Take Your Canned Soup Up A Notch With A Little Greek Yogurt

As much as we love a heaping pot of soup made from scratch, sometimes we want to prioritize convenience, and what's more convenient than a can of soup? These instant meals can be filling, nutritious, and comforting. However, sometimes the flavor falls flat. There are some simple ingredients that can elevate your canned soup with no extra elbow grease, such as Greek yogurt.

Greek yogurt boasts a subtly tangy yet not-too-sour flavor that can balance the savory ingredients in your favorite can of soup. Whether it's full-fat, 2%, or fat-free, Greek yogurt can add a rich, creamy texture to watery broths and balance the flavors. For instance, if you like your soup spicy, a dollop of cooling yogurt can complement the fire, but if your peppery soup is too spicy for your preferences, this dairy product can also mellow out the burn.

It's not just the flavor and texture of your canned soup that can benefit from Greek yogurt. This common kitchen ingredient is rich in essential vitamins and minerals and high in protein and probiotics, bolstering the nutrition of your meal.

Before you run to the supermarket to get a tub of yogurt for your next canned soup meal, pay attention to the differences between Greek yogurt and regular yogurt. For starters, both options are high in probiotics and protein, so if you're adding yogurt to your canned soup for nutritional purposes, both Greek and standard yogurt are good options. But there are a few reasons why we recommend Greek yogurt for jazzing up a can of soup.

Unlike regular yogurt, its Greek counterpart is strained to remove whey, which results in a thicker and creamier quality and creates a velvety soup consistency. Greek yogurt tends to have a tangier and sharper flavor, giving your soup a noticeable new dimension, while regular yogurt is milder in taste. One of the most convincing reasons to use Greek yogurt in your canned soup is that, unlike ordinary yogurt, it doesn't curdle when introduced to hot foods. No one wants chunks of milky, coagulated yogurt floating in their broth. Greek yogurt will blend into your soup and boost its overall flavor without compromising its texture and appearance.

Like any culinary experiment, you should be careful with how you use Greek yogurt in your soup. The most important tip to remember is to match the yogurt's characteristics with the soup's flavor profile. Acidic soups like tomato basil are excellent Greek yogurt partners. Tomato soup meshes well with the tanginess of yogurt, which enhances the creaminess without overshadowing the savory-sweet tomato base. 

You can never go wrong with adding Greek yogurt to a spicy soup, either. Whether it's an jalapeño-kissed tortilla soup or a spicy Indian curry soup, Greek yogurt gives spicy soups a cooling, creamy edge that balances the heat without entirely curbing its fire. The yogurt is also great in veggie- or legume-centric soups, as it brings an interesting complexity to the earthiness of these canned staples. It can also be used as a substitute in soups that traditionally call for sour cream, such as borscht. 

Take caution when adding Greek yogurt to ultra-creamy soups like chowder or broccoli cheddar. Too much creaminess or dairy can turn a tasty, well-balanced soup into a heaping gelatinous mess, obscuring the nuanced flavors and textures that define the soup's appeal.

However you go about it, next time you have a can of soup and a cup of Greek yogurt, mix them together and watch your dinner transform into a meal with decadent nuance.