Comments on: Imagine Creamy Vegetable Soups

By: elf

elf — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 00:07:24 +0000

I happened to be at TJ’s recently (not a common occurrence), so I picked up some boxed soups and broth. The soups I tried were Carrot-Ginger and Organic Creamy Tomato. Both were sweeter than the Imagine soups, which (I realized after reading the ingredients) was due to the addition of rice syrup and, in the case of the carrot soup, honey. Like DebraG, I thought the sweetness was excessive, but, being a bit of a dairy fiend, I loved the tomato soup anyway. The carrot-ginger soup wasn’t bad, either.

As for the broth, it seemed to me to be a bit more diluted than the Imagine broths. It’s also less chicken-like than Imagine’s “No-Chicken” broth and less tomato-ey than Imagine’s regular vegetable broth, which makes it more versitile than the latter. I used it in a bean soup that I usually make with plain water and was pleased with the results.

Naomi Chana: Thanks for another interesting “semi-homemade” idea. I’ll try it some time.

By: Naomi Chana

Naomi Chana — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 02:49:05 +0000

I use TJ’s vegetable broth — and once in awhile a boxed mushroom broth the brand of which I forget — to simulate chicken and beef broths, respectively, in situations where I don’t want to use bouillon cubes.

As for the Imagine mushroom soup, if you cook down a generous quantity of sliced or chunked mushrooms (just plain ol’ crimini works great) with maybe a splash of sherry, then add the soup, heat through, and grind on lots of pepper, it’s very tasty. The soy taste is masked, and the mushroominess really comes through.

By: HB

HB — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:44:06 +0000

We really like the TJs sweet potato bisque.

By: DebraG

DebraG — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 14:13:26 +0000

At your recommendations, we tried the Trader Joe’s creamy tomato soup last night. The consistency was lovely, nice, creamy. But, very little tomato taste and way too sweet. You’d be better off mixing crushed tomatoes with some oregano, cooking a little, straining and adding some butter and cream!

Though having that box on the shelf is certainly more convenient!

By: jabbett

jabbett — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 03:30:20 +0000

Stopped by Trader Joe’s this evening, and noticed they carry a few other OU-certified soup flavors: corn with roasted pepper (weird greenish color, but good tasting), carrot ginger, and sweet potato bisque.

Oh, and I sent Imagine an e-mail today urging them to make their meat varieties kosher. Who knows?

By: Marsha

Marsha — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:34:49 +0000

I use the No-Chicken Broth for pareve soup all the time. Very useful. There is a brand of parevevegetable broth that comes in individual one-cup boxes that I like a lot, but can’t remember the brand now.

By: David

David — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 14:37:03 +0000

We always add a bit of frozen corn to the corn soup to add texture. Grate some cheddar cheese on top, and it’s perfect.

By: rachel b.

rachel b. — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 15:58:13 +0000

that trader joe’s creamy tomato soup is really good, i’ll second that. dairy, but really, really delicious.
i like these product taste-test features on your blog.

By: elf

elf — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 06:29:33 +0000

Jabbett: That’s a nice looking corn chowder recipe. I think I’d enjoy the creamy corn soup much better than way.

I recently learned that one of my vegetarian friends is sensitive to MSG, so I am planning to phase out the powdered mixes that I usually use and replace them with “No Chicken Broth.” It’s good to know that the broth can be diluted for cooking.

I have tried Imagine’s regular vegetable broth. It’s not bad, but a bit too tomatoey to be used in a wide range of recipes.

TAM: Thanks for the tips. I would like to try the Trader Joe’s soups, if I manage to schlep myself to Trader Joe’s any time in the next decade. I’m sure they’re more cost effective than Imagine’s.

By: TAM

TAM — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 02:20:29 +0000

You may also enjoy Trader Joe’s brands of boxed soups, some of which are dairy. The creamy tomato is a hit, especially with some cheese grated on top. They also carry a parve vegetable broth, handy in recipes which call for chicken broth. FYI: Whole Foods discounts case purchases by 5%.