ULTIMATE CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP
This recipe for Ultimate Creamy Mushroom Soup delivers a restaurant-quality experience at home. It features deeply layered flavors, a perfectly creamy texture, and customizable options for different mushrooms, herbs, and wines, making it a comforting and satisfying dish for any occasion.
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Immersion blender or regular blender (optional)
- Ladle
- Spatula or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds mixed mushrooms cremini, shiitake, or your favorite
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup dry sherry optional
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and slice them thinly.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are browned and have released their moisture, about 8-10 minutes. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
- Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- If using sherry, pour it into the pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Let the sherry reduce slightly, about 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, making sure to break up any lumps of flour. Add the thyme sprigs.
- Bring the soup to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
- For a completely smooth soup, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can carefully transfer the soup to a regular blender in batches. If you prefer a chunkier soup, skip this step.
- Stir in the heavy cream and heat through gently. Do not boil the soup after adding the cream.
- Season the soup with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
For a richer flavor, consider using a combination of wild mushrooms. Don't overcrowd the pan when sautéing the mushrooms; doing so will steam them instead of browning them. This soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat gently. To make it vegan, substitute butter with olive oil or vegan butter, chicken broth with vegetable broth, and heavy cream with coconut cream or cashew cream.