These seven simple ingredients (okay, eight!) result in the easiest soup recipe on the planet.
I made this soup on The Pioneer Woman, my Food Network show, and it's seriously one of those recipes that makes a person say phrases like, "Uh… could you repeat that?" and "Whaaaaa?" and “Crazytown!" and other questions/exclamations that convey surprise over how such a simple list of ingredients could result in something so, so good. 7-Can Soup has been around for a long time, and no two recipes are identical, but they basically amount to this:
Seven cans of whatever you want. Don't drain the cans. Just violently throw them into the pot.
Some kind of gourmet cheese stirred in at the end. And just a warning: My type of cheese is a little intimidating in its level of sophistication, so I apologize in advance. (It's Velveeta.)
Sure, but why would you ever do such a thing? Velveeta gives the soup a delicious creaminess, but you could skip it if cheese isn't your thing. If the problem is that you don't have a block of Velveeta on hand, a block of cream cheese can be substituted. Or, you could top each bowl with a handful of shredded cheddar. Or, yes, you can just leave out the cheese all together.
What can you use instead of canned chili?
Admittedly, canned chili isn't the most glamorous ingredient in the world. But it tastes great in this soup! If you don't want to use it, you can use about 2 cups of homemade chili. Many chili recipes make such large batches, I often freeze leftovers which comes in handy when you need it for something like this... or just a quick meal!
What meat can you add to 7-can soup?
Ground beef would be a nice, hearty addition to this soup. Brown it in the pot and drain the fat before adding the other ingredients.
Can you freeze 7-can soup?
You sure can. If you have any leftovers, just pop 'em in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight and reheat it on the stove over low heat.
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Ingredients
1
(15-oz.) can no-beans chili
1
(15-oz.) can kidney beans
1
(15-oz.) can pinto beans
1
(15-oz.) can black beans
1
(15-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1
(15-oz.) can corn, such as the Fiesta variety
1
(10-oz.) can tomatoes and green chilies, such as Rotel)
Step 1Without draining the cans, empty the chili, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, tomatoes, corn, and tomatoes and green chilies into a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to bring all the flavors together. Add salt and pepper as needed.
Step 2Dice the cheese and stir it into the soup until melted. Serve immediately.
Ralph Smith
Here are the cans you need for 7-Can Soup! And you can change it up, swap, sub, switch… whatever cans you'd like to use!
From left to right, here are my crazy choices: canned chili (which admittedly is one of the most questionable-looking canned foods known to man), canned corn (I used the Fiesta kind!), canned black beans, canned pinto beans, canned kidney beans, and diced tomatoes.
Now, you may notice that there are only six cans in this photo. That is because I had forgotten to put the can of Rotel in the picture. (But I didn't forget to put it in the soup. It just took me awhile to remember!)
Everything will all make sense in a minute or two, when I actually add an eighth ingredient to the 7-Can Soup that isn't even a canned ingredient at all, so come to think of it, it won't make sense in a minute or two.
But that's what makes life thrilling around my house.
Crack open all the cans and starting pouring them into a pot…
And the magical thing about this soup…
Is that you don't even have to drain the cans!
And I give you permission to chuckle as you pour in the chili. It's just so… not a vision of loveliness.
But it is a vision of tastiness! I promise you that.
Stir everything together, bring it to a gentle boil…
And let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until nice and piping hot.
And then…
And then?
Throw in a hunk of Velveeta.
Now, the instructions below will tell you to dice the Velveeta and add it in.
But I love the bold courage of throwing tossing it into the pan in one huge hunk.
Reduce the heat to low and stir the soup until the Velveeta is totally melted. It’ll turn the base gorgeously creamy and you'll want to dive right in. You will!
Dish it up and add a little cilantro if you have some lying around.
You may be in shock right now. You may be in disbelief. But you've gotta give this one a try. It's curiously delicious!
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