For a very long time now, I have claimed soup as one of my favorite foods and consider myself somewhat of a soup connoisseur. With this in mind, I have charged myself with providing The Sunflower’s readers with an honest ranking of popular fall soups.

I chose the following 10 canned soups by including some of my favorites, least favorites and even soups that I had never tried before.

Some of the things I look for in a good fall soup are as follows:

• Consistency and texture:If the soup is supposed to be smooth, is it smooth enough? If it’s meant to have texture, is it just the right amount, or is it unsettling?
• Seasoning:Does the soup make good use of salt, pepper and other spices to add depth, or is it bland and boring?
• Comfort and fall feeling: Does the soup evoke a sense of fall nostalgia and give me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside?

Campbell’s Broccoli Cheese

1/10 – I personally do not find anything more repulsive than warm broccoli. Not only that, but I do not think that a soup should be primarily cheese or any other dairy product, for that matter. This has been one of my least favorite soups for a while and does not meet any of the qualifications that I believe make a good fall soup.

Campbell’s Steak and Potato 

2/10 – I found this Campbell’s soup to be very bland. It was basically just gravy with steak and potatoes. There was also a sparse amount of mushrooms. This was a new soup for me, and I do not think it captures the essence of fall at all.

Panera Brand Loaded Baked Potato

3/10 – I want to note first that this is specifically a rating of the Panera brand soup before I give my critiques. I found that this soup lacked the seasoning that I was wanting in a fall soup. Additionally, for a loaded baked potato soup, it was not very “loaded”. I definitely think this is a soup that would be better enjoyed at a restaurant, as I have done in the past, rather than having it out of a store-bought container. However, it was still a good and hearty soup with decent-sized chunks of potato.

Pacific Brand Butternut Squash Soup

4/10 – This soup has a very smooth texture. The seasonings paired with the aroma make for a very nice fall feel, but it is still very flat and needs some spice. I also wish that there was some sort of vegetable element besides the butternut squash. I had never had this soup before and will say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Progresso’s Creamy Chicken and Dumplings

5/10 – I really like the seasoning and warmness of the broth and the vegetables are really nice. However, I do not think that there is enough chicken and I wish the dumplings were a bit bigger. Additionally, chicken and dumplings is a soup that I would typically eat all year round. I do not necessarily think it gives the full feeling of Fall.

Progresso’s Chicken Noodle

6/10 – This soup, although very similar to chicken and dumplings, was better by having more chicken and noodles. Besides this point, I feel very similarly about this soup as I did about the chicken and dumplings in regard to its fall feeling.

Progresso’s Tomato Basil

7/10 – This soup, although very plain, truly gives me that feeling of fall nostalgia. It is best to have it with grilled cheese or some kind of bread. I think it is very well seasoned and has a very nice, smooth texture. This is a soup that I order frequently at places such as Oak and Pie.

Campbell’s French Onion

8/10 – This is one of my favorite soups of all time, and it makes me feel very nostalgic. It comes close to that fall feeling I am looking for. I do give this soup a lot of credit for tasting like I bought it at a restaurant straight out of the can. It matches in consistency and texture, but the seasoning does leave a little to be desired.

Progresso’s Chicken Tortilla

9/10 – This soup does give a fall feeling as it is very similar to a chili, but it still did not give the sense of warmth and comfort that I was looking for. It had a very even amount of all the different components: beans, corn, chicken, etc. However, I did think that the seasoning left a little to be desired. This is a soup that I have had before.

Campbell’s Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

10/10 – Even though it does not hold a candle to a homemade gumbo, this is still very good. The rice and sausage with the broth and vegetables fully evoke the feeling of fall nostalgia. It is very well seasoned. My only gripe would be that the chunks of celery are a bit too large.