The Best Store-Bought Soups, According to Chefs

There are days when it’s so cold and dreary outside that the only thing you feel like eating is a hot bowl of soup. But sometimes, chopping, puréeing, and standing over the stove as your soup simmers is the last thing you feel like doing, especially when you could be lounging on the couch with a blanket and your favorite book. On days like those, there is no shame in heating up a can or carton of premade soup. 

In fact, even Food & Wine Best New Chefs rely on them as an easy, nostalgic meal. Here are six of their favorites. 

Rao’s Slow Simmered Soup

“Probably the best store-bought soup I’ve come across lately is Rao’s,” says 1994 F&W Best New Chef Gale Gand. Famed for its exclusive restaurant and high-quality jarred tomato sauce, Rao’s Homemade now offers a line of soups, including chicken noodle, Italian wedding soup, pasta e fagioli, tomato basil, vegetable minestrone, and more. “I like that they come in glass jars — not metal cans — so you can see what the ingredients look like. Plus, it’s resealable, so you can serve some or all of the jar.”

Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup Mix

When Gand craves something more comforting, she reaches for Lipton Chicken Noodle. The instant soup mix comes with chunks of white-meat chicken — and with the addition of hot water, it only takes five minutes to prepare. “I have a soft spot for Lipton, with its fine, delicate egg noodles and bits of parsley floating in the broth,” she says. “That’s one of my go-tos when I’m feeling sick.”

Campbell’s Tomato Soup

“There is something nostalgic about Campbell’s Tomato Soup,” says 2014 F&W Best New Chef Matthew Accarrino. The iconic soup is sweet, smooth, and made primarily from tomato purée. Accarrino enjoys pairing it with a fancy grilled cheese, packed with semi-firm Toma from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., prosciutto, and a drizzle of honey. 

Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup

1996 F&W Best New Chef Monica Pope has a deep connection to Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom — not as a soup, but as an ingredient. “My mom uses cream of mushroom soup for broccoli chicken casserole,” she says. “It was one of her signature dishes.” Made with button mushrooms and garlic, this rich soup is also a great shortcut for green bean casserole, Beef Stroganoff, or Creole Crawfish Pie. 

Swanson Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth

Rather than eating prepared soup from the can or carton, 1989 F&W Best New Chef Christopher Gross likes to amp up premade broth — Swanson’s Low Sodium Organic Chicken Broth, to be exact. He says it “isn’t a salt bomb, so I can control the seasoning and flavor myself.” Once a broth is seasoned to your liking, you can add noodles, rotisserie chicken, or vegetables, or simply pour it into a mug and sip it like tea.

Bar Harbor Clam Chowder

“Bar Harbor canned soup is my favorite,” says 2025 F&W Best New Chef Jordan Rubin. Based in Maine (the same state as Rubin’s restaurant, Mr. Tuna), Bar Harbor Foods uses sustainably harvested seafood for its clams and chowders, as well as its tinned fish and juice. The New England-style clam chowder — Rubin’s favorite — is made with a blend of surf clams, potatoes, and dairy for a creamy base. “It’s the closest thing to homemade clam chowder that you can get off a store shelf.”