Product: Amy’s Kitchen Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup (Light in Sodium) – $2.89+
What is more comforting after a long day than a nice, piping hot, bowl of soup. It’s one of those things that I find comforting, warming me from the inside out. It’s like a blanket in food form. I love soup. I always have. And it’s so versatile and varied. Even the same type of soup can vary in flavor when it comes to brand or, in my favorite scenario, who made it.
Being a strong believer in homemade soups, I’ve been testing the waters again when it comes to the packaged and canned stuff. The thing I have to watch for, however, is soups that might have gluten in them.
Thankfully, there is Amy’s Kitchen. While not all products are gluten-free, they are clearly labeled on the products. I like that. I’m more likely to buy something that is labeled gluten-free than take a risk by just guessing by looking at the ingredients.
Well, tonight I came home. And since I’m packing up to head down to Birmingham, Alabama for a a gluten-free expo this weekend (and 5K race), I wanted something quick and easy for dinner. The other day, my grocery store was running a sale on soups by Amy’s Kitchen. So, being the intrepid grocery shopper I am, I snagged a few different varieties.
Tonight…my pantry grab brought out Amy’s Kitchen’s Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup (the light in sodium variety).
Upon opening the can and emptying the contents into a pan on my stove, the first thing I realized was just how much the soup resembled the picture on the front. You got to love a company that is very straightforward about what their product is. No gussied up, photoshopped, images on the cans that look nothing like the slop you poured out. No…with Amy’s Kitchen, what you see is truly what you get. I admire that in a company.
As the soup was heating through, it smelled fantastic. I was prepping my gluten-free table crackers and giving an occasional stir every now and again to help keep the heating process even. It was ready within five minutes. You can’t complain when dinner is served within minutes of opening the can.
I am a huge, huge fan of Amy’s Kitchen. I’ve yet to have a product I dislike yet. And that’s still the case. That being said, while I liked this soup, I didn’t love it. It was loaded with vegetables and protein-packed lentils (the runner in me LOVES that). However, I found it to be a bit bland. It didn’t lack flavor, not at all. The vegetables and the lentils were delicious. I just felt it lacked a bit of seasoning. But, I did buy the lighter in sodium variety of this soup, because I am a heart healthy individual and find that the sodium levels in soups and frozen meals can be rather ridiculous on sodium content. So, I give this one a pass on the seasoning thing. I do appreciate a company that puts forth the effort to slice sodium levels in their products for the masses.
This soup was definitely filling, despite only being 160 calories per serving. The lentils, I’m sure, had something to do with that. I did enjoy dipping my crackers into this soup and scooping up the vegetables and lentils to enjoy. I just wasn’t over-the-moon with this soup. I would probably buy it again, but it’s not at the top of my list for soups I just have to stock in my pantry for lazy supper nights.
I admire Amy’s Kitchen and the foods that they provide. It’s one of the few companies out there that caters to the gluten-free vegetarian. Perfect. And I still have yet to find a product that I don’t like. I just happen to like others a little more than this one.
But in the end, it filled me up, warmed me up, and satisfied my hunger. And that’s the important thing.
The Celiathlete 