Cremini mushrooms are browned in two batches before joining a wild rice blend, celery and thyme in vegetable broth. The rice keeps its bite, and the optional cream can be stirred in after it becomes tender.
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Why you will like this recipe
- Browning the mushrooms in batches brings out their flavor before they enter the broth.
- The wild rice blend gives the soup a chewy contrast to the tender mushrooms.
- Cream is optional, so you can serve the broth-based soup as written without adding it.
Substitutions
Use unsweetened oat cream for a dairy-free soup. Check the wild rice package because blends vary in cooking time.
Ingredient choices and cooking cues
Cremini mushrooms contribute most of the soup’s savoury depth, so give them enough room to brown. They release moisture as they cook; wait for that liquid to evaporate and for the surfaces to gain colour before moving on. Two batches help keep the pan from becoming crowded. Returning the browned mushrooms to the soup later preserves the flavour developed in the pan.
A wild rice blend usually contains several kinds of rice, so its colour and finished texture depend on the product. Check that you have a blend rather than pure wild rice, and use tenderness as the final guide. The grains should be pleasantly chewy without a hard centre. If they are still firm, keep the pot gently simmering and check that there is enough broth to prevent sticking.
Thyme and bay support the mushrooms without turning the soup into a strongly seasoned cream sauce. Remove the bay leaf at the end. The optional cream changes the broth from earthy and clear to softer and richer; add it only after the rice is tender, then warm gently rather than boiling vigorously.
Storage and reheating
Cool quickly in shallow portions, ideally within 1 hour, then refrigerate and use within 24 hours. Alternatively, freeze promptly without cream for up to 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout, loosening with broth as needed.
Recipe card
Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a soup pot. Brown half the mushrooms, transfer them to a plate, and repeat with the remaining oil and mushrooms.
- Cook onion and celery for 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme for 30 seconds.
- Return mushrooms to the pot. Add rice, broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Simmer covered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- Remove the bay leaf. Stir in optional cream and warm gently for 2 minutes.
Estimated nutrition per serving
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Energy | 162 kcal |
| Protein | 4.4 g |
| Fat | 5.2 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.7 g |
| Carbohydrate (including fiber) | 27.2 g |
| Fiber | 2.3 g |
| Sugar | 5.6 g |
| Sodium | 430 mg |
Estimates are calculated from the ingredient amounts and standard food composition references, divided into the stated number of equal servings. They are not laboratory measurements. Brands, substitutions, optional additions and portion sizes can change the result. Optional toppings, extra side dishes and unspecified added salt are excluded from the base estimate.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use white rice?
It cooks much faster and is not a direct substitute; follow its package time and reduce the simmer.
Why is my rice still firm?
Wild rice blends vary. Continue simmering with extra broth until tender.
Can I leave out the cream?
Yes. The mushrooms, rice and aromatics provide the main character of the soup, and the cream is optional. Without it, the broth tastes more directly of mushrooms and herbs. Taste the finished broth before making any seasoning adjustment.
Why does the soup thicken in the refrigerator?
The rice continues to absorb broth after cooking. Reheat gently with vegetable broth until the grains move freely through the liquid again. Stir along the base of the pan, where a thick soup is most likely to catch.
More recipes to try: Lemon Chickpea Rice Skillet · One-Pan Mushroom Pea Couscous.
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