Skillet Franks 'N Noodles

A gem from Campbell's 'Cooking With Soup'

Definitely the kitchen of someone who would make this recipe

A can of Campbell's soup doesn't require any culinary skills to prepare. As the instructions on every label say, you simply need to remove the top, transfer the contents to a vessel, and heat them up to have yourself a fully contained meal. Though convenience has always been Campbell's main appeal, the company has a history of catering to customers looking for a more challenging path to dinner. This culminated with the release of 'Cooking With Soup' in 1968.

The Campbell-branded cookbook has recipes for everything from casseroles to cakes to cocktails (though it's mostly the former, thankfully). The common thread joining them all is that every dish lists at least one canned soup in the ingredients. Early on, Campbell's realized it could boost sales by marketing their goods as both ready-to-serve soups and meal helpers. In 1941, they launched the first Campbell Test Kitchens where "professionally trained home economists" developed recipes to print on the backs of cans. The most famous of these is test kitchen supervisor Dorcas Reilly's recipe for green bean casserole, which kicked off the Thanksgiving tradition of drowning the only green item on the table in condensed cream of mushroom soup.

Points to anyone who can identify the dish on the cover.

This recipe for "skillet franks 'n noodles" is a fitting representation of the collection. It consists of hot dogs (sliced diagonally, because presentation is everything), cream of mushroom or celery soup, cooked noodles, canned tomatoes, and a healthy amount of dairy. The pairing of hot dogs with pasta and condensed soup reminds me of those wartime dishes reinvented from U.S. military MREs. Presumably this dish wasn't developed for such desperate times—it even calls for a few fresh ingredients like parsley and basil. The image of someone pouring canned soup over sliced hot dogs while also taking the time to chop fresh herbs is delightful to me.

Assuming the noodles are cooked ahead of time, this recipe comes together in one skillet, making it an undeniably easy meal. It's not as easy as pouring soup into a bowl and microwaving a couple hot dogs, of course, but if you want to look like you put some effort into dinner this as basic as it gets.

Skillet Franks 'N Noodles

1 pound frankfurters, cut in half diagonally
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon basil or oregano leaves, crushed
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed cream of celery or mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes
2 cups cooked wide noodles
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

In a skillet, brown frankfurters and cook onion with basil in butter until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat; stir now and then. 4 servings.