What's for dinner? Seven-Can Soup

This soup is easy and surprisingly tasty, with very little prep.

I started making Seven Can Soup after I begged the recipe from my co-worker Michelle, who often brought it in for her lunch.  She got the recipe a few years ago from a Weight Watcher’s meeting, but the recipe is not unique to them; variations of this recipe are all over the internet.

This is my take on the recipe.  If  you can remember these 7 ingredients while shopping at the store, or you planned ahead and have the ingredients in your pantry, you have a dinner meal in 15 just minutes once you start opening cans.  

There is quite a bit of wiggle room in the recipe. If your canned item isn’t exactly 15 ounces, that’s OK.  If you forget to bring home the refried beans (like I often do), take a can of pinto beans or another canned bean and mash them instead.

Seven-Can Soup

1  15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

1  15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1  15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1  15-ounce can fat-free refried beans

1  12.5-ounce can white meat chicken breast, drained (break up the chunks)

1  15-ounce can chicken broth (lower sodium if desired)

1.5 to 2 cups salsa, any level of hotness

Add all ingredients to a Dutch oven-sized pan (you’re making over 3 quarts of soup) and gently heat.  (Because the refried beans are a “hidden” thickener, I pour the refried beans into the pan with the broth first, wisk them together, then add the other ingredients.)

Serve soup with tortilla chips and a green salad.  Tastes great warmed up.

Makes about 12-13 cups. Nutrition information per one cup: 112 calories, 11 grams protein, 1 gram fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 17 milligrams cholesterol, 332 milligrams sodium.

Yes, my photo looks redder than it normally would; that’s because I pureed a can of chili hot beans and used those instead of the refried beans this time.  The soup tasted great.