I’ve reached the stage of life where I want dinner to taste like I tried, without trying all that hard. I still like to chop an onion and feel competent. I just don’t want to measure eleven spices at 5:30 on a Tuesday.

Enter Frontier Soups. I’ve been cooking my way through their mixes this fall, and I filmed three of them so you can watch me do it in real time.

What Are Frontier Soup Mixes?

Frontier Soups started in the 1980s, when founder Trisha Anderson sold a bean soup mix at a holiday market in Illinois. The company now goes by Anderson House and is still family owned, based in Gurnee, Illinois.

Each mix comes in a clear pouch, so you see exactly what you’re getting: dried beans, dehydrated vegetables, pasta and herbs. No mystery powder. The bags I used say no added salt and nothing artificial. You bring the broth, the protein and a few fresh things, and you get a big pot of soup in about 30 to 45 minutes.

The no-added-salt part matters more than it sounds. You control the sodium, which means your broth does the seasoning. Buy a good one.

Frontier Soups Chicken Stew: The Comfort Food Pick

This is the one I’d make for a friend who just had a lousy week. The Colorado Campfire Chicken Stew mix is packed with navy beans, carrots, potatoes, peas, celery and bell pepper, plus thyme, bay leaf and sage.

Melt butter, sauté an onion, stir in a little flour (or cornstarch for gluten free(, then add broth and the mix. Toss in cooked chicken, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. That’s it. The package even includes a dumpling variation using refrigerated biscuits, which I plan to try the next time it snows in Denver. So, tomorrow.

Frontier Soups Beef Goulash: Hearty Without the Fuss

Goulash means something different in every family. In mine, it now means this. I browned ground beef with mushrooms, onion and celery, added the Beef Goulash mix and beef broth, then finished it with a can of Ro-Tel and a splash of Worcestershire.

The Ro-Tel isn’t on the package. That’s my move. It adds a little heat and tang without turning the whole thing into chili. The result is thick, filling and makes the kind of leftovers you actually look forward to.

Frontier Soups Chicken Chili: The Weeknight Remix

Confession: this started life as the Arizona Sunset Enchilada Soup Mix. I turned it into chili, because nobody’s checking. I sautéed red onion, browned ground chicken, then added the mix, chicken bone broth and corn and let it simmer. A spoonful of sour cream on top and dinner was done.

This is what these mixes do best. They give you a solid base you can push in whatever direction your fridge suggests.

My Honest Frontier Soups Review

Here are the reasons I use and love Frontier Soup mixes:

• Real ingredients you can identify by looking at the bag
• No added salt, so you’re in charge of the flavor
• One bag makes about 8 servings, which means dinner plus lunch, plus a container for later
• Easy to customize with whatever protein or vegetables you have

Here’s what to know going in: these aren’t dump-and-walk-away. You’ll sauté, brown and simmer. If you want soup in a microwave cup, keep moving. If you want homemade soup without the homemade grocery list, this is it.

Frontier Soups Gift Boxes: A Present That Actually Gets Used

Here’s the truth about gifts at our age. Nobody needs another candle. Everybody needs dinner.

Frontier Soups makes gift boxes for most of the people on your list. The Perfect Pair bundles one soup mix with a cornbread mix, which makes it an easy hostess or neighbor gift. There’s a Get Well box for the friend who needs soup and sympathy, plus a Gluten Free box, a Vegetarian box and a Turn Up the Heat box for the person who puts hot sauce on everything. If you really want to commit, the Seasonal Souper Club sends a box every season for a year.

You can add a gift message at checkout (they write the cards by hand) and choose a future ship date, so you can order now and cross it off your list. And yes, code JILL10 works on gift boxes too.

Save 10% On Frontier Soups

Shop Frontier Soups here and use code JILL10 at checkout for a 10% discount. My husband says to start with the chicken stew. Thank me later.

TRY MY OTHER SOUP RECIPES!

Here are some other soup recipes you might enjoy:

• Red Lentil Soup with Chicken Sausage
• Anti-Inflammatory Thai Chicken & Meatball Soup
• Poblano Chicken Chowder
• Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup in the Instant Pot
• Matzo Ball Soup
• Anti-Inflammatory Lentil Soup
• Easy Sausage Cassoulet Soup
• 10-Minute Black Bean Soup

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