The autumn and winter months are prime time to get cozy with some comfort foods, and Amy’s Kitchen is on board, offering more than 40 varieties of soups to savor. Last year, Amy’s Kitchen added vegan bisques and organic chowder with globally inspired flavors. This season, the organic and non-GMO food purveyor is shining a spotlight on its Organic Lentil Soup, Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque, and Organic Tortilla Soup.
“We agree you can never have too many [soups], and it’s always soup season here!” Amy’s Kitchen shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Amy’s soups are a staple of its veggie empire with plant-based, gluten-free, corn-free, dairy-free, and soy-free options. Low-fat and light-in-sodium versions are also available in multiple flavors. The brand’s Light in Sodium Lentil Soup contains 50% less sodium than its standard fare.
“Our soups start as vegetables, not as broth,” Amy’s Kitchen states on its website. “We begin by slowly sauteing tender organic vegetables with herbs, creating the base of each soup flavor. This modern, California-inspired method of making soups allows for the unique fresh flavors of each soup to come forward, rather than overwhelming the flavor with the taste of broth.”
Amy’s Kitchen selection ranges from Mushroom Bisque With Porcini and Organic Hearty Rustic Italian Vegetable Soup to Organic Vegan Butternut Squash Bisque and Organic Fire Roasted Southwestern Vegetable Soup.
On amys.com, there are plenty of recipes to peruse to enhance the soups into more lavish feasts if desired. One can of Amy’s Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque can be used to make a vegetable tray bake with some red onions, bell peppers, and zucchini, along with olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, lemon juice, chopped parsley, and spices. Amy’s Organic Split Pea Soup can be used to make vegan risotto, and a can of Amy’s Organic Tortilla Soup can be used to whip up a batch of sweet potato quesadillas.
Amy’s Kitchen Bowls Over Loyal Customers
Amy’s Kitchen has gotten more than its fair share of fan mail over the years. One of those love letters came from Bridget Shaughnessy of Berlin.
“My 6-year-old son was born in Ethiopia and was adopted at age 2. This afternoon, I was warming up a bowl of lentil soup, and he asked if he could have some while very enthusiastically licking his lips, his eyes as wide as saucers,” Shaughnessy wrote. “He lived on these lentils when he first got home but hasn’t touched them for the last couple of years. I happily spooned some of my soup into a small bowl for him. He devoured it in seconds and asked for more. I opened up another can and happily obliged.”
She added that she’s delighted Amy’s Kitchen lentil soup made such a positive impact on her child.
“While he may not remember this exactly, he likely has a muscle memory, subconscious memory, olfactory memory, taste memory that makes him happy and feel connected to his birth country and first mother,” Shaughnessy revealed. “I treasure this. I needed to share this with you today, because your soup is so much more than a soup in our home, and I am so grateful.”
Crafting food with intention has always been a priority for Amy’s Kitchen’s co-creators, Rachel and Andy Berliner. When they launched their line in 1987, they knew they wanted to serve food they would be proud to dish out to their family and friends, and that’s exactly what they did.
“Our approach to the business has always been, let’s make a difference, let’s make this food for people, let’s make delicious food,” Rachel Berliner said on “The Bite Goes On” podcast. “Our food is so delicious. People are writing us all the time, thanking us. Their freezers are full. They’re so grateful because it’s so tasty and convenient.”
Amy’s Kitchen President Paul Schiefer says Andy and Rachel Berliner are still master taste testers when it comes to trying new recipes for the line. “There is not a product we make that they don’t taste many, many, many times throughout the development process. But there’s a whole larger group of us who all get involved as well,” Schiefer says. “We’ll just invite everyone in the office to come try a couple of versions and let us know which one they like best.”
Andy Berliner mentioned on “The Bite Goes On” podcast that while soup sales typically dip during the summer, he’s been noticing an unusual trend.
“It seems like people are using it more year-round during this time,” said Berliner, who attributes the COVID-19 pandemic to changing people’s comfort food consumption habits. “Because it’s a less expensive meal that you can have.”
Amy’s Kitchen is available in various countries across the globe. There are several intriguing international choices such as Organic Thai Coconut Soup, Thai Curry Sweet Potato Lentil Soup, and Indian Golden Lentil Soup.
“We’re in foreign countries because we have a lot of international meals, so we find a sauce we really like or a soup, and then they teach it to us or the Indian food,” Rachel Berliner said on the podcast. “It’s all very authentic. It’s just meals, and then we try to duplicate it in our plants.”
Soup in a Flash? Amy’s Drive Thru Paves the Way
Soup isn’t typically something you picture ordering in a drive-thru — but Amy’s Kitchen, which has long been an innovator in the organic food sphere, is serving multiple soups in its Amy’s Drive Thru locations in California. The free-standing restaurants have menu varieties like Chunky Tomato Bisque, Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup, and Tortilla Soup in small and regular portions.
In addition to the soups, patrons can feast on other favorites such as pizza, veggie burgers, mac ’n’ cheese, and milkshakes. Everything on Amy’s Drive Thru menu can be made gluten-free and vegan.
