Progresso Expands Pitmaster Soup Lineup with New BBQ-Inspired Flavors
As summer grilling season transitions into cooler weather, consumers are beginning to look for hearty, comforting meals that deliver familiar flavors with minimal preparation. Progresso® is responding to that seasonal shift with two new additions to its Pitmaster lineup: Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup, created in partnership with Hidden Valley Ranch, and Charbroiled Bacon Cheeseburger Soup.
The latest varieties bring the flavors of backyard cookouts into the soup aisle, combining smoky meats, creamy textures and recognizable barbecue-inspired ingredients in convenient canned meals. Both products are now available at retailers nationwide, with 15 to 16 grams of protein per can.
The expansion follows the successful debut of the Progresso Pitmaster range last summer. According to Nielsen retail measurement data cited by General Mills, the Pitmaster launch became Progresso’s most successful product launch in four years as of August 26, 2026.
Bringing Backyard BBQ Flavor to the Soup Aisle
The Progresso Pitmaster concept is built around a simple idea: taking the flavors associated with outdoor grilling and transforming them into convenient, ready-to-serve soups.
While traditional barbecue meals often require a grill, preparation time and several ingredients, the new soups offer a quicker way to enjoy similar flavor cues. Consumers can heat the soup and enjoy a substantial meal without firing up the grill.
The two newest varieties also target two different but highly recognizable flavor profiles. The Charbroiled Bacon Cheeseburger Soup focuses on the classic combination of beef, bacon and cheddar, while the Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup combines grilled chicken and smoky bacon with the familiar ranch flavor associated with Hidden Valley Ranch.
Together, the products expand the range of possibilities for soup as a comfort-food category while maintaining the distinctive smoky and savory positioning of the Pitmaster brand.
Charbroiled Bacon Cheeseburger Soup Takes a Cookout Favorite Beyond the Bun
For cheeseburger fans, Progresso is transforming a familiar handheld meal into a warm, spoonable dish.
The new Pitmaster Charbroiled Bacon Cheeseburger Soup combines beef patty crumbles, smoky bacon, potatoes and cheddar cheese. The result is designed to capture the hearty character of a bacon cheeseburger while presenting it in a creamy soup format.
Each can contains 16 grams of protein, adding to the product’s positioning as a filling meal option.
The product also demonstrates how familiar restaurant and barbecue flavors are increasingly being adapted into packaged foods. Rather than recreating a cheeseburger literally, Progresso incorporates its signature components into a format suited to cooler-weather eating.
For consumers who enjoy cheeseburgers but want something warm and comforting for fall and winter meals, the new soup offers a different way to experience those flavors.
Hidden Valley Ranch Flavor Comes to Progresso Pitmaster
The second new product introduces a familiar ranch profile through Progresso’s partnership with Hidden Valley Ranch.
Pitmaster Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup combines grilled chicken, smoky bacon, potatoes and celery in a creamy broth. The soup provides 15 grams of protein per can and is designed around the recognizable combination of chicken, bacon and ranch.
The partnership gives the Pitmaster line another recognizable flavor cue while extending the use of ranch beyond traditional applications such as salads, dipping sauces, sandwiches and snacks.
Nick Higgins, General Manager of Hidden Valley Ranch, said the collaboration provides another way for consumers to enjoy the ranch flavor, describing the partnership with Progresso as an opportunity to bring it into a simmering bowl of soup.
Two New Soups Designed for Cooler Days
The timing of the launch is particularly relevant as consumers transition from summer meals toward fall comfort foods. Grilling is strongly associated with warmer months, while soup becomes increasingly attractive as temperatures fall.
Progresso’s latest Pitmaster products bridge those two eating occasions by combining the flavors of summer cookouts with the warmth and convenience of soup.
Rather than abandoning barbecue-inspired flavors when grilling season ends, the brand is giving consumers another way to enjoy them. The soups can provide an easy option for weeknight lunches, quick dinners or casual meals when there is little time for extensive cooking.
The products also fit into the broader trend of familiar restaurant-style and indulgent flavors appearing in convenient packaged foods. Bacon cheeseburger and chicken bacon ranch are both widely recognizable combinations, making them accessible flavor choices for consumers.
Expanding an Established Pitmaster Portfolio
The two new soups join an existing Progresso Pitmaster portfolio that already includes several barbecue-inspired varieties.
The lineup includes Smokehouse-Style Grilled Chicken & Potato with Roasted Vegetables, BBQ-Style Grilled Chicken & Fire Roasted Corn, Hearty Smokehouse-Style Steak & Potatoes with Roasted Vegetables, Steakhouse-Style Steak & Bean, and Sausage & Beer Cheese with Potatoes.
The expanded selection gives shoppers multiple ways to explore smoky, savory flavors within the soup category, ranging from chicken and vegetables to steak, sausage, cheese and now bacon cheeseburger and ranch combinations.
The Progresso website currently highlights both new Pitmaster varieties alongside the broader collection, positioning the range around grill-inspired meals that can be prepared without traditional grilling.
Convenience Meets Familiar Flavor
Convenience remains a major advantage of canned soup, and the new Pitmaster offerings build on that proposition by pairing quick preparation with bold flavor combinations.
For consumers, the appeal is straightforward: instead of purchasing multiple ingredients and preparing a burger, grilled chicken meal or barbecue-inspired dish from scratch, they can turn to a shelf-stable soup designed around those same flavor themes.
The products also provide an opportunity for Progresso to continue experimenting with unconventional soup flavors. By moving recognizable cookout favorites into a soup format, the brand is expanding beyond traditional varieties such as chicken noodle, tomato and vegetable soups.
The approach reflects a broader effort across the food industry to make familiar flavors available in new formats. Consumers may recognize the ingredients immediately, but the combination and format create something different from the original meal.
Available Nationwide
Progresso Pitmaster Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup with Hidden Valley Ranch flavor and Charbroiled Bacon Cheeseburger Soup are now available at retailers nationwide. The new products contain 15 grams and 16 grams of protein per can, respectively.
With the additions, Progresso is continuing to build its Pitmaster platform around the intersection of barbecue flavor and convenient comfort food. The new soups offer two distinct interpretations of familiar cookout favorites, giving consumers an easy option as outdoor grilling gives way to indoor meals.
As fall approaches, the latest additions could help keep the flavors of the backyard barbecue on the menu—even when the grill itself is no longer the centerpiece of mealtime.
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