For the past few months, I’ve come to a new appreciation for Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix. It is one of the few gluten-free, low fat / cholesterol cooking aids I was already familiar with, was cheap enough to stockpile, and could find lots of uses for. Lately I’ve come to utilize it quite a bit. It finds it’s way into several recipes, sometimes as a substitute for something else, sometimes as a brand new experiment.
I have a deep & abiding love for shortcuts in cooking. I don’t love to make stuff from scratch, simply because I’m lazy & it takes lots and lots of time, preparation and ingredients that aren’t always easy to just keep on hand. Something like Onion Soup Mix comes in very, very handy then. I can stockpile it in my pantry & it keeps for a very long time. Also, it’s pretty cheap as far as gluten-free products go. (Only the Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix is gluten free, not their other soup mix options, FYI.)
Here are a few easy recipes that I’ve prepared quite a bit lately using my new food pal:
Chicken, Onion & Potato Bake
2-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
4 large red potatoes, cut into bitesize chunks
1 medium onion
1 pkg Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix
3 T water
Mix everything in a large Ziploc bag and shake to coat. Spread in a shallow baking pan (I use my round stoneware baker). Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.
Onion Chicken
2-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/3 C Miracle Whip (we use Light)
1 pkg Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix
Breadcrumbs*
Mix Miracle Whip & soup mix. Spread onto chicken breasts and top with breadcrumbs, if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
*I’ve been substituting Rice Chex crumbs for breadcrumbs and love the crunch. Jake is not a fan, so we just leave them off for him, which he likes fine.
Onion Roasted Potatoes
1 pkg Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix
¼ C olive or canola oil
2 lbs potatoes, washed & cubed (red potatoes work the best)
In a large bowl, add all ingredients and toss until potatoes are evenly coated. Spread potatoes in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes at 450 degrees or until tender and golden brown, stirring once midway through.
Quick Onion Rice Pilaf
1 ½ C Minute Rice
1 ½ C chicken broth
1 pkg Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix
Mix all ingredients together in a 2 quart microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir and let rest for 1-2 minutes. (This can be made with regular long grain rice: 1 C rice, 2 C chicken broth, 1 pkg soup mix. Cook as regular white rice.)