Next Time You Heat Up Canned Soup, Add A Teaspoon Of This Cheese On Top

Canned soups are a lot of things: cheap, convenient, accessible, and available in more than enough flavor options. But they tend to lack the homey, cozy feelings we associate with soups that have been simmered for hours on the stovetop. That being said, there are many ways that you can upgrade store-bought canned soup — including by reaching for that container of feta in your fridge.

Feta may seem like an unlikely matchup for canned soup, given that it has a slightly rubbery texture and is very salty (especially considering that most store-bought soup is usually high enough in sodium). But, the cheese adds just the right amount of tangy and savory depth to an overly bland soup, as well as a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Just don't expect that a tablespoon of feta on top will melt like Gruyère when crumbled over a bowl of French onion soup. It will, however, add a unique twist, as well as help you convince the people that you're serving it to that it's (somewhat) homemade.

There are so many canned soups worth buying, and just as many that can benefit from a pinch of feta. One of our favorites is tomato. It's rare that you get a canned tomato soup that hits all the marks; sometimes, it's just too sweet or too acidic. Feta has enough salty flavor to help balance out flavors, while its creamy texture will go well with the thick, condensed consistency of the soup. Pair it with a Greek-inspired grilled cheese stuffed with Kalamata olives, spinach, melty mozzarella, and, of course, feta. A canned butternut squash soup, which more often than not leans sweet, would also appreciate the briny bite of the cheese. 

You aren't limited to canned soup here, either. A refreshing summer gazpacho (like this very green rendition) could benefit from the color and flavor contrast of the feta, while a hearty potato leek soup would taste even better with the salty cheese. It would even do wonders to balance earthy bean stews and minestrones, or amplify the richness in recipes already laden with feta. Canned or otherwise, soup and feta is one pairing that you shouldn't knock until you try.