cream of anything cup-a-soup
Emergency Pantry Meal | Makes approximately 16 mugs
This is homemade convenience food at its best. Keep a jar of this creamy soup mix in the pantry and you’re only a few minutes away from a warm, comforting mug of soup.
Use it plain, or turn it into Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, Cream of Broccoli — or Cream of Anything by adding whatever cooked ingredients you have on hand.
Ingredients:
4 cups instant milk powder
120g cornflour
4 tbsp chicken-flavoured stock powder
4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp ground black pepper
Note: These are Australian measurements, where 1 tablespoon = 20ml.
Method:
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk thoroughly so the cornflour, seasonings and milk powder are evenly distributed.
Transfer to a clean, dry, airtight screw-top jar.
Label and date the jar. Give the mixture a good shake before measuring each serve, as the finer ingredients may settle during storage.
To Make One Mug
You’ll need:
1/3 cup MOO Cream of Anything Cup-a-Soup Mix
50ml cold water
200ml boiling water
To make:
1. Put 1/3 cup soup mix into a large microwave-safe mug.
2. Add the 50ml cold water and stir until you have a smooth paste.
3. Gradually stir in the 200ml boiling water.
4. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds.
5. Stir well, then microwave for another 30–60 seconds, or until the soup has lightly thickened.
6. Stand for 1 minute before serving.
Makes one generous 250ml mug.
Why start with cold water?
Cornflour can form lumps when it goes straight into boiling water. Mixing it to a smooth paste first gives you a much smoother, creamier soup.
Use it plain, or turn it into Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, Cream of Broccoli — or Cream of Anything by adding whatever cooked ingredients you have on hand.
Ingredients:
4 cups instant milk powder
120g cornflour
4 tbsp chicken-flavoured stock powder
4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp ground black pepper
Note: These are Australian measurements, where 1 tablespoon = 20ml.
Method:
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk thoroughly so the cornflour, seasonings and milk powder are evenly distributed.
Transfer to a clean, dry, airtight screw-top jar.
Label and date the jar. Give the mixture a good shake before measuring each serve, as the finer ingredients may settle during storage.
To Make One Mug
You’ll need:
1/3 cup MOO Cream of Anything Cup-a-Soup Mix
50ml cold water
200ml boiling water
To make:
1. Put 1/3 cup soup mix into a large microwave-safe mug.
2. Add the 50ml cold water and stir until you have a smooth paste.
3. Gradually stir in the 200ml boiling water.
4. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds.
5. Stir well, then microwave for another 30–60 seconds, or until the soup has lightly thickened.
6. Stand for 1 minute before serving.
Makes one generous 250ml mug.
Why start with cold water?
Cornflour can form lumps when it goes straight into boiling water. Mixing it to a smooth paste first gives you a much smoother, creamier soup.
Make It Cream of Anything
Add up to 1/4 cup of cooked additions per mug.
Try:
• finely chopped cooked mushrooms
• chopped cooked or canned asparagus
• finely chopped cooked broccoli
• finely chopped cooked cauliflower
• finely sliced cooked celery
• diced cooked chicken
• diced cooked beef
• diced cooked ham
• corn kernels
• cooked peas
Or combine whatever you have. Chicken and corn, ham and peas, broccoli and cauliflower — this is a lovely little use-it-up recipe too.
Pantry Storage
Store the mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry pantry.
For best quality, aim to use it within three months, or within the storage recommendation for the opened milk powder and stock powder you have used, whichever comes first.
Keep the jar completely dry and always use a clean, dry measuring cup.
Add up to 1/4 cup of cooked additions per mug.
Try:
• finely chopped cooked mushrooms
• chopped cooked or canned asparagus
• finely chopped cooked broccoli
• finely chopped cooked cauliflower
• finely sliced cooked celery
• diced cooked chicken
• diced cooked beef
• diced cooked ham
• corn kernels
• cooked peas
Or combine whatever you have. Chicken and corn, ham and peas, broccoli and cauliflower — this is a lovely little use-it-up recipe too.
Pantry Storage
Store the mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry pantry.
For best quality, aim to use it within three months, or within the storage recommendation for the opened milk powder and stock powder you have used, whichever comes first.
Keep the jar completely dry and always use a clean, dry measuring cup.
Cheapskates Tip
This is exactly why I like MOO convenience foods. You do the measuring once, put the jar in the pantry and after that the hard work is done. When someone wants a quick lunch or you need something warm in a hurry, there’s no packet to buy and no special trip to the supermarket.
Make once. Use many times. Live well. Spend less. Stress less.
This is exactly why I like MOO convenience foods. You do the measuring once, put the jar in the pantry and after that the hard work is done. When someone wants a quick lunch or you need something warm in a hurry, there’s no packet to buy and no special trip to the supermarket.
Make once. Use many times. Live well. Spend less. Stress less.
Make-Ahead Jar Label
Print this pretty jar label for your MOO Cream of Anything Cup-a-Soup.
MOO Cream of Anything Cup-a-Soup
For 1 mug:
1/3 cup mix
50ml cold water
200ml boiling water
Mix to a paste with cold water.
Add boiling water.
Microwave 30 seconds. Stir.
Microwave another 30–60 seconds.
Stand 1 minute.
Download your jar labels here
What Does It Cost?
This is where making our own really pays off.
A commercial Cup-a-Soup costs $3 for a 60g packet containing 2 serves.
That works out to:
Bought Cup-a-Soup: $1.50 per serve
MOO Cream of Anything Cup-a-Soup: $6.18 for approximately 16 serves = 39 cents per serve
Saving: approximately $1.11 per mug
To buy the equivalent 16 serves of commercial Cup-a-Soup would cost:
8 packets × $3 = $24
Our MOO batch costs just: $6.18
Total Saving
$24.00 bought
− $6.18 homemade
= $17.82 saved per batch
That's around a 74% saving compared with buying the packets.
And there’s another advantage: one batch gives you a jar of soup mix ready to use whenever you want it, and you can change the flavour simply by adding mushrooms, chicken, broccoli, corn, ham or whatever you have on hand.
39 cents for a warm, creamy mug of soup instead of $1.50? That’s a MOO worth keeping in the pantry.
Print this pretty jar label for your MOO Cream of Anything Cup-a-Soup.
MOO Cream of Anything Cup-a-Soup
For 1 mug:
1/3 cup mix
50ml cold water
200ml boiling water
Mix to a paste with cold water.
Add boiling water.
Microwave 30 seconds. Stir.
Microwave another 30–60 seconds.
Stand 1 minute.
Download your jar labels here
What Does It Cost?
This is where making our own really pays off.
A commercial Cup-a-Soup costs $3 for a 60g packet containing 2 serves.
That works out to:
Bought Cup-a-Soup: $1.50 per serve
MOO Cream of Anything Cup-a-Soup: $6.18 for approximately 16 serves = 39 cents per serve
Saving: approximately $1.11 per mug
To buy the equivalent 16 serves of commercial Cup-a-Soup would cost:
8 packets × $3 = $24
Our MOO batch costs just: $6.18
Total Saving
$24.00 bought
− $6.18 homemade
= $17.82 saved per batch
That's around a 74% saving compared with buying the packets.
And there’s another advantage: one batch gives you a jar of soup mix ready to use whenever you want it, and you can change the flavour simply by adding mushrooms, chicken, broccoli, corn, ham or whatever you have on hand.
39 cents for a warm, creamy mug of soup instead of $1.50? That’s a MOO worth keeping in the pantry.