With record-breaking inflation and talk of a future recession dominating headlines, it’s not uncommon for families to be on the hunt for ways to save a bit of money on their monthly grocery bills. Enter canned soup, an ingredient Top Chefs alum Richard Blais says is a perfect way to streamline dinnertime “for a reasonable price per person.”

“I don’t have any recession tips except that we’re all in the same situation together,” Blais tells Yahoo Life. “I just came back from overseas and it’s a global thing. [With canned soup]you can cook restaurant-quality meals at home and you can do it within a budget.”

Canned soups are for more than casseroles

“I put some cream of chicken soup in some mulligatawny soup last night and it was amazing,” says Blais. “I made a French onion soup quesadilla the other day. I made beans on toast and used tomato soup in the beans, so using the soup as a shortcut to get you restaurant-quality meals has been a lot of fun.”

Blais spoke with Yahoo Life as part of his recent partnership with Campbell’s, where he’s sharing canned soup-based recipes through the Yes Chef campaign. From a cauliflower curry with cream of celery soup to rigatoni alla vodka made with classic condensed tomato soup, Blais says coming up with each recipe in the campaign was a great time