Clover Valley Tomato Condensed Soup (Dollar General)
Soup is often referred to as a comfort food. When winter sets in, going outdoors becomes less common, and people like to seek out things to make being inside more inviting. Hot foods, which are less common in the hot summer months, suddenly have their moment.
Canned soups have been around for a while, and are popular as a hot, easy-to-make comfort food. Most stores that carry any kind of food at all carry canned soups, because they last unopened on the shelf for a long time. That’s good for a store, and it’s also good for customers looking for long-lasting food options.
Campbell’s soups, which date back to the 1860s, are the most common name in the soup business, and can be found at virtually any major large grocer. Many stores also offer their own generic version of soup under a private label. Dollar General sells both name-brand Campbell’s soups as well as some soups under its Clover Valley house brand.
Clover Valley Tomato Soup can be found in the canned food section of the store. The 10.75 ounce can costs 50 cents. This is less than the $1.50-$1.80 we pay for Campbell’s at normal pricing or even the $1 sale price. DG soup is also the same cost as the 10.75 ounce Aldi tomato soup. In short, it’s a good price.
If you’re familiar with making most canned condensed soups, you’ll be right at home here. You simply pop open the can, then pour the contents of the can alongside either one can of water or one can of milk. I prefer milk myself. The can comes with a pop-top tab, so you won’t need a can opener.
You can make this soup using either a microwave or a stovetop. To use the microwave, you combine the can contents with one can of milk or water in a microwave safe container, then cover and heat on high for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until hot. Then you let sit for 1 minute before serving.
To cook on the stove top, you mix the can contents with one can of milk or water in a saucepan, then heat over the stovetop and stir until it simmers.
I personally prefer cooking mine over the stovetop, but either method typically works.
It’s not a bad tomato soup. The flavor is not quite as complex as the salty-with-a-bit-of-sweet that Campbell’s is, but it’s good on its merits, with enough flavor to not need doctoring. Our family liked it and would no problem eating it again, especially paired with grilled cheese.
Nutritionally, it’s about what you expect: some calories, and lots of sodium.
The Verdict:
Dollar General tomato soup is a cheap, perfectly serviceable tomato soup. It’s maybe a step down from Campbell’s, but not a big step, and for the price it’s pretty good. Worth a look if you need cheap but still enjoyable tomato soup.
