These 2 Campbell's Canned Soup Flavors Contain The Least Sodium

Canned soup is a quick and simple dinner that can be eaten on its own or used to enhance other dishes, such as macaroni and cheese. The downside to this quick convenience meal is that canned soup is often loaded with salt. Salt serves a few practical purposes, like building flavor and acting as a preservative in canned goods. However, consuming too much of it can lead to long-term health issues like high blood pressure and kidney failure. A standard serving of a classic like Campbell's condensed chicken noodle soup, for example, contains a whopping 840 milligrams of sodium. (The American Heart Association recommends an optimal amount of no more than 1,500 milligrams daily.) 

In a 2009 press release, Campbell's said it wanted to offer "healthy" sodium levels in some of its soups, first launching lower-salt versions and then expanding to fully unsalted choices. The line of unsalted soups includes three options: unsalted cream of mushroom, unsalted tomato, and unsalted cream of chicken. The cream of mushroom and tomato have the lowest sodium of any of Campbell's soups at 60 milligrams per serving.

With so much less sodium, you might wonder if the ingredients list differs between the standard Campbell's versions and the low-sodium choices. For the cream of mushroom varieties, the standard and unsalted options differ only in that the latter has no added salt; the first five ingredients in each list are exactly the same: water, mushrooms, vegetable oil (corn, canola, and/or soybean), modified cornstarch, wheat flour. Nutritionally, the fat, calories, and protein content are the same, too, save the standard cream of mushroom having one additional gram of protein. A standard cream of mushroom serving has 860 milligrams of sodium — a stark contrast to the unsalted version.

The same is true for the tomato soup. The four main ingredients — tomato puree, water, wheat flour, and sugar — are the same in both cans, as are the macros. A standard serving of the tomato soup has 480 milligrams of sodium. When purchasing either of these soups, consider that the unsalted versions allow you to add your desired amount of salt to the dish. If it's too bland, add a pinch of kosher salt to build flavor while still giving yourself a much-lower-sodium alternative.

The biggest question: Do the unsalted soups taste the same as the salted versions? The short answer is no. Salt is a major flavor enhancer; without it, food generally tastes bland. Based on customer reviews, that's the case here, too, but that doesn't mean the soups aren't worth buying.

"I've used these in a couple cream of mushroom casserole recipes, and they are not great replacements for the real thing. The consistency is much different ... just totally throws off the whole recipe," one person wrote in a r/LowSodium Reddit thread, adding the unsalted versions are much thinner. However, other people noted the soups are worth buying if you plan to incorporate them into certain sauces or use them as a base for some dishes; you can even use the cream of mushroom as a ramen base. It ultimately depends on how much of a difference in flavor and thickness you're willing to accept.

As for the tomato soup, the consensus is similar. One person posted about the soup options in another r/LowSodium thread, saying the tomato soup is "pretty good," albeit a little bland. Another user added that the tomato soup is great for dipping a grilled cheese. If you want to try the soups and improve their flavor, add a bit of crushed red pepper, garlic powder, or other flavorful spices that can help make the lack of salt less noticeable.