Taste Test: Best Store-Bought Soups
Soup's On!
We stayed sensible about sodium and only considered soups with 750 mg of sodium per serving or less--that's about one-third (or a meal's worth) of the USDA's daily recommendation for salt intake.
Find out which brands were the best tasting in five categories: minestrone, clam chowder, chicken noodle, lentil and tomato.
Best Minestrone
Wolfgang Puck Classic Minestrone
This ultra-hearty soup is chock-full of veggies (like green beans, carrots and cabbage), macaroni and a kidney bean--white bean combo. And there's a celeb-chef touch: The broth gets its depth of flavor from an unexpected source--soy sauce. ($3.49 for 14.5 oz.)
Clam Chowder
Campbell's Condensed New England Clam Chowder
Enriched with briny clam stock and dotted with potato chunks and meaty clams, this soup cinched the category by a landslide. Panelists praised its fresh-from-the-sea taste. "It's like chowder from a clam shack on Cape Cod!" said one tester. ($1.75 for 10.75 oz.)
Best Chicken Noodle
Progresso Traditional Chicken Noodle
Giving the homemade version a real run for its money, this rich, chicken-y broth is packed with egg noodles, white meat, and surprisingly unmushy carrots and celery. "It's the ultimate get-well comfort food," said a taster. ($2.69 for 19 oz.)
Best Lentil
Health Valley Organic Lentil & Carrot Soup
Lots of packaged lentil soups have a thin, watery taste, but not this one. Earthy brown lentils, carrots and onions give it a "satisfying, chili-like texture," said one panelist. The tomato-spiked broth makes it perfect for pairing with grilled cheese sandwiches. ($3.19 for 15 oz.)
Best Tomato
Tabatachnick Balsamic Tomato & Rice Soup
This is not your typical tomato soup: Tender grains of brown rice, along with onion, celery and green pepper, add variety to Tabatchnick's texture, and the sweet-tangy balsamic flavor catapults it ahead of other brands. ($2.49 for 15 oz.)
More Taste Tests
Get more of our Taste Tests like greek yogurt, domestic beer, potato chips and crackers here!
