The 10 Best Recipes To Make With Cream of X Soup

If you have a can of condensed cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup languishing in your pantry, use it up in one of these 10 delicious ways.

The 10 Best Recipes To Make With Cream of X Soup
Copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole in a casserole dish at a table setting with a plate, a basketful of bisquits, a stack of plates, and spoons on the counter
Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Condensed cream of mushroom, celery, or chicken soups are the unbreakable, always there-for-you ingredients that make a creamy and rich base for any number of delicious meals. It might seem like a can-forward recipe is of a different time, a cop-out that keeps the meal from being truly homemade, but I don't see it that way. There's absolutely no shame in taking a shortcut or two every now and then to get dinner on the table or feed a large group.

If you want to make your own condensed soup as a base for any of these recipes, start here. Otherwise, I'll see you in the canned soup aisle or digging around in the back of your pantry for this timeless building block of comforting casseroles and bakes.

1. Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole

Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole in cast iron skillet
Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

"To lighten up this tuna casserole you can always add in more vegetables, or swap the potato chips for breadcrumbs." —Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

2. Reddit's Viral Macaroni and Cheese

A close-up of a super-cheesy skillet of mac and cheese
Simply Recipes / Adobe Stock

"The secret ingredient in this mac and cheese? Cream of mushroom soup! If you are not a mushroom lover, Reddit users recommend subbing cheddar cheese soup." —Robin Asbell, Simply Recipes Contributor

3. Classic Tater Tot Hotdish

hand with wooden spoon scooping out some Classic Tater Tot Hotdish out of baking dish
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

"For a cheesy finish, top the whole thing with shredded cheddar before baking." —Devan Grimsrud, Simply Recipes Contributor

4. Cheesy Funeral Potatoes

Funeral Potatoes with Real Potatoes
Sally Vargas

"Adapt this recipe to suit your time, needs, and preferences: frozen shredded potatoes can be substituted for fresh, and canned cream of chicken soup can be substituted for homemade." —Summer Miller, Simply Recipes Senior Editor

5. Easy Green Bean Casserole

Angled view of a beige casserole dish with green bean casserole along with a serving spoon
Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

"This recipe can be baked in a number of vessels. I’ve used various glass Pyrex baking dishes as well as two round pie plates. Whatever you use, make sure it can hold at least 6 cups." —Sara Haas, Simply Recipes Contributor

6. Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole

Angle view of a white baking dish of chicken tetrazzini with a slice removed next to a blue cloth napkin
Simply Recipes / Carla Cardello

"If you happen to have leftover chicken, use it for this casserole. Just chop it up roughly or shred it and measure out what you need. It doesn’t have to be exact, so if you have a bit more or a bit less, just go with it." —Nick Evans, Simply Recipes Contributor

7. No-Peek Chicken

no-peek chicken in a casserole dish at a table setting with two glasses and a table napkin
Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

"For this recipe, make sure you’re using quick-cooking rice, such as Minute Rice. This ensures the rice will cook through without drying out the chicken breasts." —Jasmine Smith, Simply Recipes Recipe Developer

8. Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

Copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole in a casserole dish at a table setting with a plate, a basketful of bisquits, a stack of plates, and spoons on the counter
Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

"I found that using frozen hashbrown potatoes, even after thawing, are easy to overcook and become soggy when baked as a casserole. Using refrigerated hashbrowns fixes that problem." —Catherine Jessee, Simply Recipes Test Kitchen Assistant

9. Andrew Zimmern's 5-Ingredient Hotdish

Andrew Zimmern hotdish
Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

"Andrew recommends Campbell's soups for this recipe." —Sara

10. Croque Monsieur Sandwich

Croque Monsieur
Elise Bauer

"To simplify this recipe, skip making the bechamel and use a few spoonfuls of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup instead." —Simply Recipes Editors