The Absolute Worst Store-Bought Broccoli Cheddar Soup, According To Customers

When a Foodie feature writer set out to rank store-bought broccoli cheddar soups from worst to best by way of buyer reviews, her soup-erior discernment separated the luscious from the lousy. It seems, however, that a real candidate for the bottom of the barrel escaped attention. Budget grocery Aldi may be known for some sensational house-brand wares, like an affordable boxed cake mix that customers love, but the store's Specially Selected Slow-Cooked Broccoli Cheddar Soup does not number among the store's hits. Over on social media site Reddit, dozens of negative comments attest to this being a sad, sad soup.

"I think it's vile and the only reason to explain its existence is possibly some money laundering scheme or an Aldi Executive's relative owns a soup factory," one Redditor joked. "It was easily the worst thing I've ever bought at Aldi. I really tried for a couple of bites but I tossed it," divulged another in the same thread. That wasn't the only Reddit thread dedicated to the (foul) topic, either. "If you like the Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup, do not, under any circumstances, try the Specialty Selected version. It's disgusting. The tiny bits of broccoli had the consistency of straw. The soup has no flavor. It's honestly awful, and not worth the $2.99," a commenter moaned. Yet one more dissatisfied consumer concurred with the harsh words: "I agree – I'm a huge broccoli cheddar soup fan [...] but this was disappointing. Tasted borderline plastic-flavored. With a hint of dish water."

Numerous Reddit reviews allege that the Specially Selected soup is meant to be a less-expensive knockoff of the broccoli cheddar soup made by Panera At Home. Now, while Panera soups are not made fresh in the café, at least as per employee allegations, anyone who has dined in a Panera restaurant knows most of those soups are still pretty darn tasty. It's not for nothing that our Foodie writer ranked Panera's grocery store broccoli cheddar as the soup to beat. Certainly, the Aldi Specially Selected broccoli cheddar soup looks like the Panera model from the outside, being contained in a neat plastic cup that goes right in the microwave. Looks are where the two products' similarities end, however.

It's notable that the ingredients list of Panera's soup lists milk as the first item, which is appropriate for a creamy soup. Meanwhile, Aldi's broccoli cheddar lists water first, then cream as a third ingredient. Panera also prominently features chicken stock for extra richness, which is missing in the Aldi analogue. The serving sizes listed are not comparable, either, as Specially Selected has a whole container as the serving, while Panera's serving is one cup, or approximately half the container. Given the fact that Aldi's soup has 350 calories per container and doubling the 240 calories in a serving of Panera soup gives you around 480 calories per container, we have no problem believing reports that Panera's take is richer and more filling, too.