The Budget Ingredient That Can Rival Pasta Sauce With A Little Zhuzhing

Food prices are up, paychecks are not. So yes, we're all about money-saving tips. At a time when fast food restaurants have ditched their dollar menus and so many items at the grocery store seems more expensive, we at The Takeout are doing our best to find ways to help everyone cut corners. Our latest hot tip comes from food blogger Marissa Stevens of Pinch and Swirl. 

Stevens suggested that, with a few tweaks, canned tomato soup can make a decent pasta sauce substitute. The top-rated item on our ranking of 13 store-bought tomato soups, Imagine Creamy Tomato Soup, sells for around $4.50 per 32-ounce carton at Walmart. 24 ounces of Carbone Marinara Sauce (our pick for the best store-bought marinara brand) will run you about $8 at that same retailer.

Whatever tomato soup you use, whether generic or top-shelf, there are a few key steps to follow. "Start by reducing it on the stove to thicken the consistency," suggested Stevens. "Add a spoonful of tomato paste for depth and a splash of pasta water to help it cling to the noodles." Other additions she suggested include crushed red pepper, garlic, and olive oil, with perhaps a tiny bit of sugar if you find the tomato soup to be too acidic or just prefer a sweeter sauce. As a final touch, Stevens told us, "A pat of butter or a little cream stirred in at the end gives it a more balanced, sauce-like finish."

When we asked Marissa Stevens about the possibility of using other soups as pasta sauces, she advised avoiding brothy soups like chicken noodle or vegetable. "They're usually too thin, and the flavors don't hold up once you add pasta," she explained. She suggested, however, that a butternut squash soup — or a pumpkin one, which you should be able to find on store shelves from August through November — can be used as the base for a fall-inspired sauce. 

Black bean soup cooked with chorizo is also delicious on pasta, especially if you stir in fresh lime juice and cilantro after it's done. You could also season your black bean soup Korean-style with gochugaru and ginger, then top the saucy noodles with a perfectly soft-boiled egg.

If you want to use a creamy soup, like tomato bisque or cream of mushroom, Stevens' tips include giving it a boost with sautéed onions or garlic. You could also amp up the flavor and texture of mushroom soup by including extra mushrooms. She cautioned, however, that you need to take care with creamy soups of this type, heating them no higher than a gentle simmer because allowing them to boil might break the emulsion. "A splash of starchy pasta water can help," she advised — and if you want to add any extra dairy, take the pan off the heat, stir it in, and then warm the soup back up again. "That's the best way to keep it creamy instead of grainy," Stevens told us. If the soup-based sauce does get lumpy, however, you can always use an immersion blender to smooth it out a bit.