BY MEGHAN BAEHL, OPINION EDITOR
Soup is the ultimate comfort food. It is warm, flavorful and perfect for any chilly day. But how does one get the satisfaction of soup in college? I am so glad you asked because I am here to champion canned soup. Specifically, Progresso soup, because not all canned soup is created equal. I should preface that I am quite the soup connoisseur but I am not a snob. I thoroughly enjoy the Hickey soups, specifically when they have chicken tortilla or something of the chili variety. However, canned soup is its own individual creature.
It all started last year, let’s call it my semester of soup. A few weeks into my freshman year, I got walking pneumonia and I was sick as a dog. So I picked up a few beautiful blue cans of Progresso soup and they were the best medicine. That is when my illustrious love for canned soup began. My origin story, if you will.
It started with classic chicken noodle, but it has grown beyond that. Another thing you should know is that I love trying new things. Italian wedding soup? Count me in. Loaded baked potato? I’ll try anything once. Some of the soups are better than others, but I want to keep this mostly positive because no one is perfect. My ultimate favorite would have to be Progresso’s chicken and dumplings. The dumplings are surprisingly delicious and it is a good elevation to the classic chicken noodle. Where the chicken lacks the dumpling really shines, It is a good balance. It also is my best friend Katie’s favorite, so great minds think alike.
Another favorite of mine is their zesty Santa Fe-style chicken. It has such a complex flavor to it, the soup is almost shocking. If you like flavor profiles that are slightly challenging, this is for you. I stumbled across this soup by accident and I used to not care for it too much. It is one of those soups you have to get used to. Now that I’m used to it, I love it.
I love how easy of a meal canned soup is. All you have to do is put it in a bowl and heat it up. A perk to canned soup is that it only takes three minutes and thirty seconds in the microwave to make it hotter than Miles Teller in Top Gun: Maverick. And trust me, that’s hot.
So thank you canned soup for all you do for me. I love you and I would not know what I would do without you.
Ok, that was a little dramatic, but I do thoroughly enjoy canned soup and would turn to it for some comfort anytime. I know some of you might be dubious, thinking “How good could it possibly be, Meghan?” All I’m asking is for you to give it a whirl, you might love it as much as I do. Or you might not, but I do not want to hear it.
baehlma21@bonaventure.edu
