This Is The Most Useful Thing You Can Keep In Your Pantry

A few years back, my friend and neighbor Debbie stopped by with a gift for me, and it ended up being one of the most useful food gifts I’ve ever received! It was a powdery mixture of something she called “SOS Mix,” and while I wasn’t exactly sure what it was at first, I knew that it had to be good. (After all, Debbie had worked for the Utah State University Extension Service with an expertise in Food, Nutrition & Health for over three decades!)

Once she explained the concept of SOS Mix to me and told me how to use it, I could tell it was destined to become a staple in my kitchen. Now I always keep a stash of it in my pantry, and I still consider it one of the most useful things I’ve ever learned how to make!

Related: 10 Surprising Ingredients You Can Make To Save A Trip To The Store

And today I’ll be passing along the magic of SOS Mix to all of you! Once you learn just how useful it is to have on hand, I’m sure you’ll feel as indebted to Debbie as I do! ;-)

So let’s start with the obvious question—what exactly is SOS Mix?

What Is SOS Mix?

“SOS” is an acronym that stands for “soup or sauce,” which is an aptly broad title for an extremely versatile mixture! It’s a dry mix that can be used as a base when making soups and sauces, or it works great as a substitute for cream soup in almost any recipe.

So if you have any recipes that call for a can of cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup, you could “prepare” some SOS Mix by adding water and use that instead. A single batch of SOS Mix can be used to make up to nine cans of cream soup substitute, and with the added benefit of being lighter and taking up less space.

Just in case you need further convincing, I’ve outlined a few of my favorite things about SOS Mix below!

5 Things I Love About About SOS Mix

1. It’s Gluten-Free

One frustrating aspect of cooking for my son with Celiac is that so many store-bought foods (including canned soups) contain some form of gluten! It’s nice to have a cream soup base that’s both naturally gluten-free and easy to make at home.

2. It Contains Simple Ingredients

SOS Mix contains just four simple ingredients (five if you count the optional one) and has no mystery fillers or preservatives. In fact, it’s entirely possible that you already have all the ingredients you need to make it in your kitchen as we speak!

3. It’s Easy To Make

It only takes about three minutes to measure out the ingredients, and then you just have to whisk them together! It literally couldn’t be any easier.

4. It’s Inexpensive

As I mentioned earlier, each batch of SOS Mix contains the equivalent of nine cans of cream soup. Considering that a can of store-bought cream soup costs about $1 on the low end, I did some math to figure out how the cost of a batch of SOS Mix compares.

If you can get a good price on the ingredients by buying them in bulk, you can make a batch of SOS Mix for around $6 in materials. That works out to about $0.70 per “can” of SOS Mix, so you can definitely save yourself some money by making it yourself (especially if it saves you a few trips to the store too!)

5. It’s Versatile

There are so many ways to use this versatile dry mix. In fact, Debbie and a fellow USU Extension Agent put together a FREE recipe booklet that features over 30 recipes you can make using SOS Mix!

How do Macaroni and Cheese, Easy Beef Teriyaki Stir-Fry, and Chicken Pot Pie sound to you? Those are just a few of the mouthwatering offerings you’ll find in their free SOS Mix recipe booklet.

How To Make SOS Mix (AKA Soup Or Sauce Mix)

Directions:

1. Add the powdered milk, cornstarch, bouillon, onion flakes, and Italian seasoning (if using) to a mixing bowl.
2. Whisk until the ingredients are well combined.
3. Store the finished mixture in an airtight container.

How To Use SOS Mix As A Substitute For A Can Of Cream Soup

Directions:

1. Add 1/3 cup of SOS Mix and 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) of water to a saucepan and whisk to combine.
2. Place the pan on your stovetop and heat until thickened.
3. Add the thickened cream soup mixture to your recipe.

So there you have it! Now that know everything you need to know about this magical little mixture, I hope you’ll give it a try and let me know what you think!

Do you have a favorite recipe that calls for a can of cream soup?