Campbell's Chunky Soup Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

Selecting the right flavor of Campbell's Chunky soup is a nuanced task since grocery stores stock more than 20 varieties -- carefully consider the label before piling these cans into your shopping cart. The line-up features regional favorites like gumbo, jambalaya, and clam chowder as well as classics like chicken noodle and beef with vegetables. Additionally, some soups come in several different versions depending on the combination of veggies or level of heat -- normal, spicy, or ghost pepper.

You may notice the same flavor but with two different colored labels -- for example, Sirloin Burger With Country Vegetables comes in brown and green. The green label indicates that a soup is a "Healthy Request" and has significantly less salt than the alternative. A single can of normal Campbell's Chunky Sirloin Burger With Country Vegetables soup contains 74% of a person's daily sodium needs so this may be an important consideration for anyone on a special diet.

Finally, each soup has its particular profile. Some have noodles while others contain rice or no starchy ingredient. The texture may be creamy, brothy, or even gravy-like. Most soups seem to have two to three noticeable veggies -- usually carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, or mushrooms. Some varieties include sausage alongside chicken, but others are pure beef. Read on to find out which combinations make the most delicious soup and which are better left on the grocery store shelf.

Read more: Ranking Grocery Store Rotisserie Chickens From Worst To Best

Creamy Chicken & Dumplings

Chicken and dumpling soup is delicious. Imagine hot, salty broth packed with chunks of chicken and chopped veggies. Then, fluffy buttery dough balls float on top like clouds. Homemade, this dish is a dream, but when you pour it out of a Campbell's can, not so much.

Canned dumplings taste terrible. They are dense and grainy — forget that image of buttery and flaky perfection you have in your mind's eye. The rest of this soup passes muster -- your spoon will uncover peas, potatoes, carrots, and green beans in the mix. The creamy base is smooth and alluring. The dough balls in it, though, ruin everything else about it.

On the one hand, you could easily pick out the dumplings and eat the rest, but you'd end up throwing away a significant part of the can's contents. If your heart was set on dumplings, you might choose a different flavor of canned soup -- chicken noodle perhaps -- and mix up homemade dumplings to add. They take just six minutes to cook after you've dropped them on top of simmering soup.

Chicken And Sausage Gumbo

You'll find between six and eight big chunks of okra in a can of Campbell's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. That's important because the word "gumbo" comes from a West African term for this vegetable. The soup also contains chunks of chicken, slices of sausage, celery, tiny bits of bell pepper, and rice. It has a tomato base that's slightly thicker than straight broth.

This soup is available in three versions: classic, Healthy Request, and spicy. The taste of the green-labeled Healthy Request is less attractive than the two sodium-packed alternatives since the seasoning doesn't cover the metallic taste of the can as adeptly. Be careful with the spicy version -- it packs a lot of heat. You may find that even the classic version of this soup is overly spicy if you've got a sensitive tongue.

The biggest problem with this product is the rice in it. Traditionally, gumbo is made without the grain and then poured over freshly made white rice. The white grains in the Campbell's can don't hold up well to this method of conservation. They end up too mushy and don't pack the same delicate flavor or fluffy texture as rice that comes straight off the stovetop.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle is a beloved soup flavor and there's nothing like it to fight off the sniffles. The best aspects of Campbell's Chunky Chicken Noodle are the price and ease of preparation. Like the other flavors in this line-up, a can costs around $2 at Walmart and contains two servings. Then, after just two and a half minutes in the microwave, your bowl is ready to sip. That's more than easy enough to make even for someone down with the flu. Even better -- this soup is entirely kid-friendly.

A golden broth makes the base of this chicken noodle soup and each can contains eight or nine respectably-sized cubes of chicken. Noticeable pieces of carrots and celery float alongside spiral noodles. Laymen will probably never know what food scientists have done to this pasta to keep it from getting mushy, but it holds together. The texture isn't fantastic, but isn't off-putting either.

Generally, this soup looks attractive, but unfortunately, the metal of the can imparts a strong tinny taste throughout the product. The recipe doesn't have strong enough seasoning to disguise it. To combat this, you might open a can, store the contents in a glass dish in the refrigerator for a day, and then eat it. The flavor will improve tremendously. You could also try the spicy or ghost pepper varieties, which are much stronger in flavor. You'll also find a "Healthy Request" version of this soup with reduced sodium.

Spicy Steak And Potato

Imagine a slice of steak with a heap of potatoes next to it. It's covered in thick, peppery gravy filled with mushrooms. That's what this Campbell's soup tries to emulate. Of course, to get it in the can, the company had to chop the meat into chunks and the potatoes also had to be cubed instead of mashed. That's where things started going wrong.

The issue is that the idea of this soup sounds more delicious than what in truth comes out of the can. Steak is steak and cubed, canned meat does not compare. Fluffy, buttery potatoes are one thing and cubed, canned potatoes are another. The label on this product gets your hopes up, but the contents of the can could never live up to expectations. Worse, the spicy gravy takes on a subtly unattractive sour flavor, but it at least covers the tinny taste of the can.

On the other hand, this soup is filling, contains a good amount of meat, and is fantastically thick. So, if you need to make a meal for two in a pinch, boil up some instant rice and pour this product over it. Campbell's sells this as soup, but it doubles as a perfect sauce for rice.

Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef

There are two kinds of soup lovers: chicken noodle people and vegetable beef people. Either soup will soothe your soul, but there's probably one you prefer. If you belong to the second category, you'll want to know whether or not Campbell's Chunky Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef is worth heating up next time you catch the flu. This soup has a beef broth base with chunks of beef in it. The vegetables are corn, potatoes, peas, green beans, celery, and tomatoes. You can also purchase this soup with the Healthy Request label.

The best thing about this soup is how packed it is with ingredients. Every spoonful comes up brimming with veggies. It gets an additional point because you can easily sip it from a mug if that's how you like to eat soup. That also makes it easier to keep down if you're not feeling well. The worst thing about this soup is the broth isn't flavorful enough to cover the tinny taste of the can and, unfortunately, that makes it significantly less alluring than it could be.

Creamy Chicken Cajun Style Alfredo

Saying the name of this soup --- Creamy Chicken Cajun Style Alfredo With Andouille Sausage -- is quite a mouthful. The dish includes chunks of chicken and sausage in a thick, creamy base. You'll also see bits of celery and finely diced green peppers in the mix. This soup is more caloric than other products in Campbell's Chunky lineup -- a can of this alfredo contains 490 calories, while soups like Hearty Beef Barley only have 310.

A spoonful of the soup equals a mouthful of flavor, but not in a positive way. This dish combines too many profiles to be truly tasty. The garlic and parmesan of Italian alfredo become completely obscured by Cajun spices. The sole benefit is the seasoning completely disguises any tinny taste in this soup. The slices of sausage should be a highlight but they're more like bland, rubbery discs. The thick, inedible canned pasta that comes included delivers a final blow to this product.

Baked Potato With Steak And Cheese

Baked potatoes with steak and cheese are amazing, but it wasn't Campbell's best idea to try and can the experience. This soup tries to recreate the experience of eating a potato doused in cheese sauce on a plate next to a steak. The product contains all the right ingredients but in the wrong format -- cubes of boiled potatoes and meat instead of the roasted or grilled versions. That means the texture is glaringly off.

Some flavors taste fantastic in one context but awful in another — for example, the slightly scorched skin of a potato. Straight out of the oven, piping hot, with a flakey, fluffy interior, it tastes perfect. This soup doesn't contain potato skins, but the ingredients label lists roasted russets and you can taste them. The problem is, that mildly charred flavor, mixed in soup, just tastes burnt. These factors come together to make this particular dish unattractive.

Savory Pot Roast

Pot roast is one of those meals that takes you back to Sunday dinners with your family. There's tender, juicy meat accompanied by flavorful roasted veggies and loving company. This Campbell's can won't give you all of that, but it does provide a hearty meal at least. When you pop open the can with the tab on the lid, you'll find generous chunks of meat, potatoes, carrots, and green beans in a gravy-like base.

The best characteristics of this soup are the ingredients and simple, easy-to-like flavors. It's kid-friendly. On the downside, this soup may be too thick — you could use it as a sauce over noodles or rice instead of simply eating it with a spoon. If you prefer brothy soups, this one isn't for you. It tastes a little metallic, but less so than many other canned soups. The worst thing about it is when you open the can, the initial smell is unappetizing. Once, it's heated, though, that odor dissipates.

Jazzy Jambalaya With Chicken, Sausage, And Ham

If you're looking for a soup packed with chicken, sausage, and ham, Jazzy Jambalaya is the answer. Most of the Campbell's Chunky soups we tried for this taste test contained between eight and ten chunks of meat. This product pushed that number to nearly twenty. You'll find around five slices of sausage and eight of chicken and ham in a delicious tomato base. There's rice in there, as well. After packing all those ingredients in, Campbell's must not have had much space left for veggies -- you'll only come across a few cubes of tomato and some chopped celery in this can.

The spicy, tomatoey flavor is the best part of this soup, but the mushy rice is the worst. The original recipe for homemade jambalaya highlights the rice and is far thicker than soup, more like paella. Despite Jazzy Jambalaya's departure from the traditional recipe and the unpleasant texture of the rice, this dish is delicious. It tastes particularly good if you let the rice sink to the bottom and just soak up the soupy part with a grilled cheese sandwich.

New England Clam Chowder

New England clam chowder is a regional classic. Anyone who travels to Boston has to try it, but not everyone can make that trip or get ahold of fresh clams to prepare it homemade. If that's your case, buying a can of Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder could ease your craving. Like the original recipe, this soup has tiny bits of clam, chopped celery, and chunks of potato in a thick, creamy base. That's mouthwatering. If you'd prefer more flavorful chowder, try the Old Bay Seasoned version which adds mustard, celery seed, and paprika to the recipe for extra zip. Alternatively, Campbell's also sells low-sodium Healthy Request clam chowder.

The texture is the best part of this soup. It's extra creamy and smooth. The taste is spot on -- you'll detect seafood in there no problem. Even better, you won't be able to taste the can. If you're looking for acceptable canned soup, this one won't let you down.

Chili Mac

Campbell's Chunky Chili Mac is packed with flavor and plenty of ground beef. Its tomato base tastes like enchilada sauce and the combination of spices in this dish completely masks any tinny flavor that it might have. Fortunately, the flavor isn't spicy enough to burn your tongue or even make your nose run -- if you're hoping for that, you can always add more chili powder or a dash of cayenne pepper. Finally, this soup is packed with finely diced red peppers, beans, and macaroni, so it's delicious, especially if you top it off with some grated cheese or sour cream.

This canned chili mac has one problem, though -- the texture of the noodles is unappetizing. They are thicker than what you boil up at home, probably so they'll hold together better in the can. They aren't exactly mushy or rubbery, but when you bite into them they crumble. It's not a nice feeling to have on the tongue. This soup would be much more delicious without the noodles. So, you could pick them out one by one before digging in, but that might defeat the purpose of easy-to-eat, open-and-heat soup.

Chicken Broccoli Cheese

There's nothing like a steaming hot bowl of broccoli cheese soup to recharge your batteries on an exhausting day. Campbell's version of this classic soup contains chunks of potato and chicken as well, making it even more replenishing for anyone drained of energy. Imagine coming home after a hard day. You stick a bowl of soup in the microwave, put on some P.J.s, and cocoon yourself in a blanket while you eat it in front of the T.V. That's comfort food right there.

This soup is delicious. There are no noodles or rice in it to ruin the texture and the base is wonderfully creamy. You can tell there's broccoli in there from the green dots, but it's not in big enough chunks to make it intrusive. There's just the right amount of chicken and potatoes to make this dish perfectly chunky. This product's only negatives are the higher calorie count -- 430 in a can, and the thickness -- you'll have to eat it from a bowl with a spoon, not sip it from a mug.

Hearty Beef Barley

Hearty Beef Barley is the star of Campbell's Chunk soup line. This product comes packed with delicious flavor, beef chunks, and plenty of vegetables in a tomatoey beef broth. The base is thicker than a simple broth but not as thick as gravy -- you can easily sip this from a mug. That makes it easy to eat if you're on the go. Your spoon will dig out carrots, potatoes, barley, corn, celery, and peas.

This soup has an advantage over others since canned barley has a better texture than similarly preserved rice or noodles. The tomato paste in the broth masks any metallic flavor the container might contribute. The variety of vegetables is definitely a plus, but if you want more you could always dump in a half cup of frozen veggies before microwaving for an extra nutritional kick. This dish is a win and at about $2.30 a can from Walmart, you'll have a cheap and easy meal for two as long as you add some rolls for dipping.

Read the original article on Mashed.