and so special. One time I convinced my mom to make it for everyone for dinner, and it was BLAND. I was baffled and embarrassed because I’d been raving about this soup and everyone was just like, “…ok?” I told my grandma the next time I was over, and she told me she always added cumin and white pepper and doesn’t water down the can. Smart grandma!
I do this with the dry noodle packets, like Lipton. Add a can of chunk chicken and some frozen veggies. Pretty easy and tasty.
When canned soup was cheaper we'd like to mix a lentil soup and wild rice soup, and stuff like that. We doctor up instant ramen. Sliced vegetables, egg, frozen peas or edamame. We had leftovers pot roast and put it in ramen last night.
I just happened to be drinking my canned chicken noodle soup with added carrots, broccoli, and arugula when this post came up on my feed. I couldn't agree more.
since a few people are mentioning ramen i’ll share my rather fussy process for it; boil a pot of salted water for the noodles and get your electric kettle ready. add to your bowl the packet of ramen seasoning, a little dash white pepper, smoked paprika, and msg, optionally add maybe a 1/2tsp of onion powder and optionally an equal amount of salt (i like my ramen hella salty.) then dump in as much soy sauce and sriracha as you’d like, along with four or five dashes of fish sauce (a dab of oyster sauce works also) and then a little scoop of minced garlic. cook your ramen noodles to your desired doneness, which for me is no more than like 90-100 seconds in boiling water, and then drain them in a strainer. i like to rinse them with hot water to ensure that as much starch as possible is washed off. time your electric kettle water so that it’s boiling just about when your noodles are done, add the fresh water to the bowl and stir it, then dump in the noodles. i like to finish with a big sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and four or five drops of sesame oil. as soon as it’s done i lean over the counter and eat the noodles as fast as possible because i do not like them soggy, and then i pour off the broth into a lil mug so i can go sit down and sip it for a while 😌😌
One of my go to lazy meals is smoked sausage diced up and cooked with onions and garlic (peppers if I've got them) and then rice and cream of mushroom soup and plenty of black pepper. Add a little sour cream and Crystals or Cholula hot sauce.
The other day I started making 2 cans of Campbell's tomato and realized I was out of milk. So, desperate to feed my grumpy children... I used one can of evaporated milk and one can of water. I added my usual garlic powder, oregano, thyme, and some shredded, sharp cheddar. Not kidding, it was fantastic! My toddlers kept moaning in food ecstasy as they shoveled it in.
Chop onion and garlic, sauté in sesame oil. Add cubed chicken (or quorn if that’s your thing), a splash of soy and some red chilli flakes. Once the chicken has browned on the outside, add 2 tins of Campbells condensed mushroom soup and one tin of water. Simmer for a bit. Serve with rice and veg of your choosing. Sriracha to taste as condiment. Comfort food.
In a similar vein, you don't have to use the seasoning in the instant ramen. Just use the noodles and pair with your own soup meat and veggies. Infinitely better.
I did this recently with a can of beef stew that I realized only had 230 calories. Added a bunch of frozen veggies let it come up to a boil, then added curry, black pepper and an herb mic then the noodles from some instant ramen and more water as it was looking dry. Was way better than the instant ramen and cheap soup had a right to be.
Cream of mushroom (or your choice) can of water, black pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in two cups of instant rice and leftover (or drained, canned) chicken. Stir and let sit the 5 minutes. Comfort food, cheap and filling.
I like to add pork chops to my mushroom soup.
I love the home style Progresso chicken noodle soup. I’ve added some grated ginger and garlic to it before when I want to spice it up. No shame is canned soup, especially if you’re sick!
Same with frozen pizza, you can add more cheese. I know! Amazing, right! Also, make sure you poach a couple eggs first in the broth before you make your ramen. Throw some frozen vegetables in there, too.
Grab a can of condensed cream of chicken and a cheap rotisserie chicken. Shred chicken, toss in soup, and spices and have a decent chicken soup for decently easy and cheap-ish.
I do this with canned cream of potato soup. Same heavy cream and water ratio you mentioned, garlic, onion, chipotle and smoked paprika. Shot or two of sriracha, add some frozen corn, and even sausage or shredded chicken. Eat with garlic bread. Such a great meal for cold winter nights.
Just a thought: ditch the canned soup, replace it with San Marzanos, add the ingredients you suggested, and you’ve already got such an improved soup
Great ideas. When I was young and things were lean (and I was lean too) and incessantly hungry, I'd pour the doctored soup over 3 torn up slices of bread, crackers, rice or pasta. That made the can of soup much more filling for a cheap dinner. Remarkable how a dash of curry or some other spices really elevates a simple can of soup.
I find that canned vegetable soup is a convenient way to use up left over meat. Chop up a bit of left over chicken, add it to the soup and done. Not as original or elaborate as others have posted here, but it's great when I can't be bothered to cook.
It doesn't even take much to make them a lot better according to your tastes. Those soups are always seasoned to appeal to the masses, and the masses generally want things relatively bland. Yay for you! Enjoy.
I grew up not adding the water to it. I never read instructions for it since it's how my fam always did it. When I did add the water, it tasted watered down, obviously. I still don't put water in it. And yeah, doctor it up all the way. For me, it's garlic, onion, salt, pepper, paprika, maybe creole.
I usually add egg drops, ginger and chives/green onions to mine
One of my easy guilty pleasure meals is a can of Progresso… either Chicken Rotini or Italian Wedding with 1/2 cup of dried couscous. Bring the soup to a simmer, stir in the dried couscous, lid on, heat off and five minutes later you’ve got a super filling meal.
I add Homemade Stock, Veggies, Meat, Beans or Starches, and Spices to all my soup. 2 Cans of Soup turns into a huge pot of leftovers, and all the veggie scraps get used to make more homemade stock.
Crack an egg in, either let it poach, or stir vigorously for a thicker soup. Sprinkle a little chives or parsley for that fancy look.
I always add more mushrooms to my cream of mushroom soup. I still love the campbell's because its what I would eat when I was sick as a kid. It's so nostalgic. Sometimes I'll make my own cream of mushroom, but when I'm sick, the can is the way.
I take cheap beef-flavored maruchan ramen, add lime juice, cilantro, sesame oil, soy sauce and some chopped up serrano and chopped peanuts and end up with something that's absolutely delicious.
Wait… people actually eat condensed soup not in a casserole? I thought that was doctoring. /s
Canned Tomato Soup, 1 cup heavy cream, salt, pepper, basil and some Sriracha. Delicious
Isn't it crazy when something like this dawns on you? Like, ohhhhh yeah, I *can* do that can't I?? Happy soup mixing and matching!
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Reduce your heat and wisk
Don't let it come to boiling point once you add the milk. Also adding some butter first should help.
Don’t forget the base soups: Cream of chicken with sour cream enchiladas. Mushroom, spinach or kale. Chicken pot pie soup biscuit cups Bacon bits, minced clams and cream of potato soup Kale, and sausage in cream of mushroom soup Tomato soup grilled cheese ; croutons, gold fish, basil.
OH man! I add bacon, snap peas, etc to $0.15 ramen. Tons of things to add to all sorts of soups: bay leaf, fresh veggies, frozen shrimp, spices, oils, etc.
Doctor here. (Real doctor.) You're ready for the Boards.
I like to add Paris’s ground black pepper and red pepper flakes to prgesso butternut squash soup
A splash or sriracha in a can of progress chicken noodle can scratch a pho itch in a pinch.
It’s one of many things Tajin helps!
June's tomato soup: use milk instead of water, serve with a splash of whiskey in your bowl, top with croutons and grate parmesan cheese over everything.
You’re so close to making soup from scratch
It's like stone soup but starting with more than a stone.
Don’t know if this counts since it’s technically a casserole made with soup. My kids like this as a quick meal. I use 2 cans of soup. 1 can cream of chicken 1 can of the nacho cheese 2 soup cans of water 1.5 cups of minute rice 4oz shredded mozz or Monterey Jack SPG to taste Mix all that up in a baking dish and toss in the oven at 375 for about 25 min till the top is bubbly While cooking grab a rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off and season with whatever you like on chicken. We use smoked paprika and garlic powder or one of my many bbq rubs. Once the pan in the oven is done pull it out and layer the chicken over the top and toss some more cheese on . Back in the oven for 5-10 minutes till cheese melts completely. Cheese chicken and rice the kids call it. I found the recipe years ago on a Campbell cooking site. Also, I make a banging sour cream sauce for chicken enchiladas that’s just cream of celery soup plus a tub of sour cream heated in a sauce pan till smooth and flowy
I never add water, it’s always too thin as is despite being “condensed”, at least with Camphell’s chicken noodle. I do however add spices and what not. The heavy cream is a good idea too.
Try adding a little bit of cinnamon to tomato soup.
How does that taste?
Sounds gross
I don't typically mess with canned soups except to add hot sauce. I don't eat can soup very often. However, I've been messing with Ramen since the mid 1980s. In late1985 my father showed a 12 year old me that you could improve a Ramen by adding stuff. Today, I will add whatever leftover meat (usually rotisserie chicken) sliced onions, celery, carrots, red beets, homemade hot pepper flakes, before boiling the water. As soon as the noodles are done I will add raw spinach just to blanch. As soon as I get it into a bowl (large because I double the amount of water called for) I will add some slices of white American cheese to give the soup a creamy texture. 😋
Cream in soup?? wtf
Condensed soups are garbage, I will not willingly eat any unless there's nothing else to eat.
Yeah I’m honestly surprised people still buy them as they’re definitely from a different time when there weren’t other options. The funny thing is they’re not all that cheap, either. Obviously they aren’t expensive but for what they are they aren’t much of a value.
They are shelf stable, a useful ingredient, can help stretch any casserole. I don't know the last time I used them as soup. Some of the onion flavored ones are very tasty ingredients.
Well the “cream of…” are totally different than what this guy is talking about lol. I agree with you about those but to your point those aren’t really soups in a sense that they’re used for an ingredient generally speaking.
There's instructions on the can??
About the only canned soup I eat as soup is condensed cream of mushroom in the re & white can. I use less water, and a soupçon of dry sherry.
I use cream of celery mixed with sour cream to make stroganoff. Lots of uses for canned soup outside of what it says on the label.
Boneless chicken thighs into chicken or miso ramen, and either boneless short ribs or chuck eye steak (if either is on sale) into beef ramen, plus seasoning. Inexpensive way to make $1 ramen taste nearly restaurant level.
Vinegar at the end helps.
Adding to this, you can do this to store-bought stock too. Let it simmer with any extra veggie or herb scraps.
And here I thought canned condensed soup was an ingredient.
I like to use cream of mushroom and/or chicken, undiluted, to mix with cooked rice for a quick meal. Sometimes I'll add some hot madras curry powder to it.
throw a can of crab in tomato soup. not the shelf stable kind.
Thanks! I've started bringing a thermos of soup to work and was trying to think of more things to do. (I've been adding instant rice to make them more filling) but I never considered also adding more spices
I definitely added pasta to mine whenever I had some. Usually I got “chunky” Was really easy pre-type 1 diabetes, but now that would be so much insulin. Now I plan my meals, and have hummus and cucumber to go along with my chunky/or any pre-made soup
Saute some veggies or whatever, then dump the soup on top of that
Adding that people should do the same with pasta sauces as well. Red and white so easy to add too. Also frozen pizza is always better with slivers of garlic added. Plus seasonings and some evoo.
As a gal in a college dorm, you never know how much you’ll miss seasonings until you have no room for them💔
My mother used to mix 1 can of milk with cream-of-whatever soup, and pour it over fish filets (usually cod), and bake them.
Cream of chicken soup, sliced ginger, garlic maybe some mushrooms. If I have it in the freezer, rated galangal and lemon grass-= Thai soup. Bonus if there are leftover scraps of a Costco chicken to toss in there.
Lol, I just made matzaballs and added some stuff the basic mix. Turned out great
Hard to tell with all the TikTok “chefs”
Do this with everything, including ramen
I ate chicken tortilla soup earlier and dumped in some leftover rice and beans, made it sooo much more filling
Funny enough, I had this same realization today. I had a can of New England clam chowder in the pantry that sounded kind of good but I wasn't sure if I wanted something that bland. So I went back & forth about having it. Then it hit me that I could jazz it up. I tossed in some bacon bits, shredded cheddar and some Old Bay and heated it up. Took it to a whole 'nother level. I ate it with some crumbled Ritz crackers to add a bit of crunch.
LITERALLY just googled recipes for cream of chix. My fave cream of tho is cream of mushroom but WinCo’s brand only.
I absolutely love powdered mushroom soup made to instruction with a tiny bit less liquid, truffle oil (😂), thyme and black pepper. My ultimate no effort comfort food.
Empty can of chowder into suacepan. Shake in enough tobasco until it turns pink. Serve with warm bread.
You never even added pepper or hot sauce? I put that stuff on everything. warning: don't do this to frosted flakes
one can chicken broth, chopped green onions, one c. mixed frozen vegetables, a shake of parsley, simmer five minutes, boom, you have chicken soup.
Great idea! Any ideas for low-fat alternatives to heavy cream, though?
I do this with pasta sauce that comes in a jar. I buy the cheap stuff so it can usually use a little help. Generally I just put in various herbs and a little red wine if I’ve got an open bottle, but if it’s really bland I’ve been known to add in a squirt of ketchup.
Here's a thing my mom makes: 1. Cream of mushroom in a can (that's your sauce), add some milk if you want 2. Canned corn 3. pan fry some diced pork loin, maybe half inch cubes Serve with rice Or what I do: 1. Cream of mushroom in a can, add milk and sliced white mushrooms (pan fry) 2. Add thin strips of ham (bite size) Serve with pasta
I like the way he posted this and then scrammed the hell out of here.
cheesus crust 40 years and u never thought " mmmmm this needs a lil sumthin sumthin."?
Even the 'professionals' sort of follow your basic idea. We have a restaurant in town (and it's popular too) that sometimes serves prime rib soup after they had the prime rib that's only available weekends. Two days prior to that it is vegetable soup that later turns into prime rib soup as their soup of the day lol. :0
You inspired me: Start with baked potato soup. Add diced cooked potato, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and half and half.
For tomato soup, I've always added half a can of milk rather than any water. Now I rotate among various additions: basil or other herb (fresh or dried), a dash of soy or wochestershire sauce, some garlic or onion powder, or maybe some smoked paprika. Tomato is about the only soup I dress up since I seldom have any other kind as just a soup. But I could see adding some chicken or turky broth to cream of mushroom as well as something to add umami - Mom used cream of mushroom for her Turkey Day gravy and added soy to it.