The Store-Bought Mushroom Sauce Substitute To Use If You're In A Jam

Earthy and creamy mushroom sauce works well as a base for many mushroom recipes or even as a delicious condiment on a porterhouse steak. Mushroom sauce takes around 25 minutes to make from scratch, but if you don't have the time (or if you forgot one of the most important ingredients. It happens to the best of us!), there's a surprisingly easy workaround.

If you have a can of mushroom soup in your cupboard or pantry, then you're in luck. From casseroles to cakes, there are plenty of recipes that incorporate a can of soup in surprising ways, and mushroom sauce is no exception.

For example, pouring a can of mushroom soup over pork chops and cooking for 30 minutes in an oven or a pan makes for a simple midweek meal, and using soup in pasta or stroganoff sauces can slice chunks off your time spent in the kitchen.

To pull off this soup-turned-sauce trick, simmer your mushroom sauce until it's nice and hot, then progress through your recipe as normal. Make sure you season it to complement your dish, especially if the soup you've picked doesn't come with too many trimmings! MasterClass suggests using Worcestershire sauce, lots of black pepper, and freshly chopped parsley, but feel free to switch it up to match what you're cooking.

You may be asking yourself which soup you should use. Luckily, there are plenty of great options, but Mashed's ranking of the best-canned cream of mushroom soups suggests Amy's Mushroom Bisque Soup with Porcini. This option is low in calories, rich in vitamins, and packed full of extras, thanks to the inclusion of arborio rice, celery, leek, and butter. The cherry on top is that it actually has mushrooms in it, so your sauce substitution can seem all the more authentic!