Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Product Review...the good, the bad and the ugly!

Campbell's® Healthy Request® Quick Chicken & Pasta Primavera
The Verdict: Not bad.


I am a big fan of quick and easy to prepare meals on weeknights. I normally wouldn't buy campbell's condensed soups to make a meal because the high amount of sodium in them. So when I heard about the Healthy Request line, I was curious but a little sceptical. I finally broke down and bought some Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup.

My first reaction upon opening the can was ewwwww!
It smelled kind of weird, like chemicals. I thought it was going to be really bad, but in the end it turned out O.K. I would however, suggest topping it off with some fresh chopped parsley to add a little bit of freshness. Plus, a fresh salad on the side to balance everything out.
I used the recipe on the back of the can.

Campbell's® Healthy Request® Chicken & Pasta Primavera
From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 can Campbell's® Healthy Request® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk (I used Simply Smart Fat-Free
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen vegetable combination; broccoli, cauliflower, carrots (I used leftover roasted veggies)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken (I used leftover rotisserie chicken breast)
4 cups hot cooked spaghetti, cooked without salt (I used whole wheat penne)

Directions:
MIX soup, milk, cheese, garlic powder and vegetables in saucepan. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 min. or until tender-crisp.
ADD chicken and heat through. Serve over spaghetti.

Nutrition Information
Calories 461, Total Fat 7g, Saturated Fat 3g, Cholesterol 68mg, Sodium 474mg, Total Carbohydrate 63g, Dietary Fiber 8g, Protein 35g, Vitamin A 117%DV, Vitamin C 20%DV, Calcium 20%DV, Iron 21%DV

So, yes there is still quite a bit of sodium in each serving, but much less than the original cream of mushroom condensed soup. Once in a while, I think it's fine, but I would'nt eat this too often. I'm going to try to stick to the fresh stuff unless I have no time!

How often do you use condensed soup in your recipes?

6 comments:

The Cookbook Junkie said...

Every once and a while. I have a recipe for smoked sausage and pasta that's very popular in my house and it uses condensed tomato soup.

wheresmymind said...

Never have used condensed anything other than milk *shrug*

Anonymous said...

Like wheresmymind, I've never used condensed soup. Only sweetened condensed milk. Maybe one day...!

Crystal said...

Ha! I totally don't use condensed soup anymore and have like 5 cans in my cupboard (cream of everything).

I should make tater tot casserole someday soon - it's been probably a couple years. That will use up something!

-Crystal

Unknown said...

I don't use them much, but I do have some really good recipes with them...a stand-by chicken and a family tradition squash recipe both use soups. Right now, I only have one can in my pantry right now (unless you count chicken noodle!).

funwithyourfood said...

we used to make cream of mushroom porkchops when I was a kid. I don't think I'd use it anymore :P

Teddy