How To Make Cream of (fill in the blank) Soup ~ White Sauce

When I show you how easy it is to make Cream of (fill in the blank) Soup and how cheaply it can be made - you may never buy that canned stuff again!  Have you ever read the list of ingredients on the back label of the condensed cream of whatever soup?  Can we even spell let alone say half the words on the list?!  Bleck!    The recipe below is also known as a basic white sauce and can be used in recipes that call for that can of condensed-can't-read-the-ingredients stuff or cream sauce.  Most of us have milk, flour and butter on hand right?  Basically, that is all it is.  The only addition will be the (fill in the blank) you add to it after cooking. 

One of the main staples in my pantry was to have cans of the cream of mushroom soup (condensed).  This was used not only as soup but in many of my recipes.  I can't tell you how many times (in my earlier days of cooking), when I did not have the canned cream of soup, I would just shrug my shoulders and didn't make the dish.  I was stuck!   I couldn't go any further because I simply didn't know how to improvise.  It took me until I was in my mid 30's to ask how it is that we made this or that before the canned or convenience foods came along.  In my search to try and make these type of foods from scratch, I came across the recipe below that I have used over and over. 

So let me show you just how easy it is!  Grab those aprons and let's go!

Tools:
Medium Sauce Pan
Whisk or Spoon

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
2 - 4 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of milk
dash of sea salt (for seasoning)

Melt butter over stovetop.

Add flour and stir for 1 - 2 minutes on low or until the flour is well blended.  Add a dash of sea salt.

Now add milk to hot mixture, stirring constantly.

Allow to simmer (just barely) for a minute or two or until thickened remembering to stir constantly.

Remove from heat.  You now have a white sauce to which you can leave plain or add to.  I chose to make cream of mushroom soup to use in a dish I made for our dinner this evening (Chicken Cordon Bleu).

I sauteed sliced mushrooms (1 cup) in butter until soft.

And add the mushrooms to the sauce.

Normally, when making a soup from the canned stuff, you would add a can of water or stock to the sauce, bring to a boil and serve.  For the recipe I made tonight, I wanted my sauce to be thick...

If you are planning on making cream of chicken/turkey soup, you could use 1 cup of chicken/turkey broth instead of the 1 cup of milk suggested.

See how simple that was?!   

EDIT:

Freezing White Sauce...

Conni had asked if you can freeze this sauce...absolutely!  The trick is to allow it to defrost slowly and stir from time to time (as it is defrosting) so that it does not separate on you.  Reheat on the stove (I don't like using the microwave!) and add more cream, milk, broth or water to help thin it out.

Conni brought up a good point about milk and not letting it go to waste.  This is a great recipe to use up leftover milk before heading out of town.  That way you have not wasted your milk and you will have some wonderful white sauce already made and ready use for later.  You will get the Waste Not Want Not Award!

I need to get someone to help me make an award banner with that saying on it!  Wouldn't that be fun to pass around to those we know are great at using food to their fullest?! 

Milk Going Bad - Make Buttermilk!

If you have milk that starts to go bad on you...don't throw it out!  How many of us have done that!  Use it to make pancakes, muffins and bread or add a bit of vinegar to it and let it sit for a few minutes and you will have buttermilk!  Just be sure to mark your container so that you don't surprise someone with what they might think is milk!  

I pray that God Bless you in all the efforts you make in your home!

xo Cat