The Canned Soup You Need For Effortless Pasta Sauce, And It's Not Tomato

Making your own pasta sauce might sound daunting, but it's actually pretty easy. If you're going for a basic homemade tomato sauce, you just need good-quality tomatoes, olive oil, and sea salt. But what if you want a hearty, cozy cream sauce that resembles more of an Alfredo or a cheese sauce? The easiest way to do it might just be with canned soup.

Any "cream of" soup has the ability to become a deliciously comforting cream sauce for your next pasta dish. Cream of mushroom is a great one because it already has so much mushroom flavor packed into the condensed soup. All you need are a few add-ons, like cream and a little cheese, to turn the sauce into something similar to a mushroom Alfredo. If you want a little more texture in the dish, don't be afraid to sauté some mushrooms and onions, too. It's an extra step, but it brings the whole dish together.

You could just add a little pasta water to the can of soup, toss it with your favorite pasta shape, and call it a day. But if you want to just use the cream of mushroom as a base, there are plenty of ways to dress it up and turn it into what tastes like a slow-simmered sauce. The sauce is already rich, so you don't need any butter. Do add a little dry white wine or rosé if you have it because that acidity will cut through the rich, salty soup and balance it out. You can sauté some mushrooms and garlic for added texture and flavor, or caramelize some onions for even deeper notes.

The mushroom soup is pretty thick, so thin it out with some whole milk. Or, if you don't want to add any more richness to the dish, season the pasta water; just before the pasta is done cooking, remove most of the water, then slowly add it into your cream sauce until it reaches your desired thickness. Basic seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, and a little crushed red pepper are great additions to. One thing to watch out for: too much salt. Since cream of mushroom soup is usually quite salty, you might want to skip the salt altogether. The finished product will convince you this savory sauce has been sitting on the stove for hours.