Don’t run out of this one. I store it in an air-tight container in my pantry with a scoop I salvaged from a powdered drink cannister. This makes soup, sauce, gravy…it will turn any watery soup into a creamed soup, and turn left-over veggies into a creative masterpiece.
- 2 cups instant nonfat dry milk
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup chicken bouillon powder
- 4 tsp instant minced onion
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
Mix well with a whisk. Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place. Shake before each use.
To make condensed cream soup: combine 1 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup sauce mix in a saucepan. Blend well. Cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute. Equals 1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream soup.
Medium white sauce: combine 1 cup water and 1/3 cup sauce mix in a saucepan. Blend well. Cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute.
Thin white sauce: combine 1 cup water and 3 tbsp. sauce mix in a saucepan. Blend well. Cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute. Use this measure for easy, instant, homemade cream soups.
Microwave: in proportions desired, microwave on high for 4-5 minutes. Stir once, half way through cooking.
Alfredo Sauce: add 1/4 – 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese to the medium white sauce above just before you simmer. (You can use any cheese in this sauce…)
Stroganoff: add 4 oz mushroom pieces, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce to the sauce mix along with the water. Boil. After you’ve simmered it for a minute, add 1/2 cup of sour cream. I like to serve this over the meatballs…
Vegetable soup ideas: Cook any vegetable in water. Don’t drain the water. Add enough of the mix to thicken the soup (about 3 tbsp per cup of liquid) and then simmer. After it has thickened, puree the soup. You can also do this with left-over vegetables. If you don’t have the water the veggies cooked in, use broth.
Some seasoning ideas for creamed soup:
asparagus — lemon juice, dash of ground nutmeg or mace
green beans — 1/2 tsp crushed savory
broccoli — 1/2 tsp thyme, dash of garlic powder, 1 bay leaf; or: 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt; or: cheddar cheese, dash of garlic
carrots — 1 tbsp parsley, 1/2 tsp basil
cauliflower — 1/2 tsp curry powder (I also add a bit of cheddar cheese)
mushrooms — dash of nutmeg (I also love sautéd onions and left-over rice)
zucchini — dash nutmeg
I’d love to collect even more ideas for seasoning vegetable soups.
So, if my math is to be trusted, a single batch to replace a can of cream soup would bring to a boil in 1 1/4 c water approximately: 2 teaspoons or one cube of bouillon powder, 2 Tablespoons (6 teaspoons) cornstarch, 1/3 cup (16 teaspoons) dry milk powder, 2/3 of a teaspoon (I’ll round up to one level tsp) minced onion, and a dash of pepper, to equal 1/2 cup of sauce mix.
That sounds about right. You’d wind up with around a cup depending on how long you boil it for, though, I think.