I’ve been making our own mixes and staples for quite a while now, and it dawned on me that this is a super simple and cost effective thing I should share with you all, especially since some of the upcoming recipes I’ll be posting contain these things.
A lot of recipes I have inherited or loved as a kid had things like Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken or other canned, condensed soups as an ingredient. The first reason I started making my own versions of these was because I would find myself in a bind when everything else for dinner was ready to go and I realized I didn’t have that one “can-o-something” I needed. Once I had been in this position a few times (before I figured out the magic of meal planning of course), I realized that it didn’t take anytime at all to mix up a batch of these things, and that I already had the ingredients on hand in my spice cabinet. Another big perk… control over the ingredients. Have you ever read the label on condensed soups or things like powder ranch dip mixes? In case you haven’t I’ve done the liberty of finding a photo of the ingredient list for both Campbell’s French Onion Soup (canned) and Lipton’s Onion Soup and Dip Mix (powdered).
… I’m a big fan of the saying “if it’s not an ingredient you’d find in your pantry, it’s probably not real food”. Why does a soup mix need sugar, caramel color, MSG and corn syrup in it? Oh right, those are there to trick your brain into thinking you are eating the real thing. Don’t get me wrong, making real, from scratch, french onion soup is a decent sized labor of love, but its worth it, and tastes NOTHING like either of these convenience items. I digress.
Anyways, I bring to you a super simple and easy to mix up blend of spices that can add the same flavors to your dishes without all that junk.
Homemade French Onion Soup Mix
Ingredients
- 1/3 c. dried, minced onion
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- 5 tsp. onion powder
- 3/4 tsp. celery seed
- 1/3 tsp. ground black pepper
- 3/4 tsp. turmeric
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt
- 3/4 tsp. garlic salt
Instructions
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Simply stir the spices together in a small bowl and voila!
If your recipe calls for one packet of onion soup mix, this recipe can be substituted for that packet. If you are replacing a can of soup with this mix, be sure to add additional liquid (such as milk, water or broth) to make up for the fact that the soup was contributing to the moisture in the recipe. To do so, just add 10 oz. of liquid of your choice.
Another tip to save you some time - mix up a triple (or larger) batch of the seasoning mix and store it in a mason jar so its ready at anytime. To use from a larger batch, shake well and then measure out a 1/2 cup to equate to 1 packet/can.
