The Progresso Brand Soup You Need To Stock Up On

Progresso is a reliable soup brand with a plethora of flavors, but some are better than others. To help you figure out the best ones to choose from as you're scouring the soup aisle to stock your cupboard, Daily Meal ranked 14 Progresso soups — and one came out on top: the chicken and sausage gumbo.

Our tester ranked the soups based on quality, flavor, texture, and seasoning, leaving out the price since all flavors are priced the same. With all that in mind, the tester found the chicken and sausage gumbo "overflowing with flavor, brimming with spice, and as hearty and filling as any canned soup you'll find."

Further, there was no shortage of chicken, sausage, or veggies — including celery, green bell pepper, and okra — and the flavor was smoky and a bit spicy. The broth base is thick and filling, making it hearty like a stew, but not too thick to be a soup. It may just be the perfect solution for when you're craving a tasty Cajun or Creole dish but don't have time to make your own chicken and sausage gumbo.

In our review, the tester admits that the Progresso soup may not be the same as a made-from-scratch gumbo you'd get in Louisiana, but it hits the mark in many important ways. Progresso's version contains Andouille sausage, the most common type of sausage used for chicken and sausage gumbo. The canned gumbo also includes okra, which commonly shows up in Cajun and Creole cooking and is typically used as a thickener in dishes like gumbo. 

However, the gumbo does not contain the complete "holy trinity" of Creole and Cajun cooking. For anyone unfamiliar, the "holy trinity" of onion, celery, and green bell pepper serves as the aromatic base for traditional Cajun and Creole dishes (much like mirepoix in French cooking). In other words, the three ingredients are essential for a traditional gumbo. While Progresso's gumbo includes green bell pepper and celery, it's missing onions (although it does contain a small amount of onion powder).

Despite the lack of whole onions, Progresso's chicken and sausage gumbo fares pretty well compared to the traditional version of the dish. Its combination of flavorful ingredients and hearty, filling texture leave the other Progresso flavors in the dust.