Campbell’s is classic, no doubt, but I’m more accustomed to their standby tomato and chicken noodle soups. So Campbell’s Broccoli Cheese Condensed Soup was for me a bit of a walk on the wild side, to the extent that soup can be considered adventurous. Campbell’s broccoli cheese comes in a standard 10.75 oz. can and is priced under a dollar at most grocery stores. Note that the broccoli cheese soup gets mixed with milk, not water.
I found it a little difficult to reconstitute. Not because I can’t add a can of milk to a can of soup – that part is shockingly straightforward – but because the soup is quite gelatinous and it took a good deal of stirring to get it homogenously mixed in with the milk. Once I got it, though, and warmed it up on the stovetop per similarly simple instructions (“STOVE: Heat, stirring often.”) it was quite tasty. The cheddar cheese flavor is robust, and the cheesy base has a satisfyingly thick texture and body.
It seems in general that vegetables are where Campbell’s really shines, and Campbell’s broccoli cheese soup is no exception. The broccoli was firm yet tender, not mushy, and held its shape well. The broccoli flavor was clearly present (along with a strong sideline of onion, quite nice if you go for that) and meshes well with the cheese. The main problem flavorwise is that the soup is overpoweringly salty. It’s thick enough that I think it could stand being further diluted, which is what I may do if I eat this soup again. Even so, it was far beyond any necessary or healthy conception of flavoring. As you’ll see below, this is clearly reflected in the soup’s sodium content.
One can reconstituted according to the directions makes about 2.5 cups of soup, which is one very generous or two adequately-sized bowls. Each serving (1 cup reconstituted) has 100 calories, 40 from fat, 4.5g total fat, 12g of carbs, and 2g protein. As with most Campbell’s soup (or canned soups in general), the sodium is unfortunately through the roof, with 820mg (34% RDA) per serving. With about 2.5 servings per can, you’d put yourself at risk of various high-sodium-induced ailments pretty quickly if you ate this stuff on a regular basis. I haven’t done enough research to know what a lethal dose of salt is, but I’m getting slightly worried.
I’m a fan of Campbell’s in general, and this soup had potential, but it’s just so salty and unhealthy that I don’t think I’ll be getting it again, at least not very often. It has enough of a rich, satisfying comfort-food vibe to it that I may keep one in the cupboard for when I crave something warm and rich every now and then, but as someone who pays some attention to these things, the sheer salty unhealthiness of it causes me enough psychological stress (and mild shakes, but that’s probably psychosomatic) that I don’t think it will be worth it very often.
