Best Ready-Made Chicken Noodle, Minestrone, and Lentil Soups

The soups that came chilled or frozen topped our taste ratings. “A lot of them tasted like they could have been freshly made and had better texture,” says Amy Keating, RD, a CR nutritionist who led our testing.

This could be because packaging soup in cans, boxes, jars, or pouches involves a high-temperature process, which can mute the flavor of ingredients and also make veggies, noodles, and beans mushy. That said, our tasters were pleasantly surprised to find that a handful of the canned and boxed soups tasted quite good. “Several others were decent and could be jazzed up to improve the flavor,” Keating says. Our tests also showed that store brands could be just as delicious as soups from the big names—at a more palatable price.

In general, chicken noodle, minestrone, and lentil soups can be good for you, although the sodium content may be a concern (more on that later). The soups in our tests were fairly low in calories (about 100 to 200 per cup) and saturated fat (about 1 to 4 grams per cup); saturated fat is linked to heart disease.

Just keep your eye on serving size: It’s pretty easy to eat the entire can or container, says Angela Odoms-Young, PhD, an associate professor and nutrition researcher at Cornell University. If you do, you’ll need to multiply the amount of sodium and other nutrients.

You may wonder about the quality of prepackaged soups. We found that most were made with whole-food ingredients and contained few, if any, additives. Almost half had no gums, modified food starch (a thickener), emulsifiers, or so-called “natural” flavors (which may be extracted in a lab using synthetic solvents). Several others had just one or two additives. “While these additives are not necessarily harmful, it’s not hard to find packaged soups with fewer or none,” Keating says.

Soups typically aren’t protein powerhouses, but they can contribute a decent amount. “Even though most people get enough protein in their diets without really trying, protein does help you feel full, so it’s good to have some at every meal and snack,” Keating says. Close to half the soups we tested had 7 to 9 grams of protein per cup, about what’s in a large egg. Just be mindful of protein claims. For instance, Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle boasts 13 grams of protein on the label. But look closely at the smaller type and you’ll see that’s for the whole can, not a single serving.

Soup can also give you a respectable fiber fix, especially when it contains legumes. Fiber promotes satiety, keeps your digestive system running smoothly, and may help lower cholesterol. The recommended daily value for fiber is 28 grams. About half of the minestrone and almost all the lentil soups we tested offer at least 4 grams in a single cup.

Chicken soup gets a lot of buzz as a cold and flu remedy. A study in the journal Chest found that chicken and vegetable soup had anti-inflammatory effects in a lab setting, and reducing inflammation may help control some symptoms. But any soup is hydrating, which is important when you’re ill, and the hot liquid and steam may be useful in thinning mucus and opening up swollen airways. Plus, vegetable-based soups can deliver nutrients that support a healthy immune system. For instance, carrots, spinach, and winter squash are rich in vitamin A, while broccoli, potatoes, and tomatoes contain vitamin C.

While soup can be an easy and healthy convenience food, here’s what to look out for when shopping for any flavor.

Sodium: A high amount was the biggest nutrition pitfall in our tests. The daily recommended limit is 2,300 mg, and ideally, a serving of soup should contain less than 650 mg, Keating says. Yet half of the soups we tested had more. Most of the lowest-sodium soups—with 280 mg or less—tasted just so-so. The one soup without any salt, Health Valley Organic Minestrone Soup No Salt Added, was quite bland. Still, for those on a very low-sodium diet, it could be a good pick if you perk it up with spices and herbs, Keating says.

Cheese and cream: Those ingredients, found in soups like broccoli cheese and cream of chicken, as well as those labeled “bisque” or “chowder” (not the broth- and lentil-based soups we tested), can pack in fat—as much as 20 grams per cup—and a significant proportion of it is saturated. That’s not to say you shouldn’t indulge; it’s all about balance. “If you have a higher-fat soup for lunch, you could choose lower-fat options for dinner,” Odoms-Young says.

Processed meat: Bits of bacon and ham may elevate the sodium level of a soup and contain nitrites or nitrates, which may raise the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. “If you typically don’t eat a lot of deli or breakfast meats, it’s okay to indulge sometimes,” Odoms-Young says. If you do, be aware.

Added sugar: Although the soups we tested contained no added sugar or just a few grams at most, companies may dial it up to offset the acidity of tomato soup and amplify the natural sweetness in pumpkin and squash varieties, Keating says. Check labels. The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 25 grams of sugar (6 teaspoons) per day; men, 36 grams (9 teaspoons).

Stuck with a meh soup, or want something heartier? Try these tips from Keating and Ann Taylor Pittman, co-author of “The Global Pantry Cookbook” (Workman Publishing, 2023).

Boost the flavor. Pour in a little white wine while the soup is simmering, or finish with a splash of lemon or lime juice, a vinegar-based hot sauce like Tabasco, or pesto. Or garnish with scallions or freshly grated ginger.

Add crunch. Sprinkle on toasted pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, roasted corn, or crumbled tortilla chips. Or try unsweetened coconut flakes on soups with a Thai or Indian profile.

Pump up richness. Swirl in Parmesan cheese, miso or tomato paste, truffle or sesame oil, or Worcestershire or soy sauce. For a tomato-based soup, try a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Stir in satisfaction. To enrich a soup, as it’s heating, drop in canned beans; leftover farro, quinoa, or chicken; cubes of extra-firm tofu; or baby spinach.

We tested 30 chicken noodle, minestrone, and lentil soups.

Our team sampled ready-to-eat soups (not condensed) from a mix of classic brands like Campbell’s and Progresso, newer ones such as Kettle & Fire and Proper Good, and private-label options from Aldi, Target, and other stores.

We tasted samples from three different lots of each soup and evaluated key nutrition parameters, including sodium, fiber, and saturated fat. The nutritional information listed is based on a 1-cup serving.

Soups with more vegetables and legumes, a sodium content of less than 650 mg per cup, whole-food ingredients, and no additives tended to get the most favorable nutrition scores. All soups are ranked within each category first by taste score, followed by nutrition score. Those with the same scores are listed in alphabetical order.

Although none of these nabbed the top rating for taste or nutrition, our testers found plenty to enjoy.

Nothing ruins a soup like overcooked or undercooked vegetables, but we found some that were just right.

This category had the most flavor variations and some top scorers for taste.