Home-Made Cream of Whatever Soup (recipe)

I have been talking bout trying to make more from scratch and buying less prepared foods....

I use canned cream of whatever soups a LOT.
Now we can make our own!!

Home-Made Cream of Whatever Soup

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs flour

1/4 tsp salt (optional)

1 cup milk
In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter.

Sprinkle the flour over it and stir to incorporate.

Cook over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Slowly whisk in the milk.

Cream of Chicken Soup

use half broth and half milk. or toss in some chicken bullion.

Cheese sauce
To make a cheese sauce, add grated cheese and stir until melted.

Cream of Mushroom or Celery
To make a cream of something, saute 1/4 cup or so finely chopped celery, mushrooms, or onion in the butter before adding the flour and use half broth and half milk.

Or.... a friend of mine on homesteadingtoday.com also posted this great looking one!

Base for cream of anything soup

Ingredients:

2 cups Powdered nonfat milk

3/4 cup Cornstarch

1/4 cup (or less) instant chicken(or Vegetable) Boullion

2 tablespoons Dried onion flakes

1 teaspoon Basil leaves

1 teaspoon Thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

To use in place of canned cream soups in casseroles or as a base for your own soups.

Much lower in fat and salt than the canned versions.

The trick is to have it made up ready to use!

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

To sustitute for one can of condensed soup: Combine 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of cold water in saucepan.

Cook and stir until thickened. Add to casserole as you would the canned product.

Variations:

Mushroom Soup: Add 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms

Celery Soup: Add 1/2 cup minced celery

Potato Soup: Add 1 cup diced potatoes, cooked

Chicken Soup: Add 1/2 cup diced chicken, cooked

Vegetable Soup: Add 3/4 cup mixed vegetables, cooked

Broccoli Soup: Add 1 cup chopped broccoli, cooked

Asparagus Soup: Add 1 cup chopped asparagus, cooked