Wild Rice Mushroom Soup

A bowl of wild rice mushroom soup served with bread and parsley butter

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4.84 from 24 votes

An earthy, hearty and comforting vegetarian soup uniquely flavored and perfect for the mushroom lover.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 45

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mushroom, soup, wild rice

Servings: servings

Calories: 283kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the wild rice:

1 teaspoon salt
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 clove garlic peeled and cut in half
6 cups water
1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend (6 ounces)

For the soup:

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces small fresh mushrooms sliced (cleaned of dirt, tough stems removed)
2 large shallots diced (or 1 small leek)
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine (8 ounces)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or stock (32 ounces)
½ cup heavy cream (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the parsley butter:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
3 tablespoons parsley leaves chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

To prepare the wild rice:

Combine the salt, thyme sprig, clove of garlic and 6 cups cold water in a medium, heavy bottom saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the wild rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low but maintain a steady boil. Cover and cook until the rice is almost tender, about 35-40 minutes. Remove the thyme stems and garlic clove and discard. Drain the rice through a fine mesh strainer. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

To prepare the soup:

While the wild rice is cooking prepare the remaining ingredients. Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a 2-cup heat-proof measuring cup. Carefully pour 1 ½ cups boiling water over the mushrooms, stir and set aside to soften about 15 minutes. Remove the porcini from the hot water using a slotted spoon reserving the soaking liquid. Chop the porcini and set aside.
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven melt 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced fresh mushrooms (not porcini) and stir to coat. Distribute the mushrooms to cover the bottom of the pot. (not all mushrooms will be touching the bottom.) Cook the mushrooms, undisturbed, until the moisture is released, then evaporates and they turn a deep golden brown about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir and continue cooking until crusty bits start to form on the bottom of the pot, another 10 minutes.
Add the shallots, minced garlic and tomato paste to the mushrooms. Cook stirring constantly until the garlic is fragrant and the shallots start to soften, about 2 minutes.
Stir the chopped porcini to the soup pot. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and shallot. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour sticks to the bottom of the pot and turns golden brown. This fond is essential to building flavor. Slowly add the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add the vegetable broth and reserved porcini liquid pouring slowly to leave any grit behind. Discard the dirt and grit. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a steady simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.
Add the cooked wild rice to the soup and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cream and soy sauce. Stir until combined. Serve immediately with a dollop of parsley butter on each bowl, if using.

For the parsley butter:

Combine 4 tablespoons very soft butter, chopped parsley, black pepper and sea salt in a small bowl. Serve each bowl of soup with a spoonful of parsley butter on top.

Notes

Wild Rice: The wild rice can be made ahead, cooled and refrigerated until needed. You can use all wild rice, or a wild rice blend in this recipe. Also, wild rice can be made in a rice cooker according to the manufacturers instructions, if desired.

TO MAKE AHEAD: Prepare the wild rice and refrigerate. Make the soup up through step No. 4. Cool and refrigerate until needed. Rewarm the mushroom soup until steaming, add the cooked wild rice and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Off-heat, add the cream and soy sauce and serve.

Inspired by a recipe on MyRecipes.com

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition