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My neighbor Debbie brought me the most amazing gift yesterday! It was a ziploc bag filled with what she called S.O.S. Mix. (She must have telepathically picked up on my S.O.S. calls!) Basically, it’s a dry mix that can be used as a substitute for a can of cream soup in any recipe! OK…I just realized that reading that doesn’t make it sound all that AMAZING. But THINK ABOUT IT!
#1 It’s G L U T E N – F R E E! It’s incredibly frustrating how many canned soups have gluten in them!!! It’s also FAT-FREE!
#2 It’s H O M E M A D E with 4 simple ingredients that you can PRONOUNCE! (I bet you even have them somewhere in your kitchen right now.)
#3 It’s S I M P L E. (Took me about 3 minutes to mix up another batch)
#4 It’s C H E A P! Each mix contains the equivalent of 9 cans of cream soup! And all you are adding to it is WATER!
Need more convincing??? My neighbor Debbie, the purveyor of this fine gift, has worked as an agent for the Utah State University Extension Service for 32 years! Her expertise is in Food, Nutrition & Health. As a matter of fact…she even has a FREE, PRINTABLE booklet online that not only contains the recipe for the mix….but also has over 30 wonderful recipes to use it in! Soups, gravies, sauces, casseroles!
How do some of THESE grab you? Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Pot Pie, Skillet Lasagna, Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, Au Gratin Potatoes, Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Chicken Parmesan Skillet, Easy Beef Teriyaki Stir-fry, Mushroom Garlic Pork Chops, Hawaiian Pork Chops….etc.
So go ahead and download the booklet! Share it with your friends. You’ll be very popular.
Here is the recipe for the mix for perusing until then:
Soup or Sauce [S.O.S.] Mix
Ingredients
2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon (regular or low sodium)
2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a recloseable plastic bag, mixing well.
Equal to 9 (10.5 oz) cans of cream soup.
Store in closed plastic bag or air-tight container until ready to use. It does not have to be refrigerated.
Debbie brought mine to me in this handy ziploc bag with the recipe written right on it! So clever!
But, of course, I couldn’t let good enough alone and put the mix (along with the batch *I* made to take pictures of) in one of my pantry makeover jars that was just begging for something to be put in it!
Also printed out a round label for the top of the jar with the recipe and instructions on it. Now when I run out I won’t have to go in search of it again.
UPDATE: 3/29/2012
Debbie added these tidbits of information in the comments…but I thought I would bump them up here so no one misses them. :-)
I visited with the dietitians and we wlll check on a dairy substitute. There may be a volume difference. You can use either instant or non instant dry milk. When making liquid milk from dry it is 1/4 cup non instant to 1 cup water and 1/3 cup instant to 1 cup water. It’s more of a personal preference. The original recipe from the Connors had basil, thyme and pepper.
Debbie Proctor, USU Extension
Caring and thoughtful neighbors is today’s…..
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Love this idea and can't wait to try it!
I have been using a recipe like this for the last two years, ever since I went GF two years ago. It has been a lifesaver. Plus like you said it is cheep. I love that it only takes a few minutes to make. Thanks for the recipe booklet share also!
hi jill…first of all i LOVE your site! i found you through pinterest and i can't wait to see your "one good thing" everyday! i was so happy to see this today. i was going to buy some cream of chicken soup the other day and even for the store brand it is SO expensive now! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this!!!
I have used this for years but I don't add the flavoring till I am cooking. I add celery leaves for cream of celery, mushrooms for cream of mushroom, etc. It is such a money saver!
I adore everything you post! Have you used it as a sauce for anything yet? Do you know of any substitutes for the dry milk that would make it dairy free?
Wonderful! And no BPA from cans!! Thanks.
What a wonderful idea! I am going to go right now and print off the recipe booklet….Then I am going to share the idea with my firends…This also would be fun to add to a house warming basket!
Sorry I forgot to ask you if you happened to get my email that I sent yesterday about the shower curtain issue I am having?
I’m sorry….I can’t seem to find that email. Please resend. :-)
I have the same question as Lauren. I need to make it dairy free. Any suggestions? Do they make powdered coconut milk? Or can I just leave out the powdered milk and add fresh coconut milk instead of water?
I buy powdered soy milk that I use as a sub for reg powdered milk. I haven’t tried it in this yet but I will.
Where do you buy powdered soy milk? I have never seen it.
I bought it at our local heathfood store, New Leaf market in Tallahassee Fl. It’s called, Better Than Milk, soy milk powder. i have used it in place of powdered milk in bread with no problems. I am sure you can find it on the web.
I have read that rice powder can work as a substitute for powdered milk. I haven’t tried it yet, but will today! :)
I know they *make* powdered coconut milk because some of the Thai Kitchen microwave meals have the powdered coconut milk. I have no idea how hard it would be to find it though.
Personally, I would lean toward a powdered almond milk (if there was such a thing.)
I frequently use xanthum gum in shakes when I want to leave out the dairy but still want the thick and creamy texture. It might work here.
I just found out Xanthum gum is a dairy product.
Actually you can find powdered coconut milk at Sprouts (might be a west coast thing not sure). Some Whole Foods carry it, but also there are mom and pop stores that are selling a lot more gluten free products.. but gluten free products that are low carb, and coconut in powdered form or flour is one of them.
I have seen powdered soy and powdered almond milk on the shelves at our local Randall’s (Safeway) store. It’s in the baking aisle.
Now that is a great idea! Wow, how many times do you find yourself without the cream soup you need, when you are making a meal? I love the putting the recipe on top of the bottle or container as well. Thanks for the wonderful ideas that make our lives easier.
I have been making this for a couple months and actually stopped adding the chicken granules to the dry mix to eliminate the additives they contain. Instead,I just add chicken broth in place of the water, or I can use beef or vegetable broth if I want to change up the flavors even more. Makes it that much more versatile!
Thank you! I was wondering how to avoid the MSG and other chemicals.
Perfect! I didn’t make this the first time I saw it because of the MSG. Now, I am heading straight to the kitchen! :)
BRILLIANT! I, too almost passed on this one due to the MSG. The broth tip is perfect! Thank you!
You can get chicken (and beef) bouillon with no msg. We sell it at our local bulk grocery store :)
I would use caution with this. Even the bouillon or store bought broths labeled “NO MSG” “All Natural” and even “Organic” can be loaded with MSG. Anything that has the ingredients “natural flavors” has MSG in it. There are over 40 ways of labeling foods with MSG without using the actual words for MSG.
Homemade stock is the way to go, if you want to avoided added MSG.
Look at truthinlabeling.org or google msg in powdered milk for a real wake up call.
Yes I was using “Better than Bouillon’s” veggie stuff, which was either “natural” or “organic” and labeled as MSG free…. then realized it actually does have MSG and was making me terribly ill. Now I won’t buy bouillon at all.
So thanks for the tip for making it without!
Yes, while it might not have MSG and be labeled “natural” or “flavorings”, etc. It can still have ingredients (and most likely will) that also have free glutamate. Trust me, I know, as I can’t have any glutamate. Things marked “natural” are anything “malted”, “hydrolyzed”, “autolyzed”, etc. They use maltodextrin ALL the time now instead of MSG – but it’s corn that’s been chemically altered.
It is impossible to find boullion cubes or granules w/o MSG and its cousins. Pre-made stock can be found, so the idea of leaving out the boullion and using stock instead of water is great. But watch the stock even at health food stores and labeled “without MSG” or “natural”. There can be a lot of junk additives in place of the MSG.
Probably cuts down on sodium, too. Thanks! I was quite leary after downloading the booklet and seeing the crazy amounts of sodium in some of the recipes. Over 1000 mg per serving in many!
I already use this recipe and love it as long as I remember to bring it to a boil. It seems to thicken better that way. I guess it's a cornstarch thing.
You are AMAZING! I love your blog, did you know you are my new best friend? LOL Cant wait to get cooking with this recipe!
Jillee,
I can't seem to access the book. Is there anyway you could put a link to the PDF or email me a copy?
Thanks!!
Thanks for the recipe, just a note: chicken bullion contains MSG unless you buy an MSG free brand, same as with the Italian mix. If your family has MSG allergies, adding the chicken broth as Michelle suggests above is the best idea. Buy MSG free chicken broth.
Also note: autolyzed/hydrolyzed ____ extract/protein = MSG. So does “yeast extract.” If you’re sensitive to it like I am you learn to watch out. :-\
As far as I’ve found there are NO broths or bullion available on the market with out MSG or an additive that contains MSG. There are over 100 names for MSG, so the brands that say no MSG always contain it by a different name…so sad, but true.
Jill, I look forward to your e-mails/posts every day. Great content and nicely presented! On this one, I'm wondering if you know a recipe to make it dairy-free. I don't do dairy (obviously) and I don't miss it until I come across something like this. It's yummo, but I feel much better when I stay away from it. Any ideas?
Thank you! This looks great!
And thank you so much for the book. I can see myself really using this!
Love your site!
Can't wait to try this. I have seen this recipie before, but never bothered to look at it. I do see that you use 2 cups of powdered milk vs 1 cup on another site. Will this be creamier, or will you taste the powdered milk using more?
Thank you! :) I've seen this recipe before, but always forget to write it down and try it. Now I have a nifty, fun book with the recipe and dinner ideas. Thank you too, Debbie!
Wowwie!!!! I can't wait to make this!
Debora, your question may relate to my question. Is this powdered milk instant or non-instant? Typically you use twice as much instant as non-instant, which may be why the other recipe has 1 cup and this has 2. I just want to know which one to put in. I've been using magic mix for years to substitute canned soups (which are super gross, IMO), but it has butter in it, so it requires refrigeration and making a mess in my mixer every time I want to make it. This one is easier and faster to make. I might try it tonight.
Debora and April…that is a good question. :-) I had to go look…because I didn't know. The dry milk I used was INSTANT. Great Value: Nonfat Instant Dry Milk from Walmart, to be precise. :-) Hope this helps!
A Gluten Free Mommy…here is the direct link to the pdf file:
http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_Cooking&Baking_2011-02pr.pdf
If you still have problems…I'd be happy to email it.
Kimberley…I'm not sure about dairy-free…but I will ask Debbie. :-)
I am Vegan. I miss cream soups. I think I will try ti with organic Vegetable broth and Powderd Almond milk http://www.posharpstore.com/en-US/sunway-instant-almond-powder-p2236.aspx
When I was vegan I used raw cashew blended with water to make cream soups. It is very good.
I found Cream of Something soup mix (Google it) on Pinterest a few months ago–I love it! The recipe is similar, but also includes some basil, thyme, and pepper. I used it to make Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings and it was so flavorful & smelled amazing! I also opted to mix the powder with broth rather than add in bouillon (that way I can vary the flavor). Definitely a life saver!
Jill, glad you like it. I visited with the dietitians and we wlll check on a dairy substitute. There may be a volume difference. You can use either instant or non instant dry milk. When making liquid milk from dry it is 1/4 cup non instant to 1 cup water and 1/3 cup instant to 1 cup water. It's more of a personal preference. The original recipe from the Connors had basil, thyme and pepper.
Debbie Proctor, USU Extension
Oh how I have longed a substitute for cream of soups. I will make a batch of this right away.
I am soooo happy! Since I turned into a food snob (gluten free, readable ingredients, natural/organic), we have put many of our "cream of __" recipes on the shelf. I am looking forward to making some of our favorites again…my girlies thank you!
You Make Me Smile!!!! What is that song…. My 12yr. old son is going to scream with happiness and hug me like the floppy eared blind stuffed bunny he gave up a couple years ago!!! He's been screaming for Mac n' Cheese but the GF stuff is so expensive! Now I can handle buying a bag of rice noodles and doing it! Seen this similar on pinterest and didn't pay much attention until I was on there tonight and clicked on one of your posts and walla here I am again! Have a great Thursday!
the song is called “Smile” by Uncle Kracker :) One of my favorite songs :)
Heidi….I don't know that song…but I love it! LOL! :-) Thanks for leaving a comment…made me smile. And thanks for the idea! My 16 yr old son is going to hug me like that too! lol
The only bummer is that instant chicken bouillon is jam packed with MSG.
Thanks so much Jill, this was a lifesaver for me last night. Unfortunately Knorr is not GF in Canada so I made the mix sans the chicken bouillon and then mixed a tsp chicken bouillon paste I have directly in the liquid (white wine from de-glazing the pan). I made "mushroom soup" gravy for our porkchops. Delicious.
This sounds super awesome! like others, i’ll have to make it dairy free, but thats fairly easy!
What i really wanted to say was that the chicken bullion can be non- GF, which was just pointed out in the comment above. It’s one more situation of having to check all ingredients on things before you eat them when your health is on the line. But this was a great post and recipe!
How will you do that? I have to be dairy free too.
Thank you for providing this information online.
Great Webpage, Thanks! Keep up the good work.
My husband is allergic to corn, so is it possible to substitute potato starch for the corn starch?
I need one of these mixes that is Dairy Free!
You can possibly use powdered soy milk. I have it and have used it in bread machine recipes. It should work well.
I am completely dairy intolerant allergic to milk proteins. I use powdered soy milk I will make this recipe and see if it works. I love this idea as I cook from scratch a lot. Thank you for the wonderful idea! I am also thinking of filling up jars to give as gifts with recipes to try. (Because I know family/friends who just wont take the time to mix it up themselves)
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Just wanted to let you know… YAY… this is the PERFECT mothers day gift for all my motherly rolemodels!! I think they’ll love it! xoxox Thankyou :)
Oh no I accidentally added 2 TBS of Italian Seasoning to my SOS… Any ideas on how it will turn out?
ummm….not sure. Will you let us know? :-)
I made this with some ground chuck and onions fried together, added the cream soup mix, served over rice and it was delish…..couldn’t tell the difference if it had been a bought can of cream soup. Will deff keep this on hand. I love all the tricks of the trade you put on here. Love you to Jillee
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Maratha! :-) I need to try that…sounds simple and delicious!
This looks great but my daughter is GF and allergic to corn.What would be a good substitute for the corn starch? Would arrowroot work or ?
Thanks,
Teri
Teri,
I used potato starch instead of the corn starch and I added Swanson Flavor Boost concentrated broth at the time I cooked the soup. It does have dextrose, but my husband isn’t affected by the corn when it’s processed.
Thanks Faye. :-)
Thanks for the tip Faye. I sent this recipe to my daughter and she suggested tapioca starch. She mentioned that potatoes really make her arthritis pain escalate. Poor baby, too many eating challenges. Thanks again.
Great info! My husband is allergic to corn too and I have a hard time finding substitutes to cook with. I will give the tapioca starch a try if I can find it. Thanks.
I have a question about this recipe and condensed soups. I rarely make a cream of something soup — I usually use it in the condensed form (i.e. in chicken enchiladas or creamy hashbrown potatoes (aka funeral potatoes). Would this work for something like this? Would you put in less water? Any tips?
I used this as a replacement for cream of mushroom soup in Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving and it worked wonderfully. I chopped up about 1 cup of mushrooms and tossed them in while it was thickening and it tasted so much better then the canned soup. You have to cook it before you can use it in the recipes if you’re replacing canned condensed soup.
Is this something used in place of a condensed cream soup? I’m allergic to soy and there is soy protein in the ones on the shelf at the store. I’d love to find a substitute for all my casserole recipes.
I’ve used a recipe like this for years because of a soy allergy. Works great for casseroles, etc. Many times I can just put the dry mix and appropriate amount of liquid directly into the casserole and bake… no pre-cooking!
Who knew it was so easy? So much better than running to the store. Know what? This was way yummier too. I didnt have powdered milk so I just used regular and put the rest in the fridge for another night this week. Thanks for this, I’m never making meals with canned stuff again.
Thanks for this comment! I’ve been reading all the comments looking for a way to substitute the powdered milk. I’m living out of country and have never seen any type of powdered milk anywhere. It’s always a pain when I come across recipes that ask for it. Now I know that regular milk will work!
I love this recipe. My husband has celiac disease and I have been able to cook so much more with just this one recipe and it saves a lot of money. Thanks so much for all the great things you post.
I am so glad it’s helping your family Susan. :-) You are very welcome.
I do have a question…if a recipe calls for 1 can of cream of muchroom and one can on cream of chicken, would I just double this? I make a bacon wrapped chicken and would love to have a substitute for the soups. Is this the same as a condensed can?
Hi! I am really excited to try this. My daughter is gluten and dairy intolerant so this will help with making meals. I am not able to access the book as well. Could you possible send via email? Thank you. Look forward to visiting your site often :)