Condensed canned cream of mushroom soup is a meal transformer and one of those timeless, non-perishable ingredients everyone should have in their pantry. It has the power to add earthy umami, savory salinity, and instant rich creaminess to any dish you’re making. It’s an instant simmer sauce for simple grilled chicken, and on a personal note, my clever kitchen hack when I was just learning to cook. A simple sauce from an easy cream of mushroom recipe was tried and tested a lifetime ago during the first meal I’d ever cooked for a boyfriend’s family. Cream of mushroom soup recipes are most beloved in their most traditional use in green bean casserole, but there are literally more than a dozen other creative ways to use it and even more ingredients one can can enhance.
If you’re having it by itself, you can always try making cream of mushroom soup from scratch, but as a part of a greater recipe, it’s easier to kick the task over to the can. Whether it’s for a heartier soup, a casserole, vegetarian meal, or flavor enhancement, here are the best ways use cream of mushroom soup.
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Green Bean Casserole
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We already mentioned this oldie but goodie, a holiday highlight that to some, is more than just a traditional side. This recipe freshens up the heaviness of the sauce with the addition of plain yogurt and diced pimento peppers and skips the fried onion toppings for a more refined, simple breadcrumb sprinkle.
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Smoky Green Bean Casserole
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While the first recipe brightens the flavors of green bean casserole, this goes in the opposite direction to add more earthiness. Smoked Gouda, fresh mushrooms, and whole grain mustard provide grounding flavors while sliced water chestnuts insert pops of refreshment.
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Tuna and Green Bean Bake
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Why relegate a favorite to a side dish when it can be a fun dinnertime star! This rendition adds canned tuna for protein, noodles for filling carbs, disguises extra veggies, and turns fish-shaped crackers into a main that swims against the tide in the best way.
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Swiss Vegetable Medley
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Green beans aren’t the only veggies that get a glow-up treatment from cream of mushroom soup. The common combo of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots benefits, too. But if you’re confused why Swiss chard isn’t on this list (you can add it yourself, though!), the name of this recipe comes from the cheese.
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Broccoli Cauliflower Bake
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Alternatively, try this version that lets you omit the sour cream and fried onions and swap in American cheese if you so desire. You’ll want to start it in an oven-safe saucepan since it finishes uncovered in the oven. Buttered breadcrumbs will toast beautifully during this final step
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Turkey Dinner Shepherd’s Pie
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This is a full holiday meal in a single casserole, which means perfect bites from beginning to end. Use up your turkey, whole sweet and light potatoes, cranberries, green beans, and sage in this beautiful meal, where your whipped potato blend creates a flourished garnish baked to beauty, toasted brown on rippled edges if you opt to pipe instead of spoon.
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Sweet Potato-Topped Chicken
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Here’s another novel way to use up sweet potatoes or leftover turkey! This cream of mushroom soup recipe simmers with poultry and vegetables, which are then topped with mashed sweet potatoes minutes before serving.
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Cheesy Noodle Casserole
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This creamy casserole recipe includes carrots, celery, onions, and tofu for a vegetarian slow-cooker entrée that satisfies with minimal prep and maximum flavor. Aromatics infuse the cream of mushroom soup and together, the blend soaks into the noodles and tofu.
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Parmesan Chicken and Broccoli
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Instead of noodles, try making a rice-based casserole with your cream of mushroom soup! You’ll need two cans for this thirsty grain, as well as chicken, broccoli, and onion. The only red you’ll find in this creamy dish is fresh tomato, making it a great white-sauce Italian option to keep in your back pocket ... or freezer.
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Easy Crab Bisque
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Just because it’s already a soup doesn’t mean cream of mushroom can’t easily morph into a different one. Use this and cream of asparagus soup for a rich seafood soup worthy of a surf companion to a turf dinner. Dry sherry gives it zip and dimension.
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Supper Corn Chowder
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Believe it or not, the secret ingredient to a super corn chowder like this supper corn chowder might just be cream of mushroom soup. Potatoes make it meal-worthy, but it’s the bacon and corn that give it a savory and sweet flavor (respectively!) that makes you feel satisfied.
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Irish Italian Spaghetti
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Unlikely as its name sounds, this cream of mushroom recipe has been in high circulation since its debut in the ‘30s. A can of similarly condensed tomato soup is paired with the ‘shroom, along with other surprises like chili powder and hot pepper sauce. What remains familiar is spaghetti, Parmesan, ground beef, and onions.
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Creamy Meatball Casserole
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Meatballs in casserole aren’t limited to Swedish and Italian preparations! Try this cream of mushroom recipe that turns a bag each of potato wedges, frozen vegetables, frozen cooked meatballs, and a can of soup into a delicious weeknight dinner that looks and tastes like you spent all weekend making.
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Chicken Enchiladas
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Cream of mushroom soup continues to take its adventures to other cultures in this popular recipe—among the most popular on this site! Cream cheese, sour cream, milk, and shredded cheese mean big, rich flavors, tied together with cumin and chile peppers. Almonds insert much-needed crunch to break up the enchilada’s textures, and you can also add more to the Mexican red rice that’s a recommended side.
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Spaghetti Bake
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If you read “spaghetti” and thought Italian with this cream of mushroom recipe, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that it’s not—it’s an amalgam of different cuisines, with more elements to love! Green peppers, diced tomatoes, ripe olives, dried oregano, and two types of cheese make a pasta supper anything but expected.
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As you can see, the uses for cream of mushroom soup recipes are plentiful, and span not only every season and holiday, but also different meal times and diet types. Expand beyond the cream of mushroom soup itself and turn it into a base for a chowder. Zhuzh up any casserole with a can of this condensed soup. Beyond green bean casserole—as delicious as that is!—and pot pies, recipes that use cream of mushroom soup can be greater than the sum of its parts.
