Home Cooks Top Baked Potatoes With This Hearty Canned Soup For A Comforting Meal

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Chilly fall nights only mean one thing: It's time to whip up the coziest, most warming dishes in your repertoire. Whether that's a homemade baked mac and cheese or a hearty chipotle turkey chili, those comfort foods become infinitely more necessary as the weather gets colder. But soups and casseroles can be time-consuming, especially during busy weeknights. That's where the humble but beloved baked potato comes in. Not only is it a relatively hands-off dish, but the potato itself is incredibly versatile, meaning there are plenty of ways to customize it to fit your flavor and texture preferences. For those looking for a way to mix things up this season, turn to your pantry. According to home cooks on Reddit, canned broccoli cheese soup is the simple upgrade your baked potatoes need.

On a Reddit thread, one home cook asked for baked potato topping suggestions, and another Redditor shared their love of pouring broccoli cheese soup over theirs. "MMMM," one fan gushed. In a separate Reddit thread, a home cook shared an image of their baked potato, which featured the same canned soup topping. It appears that all they did to make it was heat up the soup and pour it on top. Fellow home cooks were totally amazed. "Brilliant!" one wrote. "That looks cheap and delicious," another shared. An 18-ounce can of Progresso Broccoli Cheese Soup costs less than $2 at Walmart, so they would absolutely be right.

Broccoli and cheese are popular baked potato toppings on their own, which is why this combo works. However, this trick makes the combo ten times easier to achieve. Instead of whipping up a cheese sauce and chopping up fresh broccoli, the canned soup is ready to be poured directly over the potato — no extra dishes or prep necessary. While the texture might not be as thick as a traditional cheese sauce that's made with a roux, the cheese flavor will still be there — and broccoli cheese soups are often made with cheddar, which adds that bold, sharp kick. So unless you dislike the lighter texture of soup, this swap is the perfect solution to achieving that flavor profile with minimal effort.

If broccoli and cheese aren't your preferred flavors to add to a baked potato, you can use the swap as a starting point and add other canned soups instead. If you have a favorite canned chili, for instance, heat it up and use it as a sauce on your potato. Plus, it's packed with protein. Beyond chili, other thick, creamy soups — like cream of mushroom or even clam chowder for a protein boost — work just as well. Whichever soup you choose, you'll be glad you kept things simple (and cheap) for the ultimate cozy meal.