Kidney Bean Chowder

Whenever I can't find what I want to make online, I get worried that it's a bad idea.  But this just felt like a good pantry meal on a winter day.  It's mostly a can of kidney beans and a can of tomato soup.  Add some potato, onion, celery, herbs, and a touch of cream, and it's done.  For vegan, purée the potatoes instead of adding cream.

I keep waffling between prepping and really not liking how much processed food is in the pantry.  Every time I'm determined to just work my way through the canned goods and be done with it, there's a new variant, product shortages, or warnings of inflation.  Doing Pantry Challenge January did save me a lot of inconvenience when I had to quarantine.  But a two-week meal plan is not the same thing as having two months of food on hand.  Weather will never strand me in my house.  I have both gas and electric forms of cooking in the kitchen, plus the charcoal grill and a couple of fondue pots.  The only thing I really should be storing is water, in case an earthquake disrupts it, and that's covered.

So I'm going to start January a couple of weeks early and make a concerted effort to use foods on-hand.  After the $60 grocery trip the day I bought the lamb for the Wellington, cutting back on grocery bills is an admirable goal.  I'll still purchase extreme deals when I find them, but only if I can foresee exactly what they will be used for.  (I'm looking at you, tomato soup.)

1 medium russet potato (about 8oz)
1 C diced onion
*1/2 C diced celery
1 Tb olive oil
1/4 tsp each dried thyme, parsley, and oregano
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
*1 10.5 oz can tomato soup
* 1 15 oz can light red kidney beans
water to thin
*1/2 C cream

1.  Dice potato into 1/2" cubes (peeling optional).  Place in a saucepan with water to cover.  Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook while you make the rest of the soup.

2.  Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion and celery and allow to cook until softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You don't want them to brown.  Add herbs and pepper and cook until fragrant, another minute.

3.  Drain and rinse kidney beans.  Add to the soup pot along with the tomato soup.  It's going to be very thick, like a stew.  Add water to reach desired consistency.  I used about half a cup.  Remember that you will also be adding half a cup of cream.  Heat to a low boil, then lower heat to simmer.

4.  Test the potatoes.  If done, they should break apart when pierced with a fork.  Drain and add to soup.  Stir in cream.  Taste and add salt if necessary, but canned tomato soup already has a lot, even the "healthy" versions.  Serve immediately.

Difficulty rating  π