Our Least Favorite Store-Bought Vegetable Soup Tastes Like A Whole Lot Of Nothing

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While there's nothing like scratch-made soup, sometimes we just don't have time to dedicate to a homemade recipe. And with so many canned soup brands out there, it's easy to find a convenient option that still tastes comforting and delicious. Vegetable soup is one of the most popular varieties that most brands offer, so we tasted and rated 10 store-bought vegetable soups to find the ones worth buying. Unfortunately, we also found the brand worth leaving on the shelves: Pacific Foods organic hearty vegetable soup.

Our ranking was based on criteria including broth thickness, diversity of ingredients, price point, texture, and overall flavor. And while we applaud Pacific Foods for its dedication to organic, whole, and natural ingredients, that's about the only thing its vegetable soup had going for it. Consisting of potatoes, green beans, kale, corn, carrots, onion, peppers, and celery in a tomato-based broth, the soup was hardly hearty. Not only is there no real protein to fill you up, but the veggies were cut so small that they all but disappeared. Furthermore, the ratio of broth to veggies was far too large, so the majority of each spoonful was liquid. And the broth was arguably the worst part. Ironically, our first impression was an overly acidic tomato taste with abrasive garlic and spices. But after a few slurps, the broth became completely flavorless. Considering Pacific Food's organic label is on the pricey side, this soup is certainly not worth the cost.

We found disappointed reviews from Walmart customers, who also bemoan the taste and texture of Pacific Food's organic hearty vegetable soup. Mushy veggies were a common theme in their complaints. One Walmart customer commented on the consistency of the broth, stating, "the soup was kind of runny. I wish it was a little thicker." Another cried false advertisement, as the soup "wasn't as hearty as I would have hoped." How could it be with a tiny amount of mushy veggies drowning in tomato broth. Of course, the principal complaint was with the bland nature of the broth. One person wrote that the soup "would be a better product if it had a stronger flavor or a few more vegetables added to give it a bolder taste."

To that effect, there are additions you can make to store-bought soup to amp up its flavor. Fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice will go a long way, for example. If you're a spice lover, you can drizzle your favorite chili oil brand over each bowl with a sprinkle of feta cheese for a salty, creamy complement and increased protein. Another way to bring heartiness is to add homemade croutons for extra carbs, or a can of black beans for protein. Still, we'd skip the Pacific Foods vegetable soup and pick a higher-ranking option like our top-rated Rao's vegetable minestrone.