When the weather turns with cooler temps the first thing I always want to make is a big pot of soup. This cream of wild mushroom soup is surprisingly easy to make, it’s comforting and cozy and has a rich complex flavor.
It’s made with a mix of wild and cremini mushrooms, some of which I purchased at an Asian market. By the way did you know that specialty mushrooms bought at an Asian market are a fraction of the cost that you would pay in a regular supermarket? So when I go I usually buy a bunch.
For this soup I combined cremini with oyster, king oyster, shiitake and brown beech. Using a mix of some of the wild varieties results in an earthy depth of flavor that would rival any gourmet soup, but honestly if you can’t find them just go with cremini as opposed to the white button mushrooms you see everywhere.
Fresh thyme, shallots and garlic are the base for this soup with added broth for the mushrooms to soak up the flavors while they’re simmering in the pot.
This soup is rich and elegant and can be served as a first course, a fantastic lunch or light dinner served with my cheesy Asiago toast.
There’s just a small amount of heavy cream swirled in at the end of cooking, it’s optional but I would highly recommend using it because it makes the soup exceptional!
For a nice presentation roast off some of the mushrooms and set aside to use for garnishing the top.
This creamy wild mushroom soup can be a go to week night meal or fancy enough to serve during the upcoming holidays, and it only takes around a half hour to pull it together. It stays well in the fridge so it can be made a day or two ahead of time, then just heat it up and garnish!
If you need a little crunch factor on the side,
Spilt a baguette in half, drizzle with olive oil and place into a 400 degree oven just until it starts to get golden, then pull it out and spread shredded Asiago cheese all over with fresh chopped parsley or other herbs of your choice, then place under a broiler until it all melts.
Follow along with me on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up during the week.
- 1½ to 2 lbs. mushrooms, a mix of wild along with cremini ( if unable to find wild mushrooms you can use all cremini) chopped.
- additional mushrooms set aside for garnish that have been pre-roasted
- 2 large shallots, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated on a microplane
- broth, chicken or veggie, enough to cover the top of the sautéed mushrooms ( I used a little over a quart)
- olive oil
- butter
- parsley and thyme
- ¼ cup heavy cream ( optional but highly recommended!)
- salt and pepper to taste
- In a stock pot add a knob of butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the chopped shallots and garlic. Cook until they soften a bit.
- Add the chopped mushrooms, salt, pepper and fresh thyme.
- Cook mushroom mix until they soften up and all the flavors meld, around 15 minutes.
- Next, pour in enough broth to cover the top of the mushrooms.
- Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for around 20-30 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to whiz it up right in the pot to reach the texture you like, it will thicken up as you're doing this.
- Swirl in the cream, tasting and adjusting for seasoning, adding more thyme, salt and pepper if needed.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with the roasted reserved mushrooms, chopped parsley and thyme.
- Enjoy!
Â
I love the large portobello mushroom caps because basically you can stuff them with almost anything you want resulting in a beautiful meal that you created in no time. You don’t need a bunch of ingredients to make them and you feel totally satisfied after you’ve eaten them.
 We often eat these as a main course during the week along with a nice big salad but if you want to make them as a delicious side dish next to grilled chops or a steak, I’m here to tell you they go perfectly together!
One of the reasons this tastes so good is that you cut and prepare your cherry tomatoes ahead of time letting them sit in a bowl for a few minutes with your olive oil, fresh basil, salt and pepper, letting all the flavors meld together. I also like to scrape out the gills, it gives you more room for all the toppings, and of course good tomatoes are the key!
I’m Marie, a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and gramma of two beautiful girls. My passion is food, clear and simple but especially Italian food, hence the name of my blog, Proud Italian Cook. I want you to feel right at home here so grab a cup of coffee, I’ll get the pastries, take a look around and enjoy your visit! {
