A packaged soup can quickly be turned into a tasty sauce, and add color and richness to dishes. By mixing the soup concentrate with herbs or spices, you can have your sauce in minutes.

 
These two categories of soup, undiluted or diluted to the consistency you like, can be quickly heated in the microwave and placed on a plate, with the protein on top.

You can also use broth—beef, chicken, mushroom, vegetable—but you need to use a bowl instead of a plate.

Soup topped with a fish fillet and garnished with sliced green onions and lots of fresh herbs. Photo courtesy VitalChoice.com.

But before you open the soup, think of what you have on hand to enhance the flavor and appearance:

 
Even though you start with packaged soup, you end up putting your own stamp on the sauce.

And, given the different soups and enhancements you can add to them, you have endless possibilities!

So the next time you look at plain grilled chicken, fish or tofu, just open the pantry and fridge to see what you can turn into a soup-based sauce.