Creamy Wild Rice Mushroom Soup

Are you ready for a deeply flavourful soup that has meaty mushrooms, wild rice and delicious broth? This soup is dairy free, gluten free and can be made at home for a wonderful meal or accompanying appetizer!

What type of mushrooms should you use?

White button mushrooms are pretty much the standard choice and can be found at all supermarkets. If you always use a certain type of mushrooms like white button or cremeni then try something new for this soup!

I used shiitake for this particular recipe. I’ve also used dried mushrooms and cooked them inside the broth. Fresh or dried works wonderfully for this recipe.

I typically cook mushrooms separately from the soup and add them to the soup in the last few minutes of cooking. I simply sauté them in a small pan with some soy sauce, olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic powder. It doesn’t need much and I find that they typically have such a deep flavour profile that heightens with a little bit of cooking.

Types of mushrooms you can use for this recipe:

• White button
• Shiitake
• Cremini
• Portabello (I’d cut these up small)

What’s in this soup?

There’s a few ingredients that are needed to make this soup a hit:

• Wild rice: I bought a special wild rice blend for this recipe. It takes longer than regular rice to cook.
• tomato paste: a little bit of a tomato taste goes a long way in this recipe!
• coconut cream: I used half a can and it’s what makes the soup so creamy! You can barely taste it!
• vegetables: a must for a good soup base!
• spice mix: rustic spices really help bring this soup together!

How to make this delicious soup

If you’re using dried mushrooms, let it rehydrate in a bowl of hot vegetable stock (1 cup) from the 4 cups needed for this recipe. I also have thrown it into the pot to let it rehydrate in the pot as well.

Drizzle some olive oil in a deep pan and let it heat up. Add your vegetables, except your mushrooms. Let them cook for a few minutes. Add in the rest of your ingredients except coconut cream and rice and let it come to a boil.

Add in your coconut cream and let it melt and mix. Alternatively, and this is based n your preference, you can add it to the end step as well. Add in your wild rice blend and let the entire pan simmer for 45 minutes while your rice cooks. I don’t like when the rice gets super soft so I wait until it’s still about firm but soft.

Dairy Free

This recipe also uses canned coconut milk which is a dairy free God send option for those that aren’t using milk! It adds richness to the flavour and just a little bit goes a long way! I saved adding it to the very end but you can have it go in when the soup is boiling! 

Substitutions

• Wild rice: This recipe was perfect with the Lundburg’s wild rice blend. You could also use JUST wild rice if you’re a fan of the taste. I like the variety of rice in this soup. A nice substitution that could work would be barley. I haven’t tried this but it may be a nice option! The cooking time would be much less!
• Coconut cream: I know some people are allergic or don’t enjoy the taste of coconut. You could omit it completely, but you wouldn’t get a creamy texture. You could also add a few tablespoons of vegan butter but I haven’t tried it to see if it alters the taste much. You could also put vegan sour cream or cream cheese, but this may alter the taste of the soup. Finally you could substitute coconut cream for almond milk or another plant based milk.
• Herbs: Some herbs lie rosemary is quite strong, you could omit completely or use some dried herbs instead.
• Vegetables: I love the combination of carrots and celery but if you wanted to add other vegetables, or different ones, try: butternut squash or sweet potato.
• Instapot: I don’t have an instapot but you could try throwing everything in here and cooking it for 30 minutes. This may change the texture and consistency of the vegetables.

What garnishes can you add to your soup?

• Extra mushrooms: you can add some more on top if you really love the taste of them!
• Herbs: Rosemary, thyme, and oregano adds a rustic flavour to the soup! Don’t over do it though. Fresh is best but dry is great too!

What can you serve alongside your soup?

• Crusty bread: Slice up a baguette, drizzle some olive oil on them and rub a sliced garlic glove. Place them in a frying pan and let them cook until golden brown. These are FANTASTIC to dunk into your soup!
• salad: a wonderful hearty salad would pair wonderfully with this soup! Think croutons, lettuce and a delicious tangy dressing.

What about storing this soup?

This soup stores well for about 3 days!

With freezing I’d be hesitant because the rice may turn out mushy when unfreezing. If that’s not a problem for you, it could freeze well in an air tight container for 3-5 months.

What other soups can you make:

Hearty and Delicious Minestrone Soup

Creamy and Easy Roasted Cauliflower Soup (with Fennel)