Ok, so you’re flipping through a cookbook or clicking around the web and you stumble upon a recipe that looks good.  Reading through the list of ingredients, you see the dreaded “cream of __ soup” line item.

Don’t worry!  You don’t have to use the canned stuff that can filled with sodium and who knows what else!  There is a better way that is super easy.  I’m going to share with you how to make your own condensed cream of mushroom soup.  A bonus:  this recipe can totally be adapted to be a make your cream of pretty much anything soup.

What You’ll Need:
– 1/3 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
– 2 Tbsp butter
– 1/4 cup cornstarch
– 1 1/2 cups milk
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp pepper
– 1 tsp parsley
**you can easily thrown in 1/2 of an onion, minced too for extra flavor**

Let’s Make It:
1)  Melt the butter over medium heat in a large sauce pan.  Add mushrooms and saute until golden, about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.

2)  In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and milk until smooth. Slowly add the mixture to the mushrooms in the pan, whisking constantly.  Cook, whisking frequently, over low heat until bubbly.

3)  Whisk in salt, pepper and parsley. Remove from heat.  The soup will thicken slightly as it cools.

**Tweaks**
Want to make this a regular cream of mushroom soup?  Increase the milk to a total of 4 cups and add the additional 2 1/2 cups of milk to the pan AFTER you have thoroughly whisked in the cornstarch mixture.

Have you tried making your own condensed cream of mushroom soup?  Or maybe another flavor?  I really prefer doing this over using the canned stuff when I can.  Fresh ingredients = more flavor and {usually} a healthier dish!