Creamy Wild Rice Mushroom Soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Servings

2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp butter (or sub with olive oil)
8-10 oz mushrooms, chopped (cremini, button, chanterelle, oyster) (about 3 cups chopped)*
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup wild rice**
4 cups water
1 (13.5 oz) can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp lemon juice
Black pepper
Fresh parsley, cilantro, or green scallions (optional)
*Use a mix of mushrooms or just one kind.
**You can use brown rice, a wild rice mix, or even white rice. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly (wild rice takes the longest to cook). If using brown or white rice, the soup will likely be thicker since they give off way more starch. You may need to add more water to thin it out at the end.
Time saver! ~ Use your blender to chop up the mushrooms and the onion, carrot, and celery. Pulse the mushrooms until roughly chopped. Remove and then pulse the carrots and celery. Add the onion last so it doesn’t get watery/over-blended.
Add protein! ~ Add in 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or 1 can of drained white beans in with the water, etc… Remove and shred chicken at the end.

In a large pot over high medium-heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil and butter. Once the butter is melted and hot, add the mushrooms and spread out into an even layer. Let cook for 5 minutes, undisturbed, until deeply browned. Transfer mushrooms to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot along with the onion, carrot, celery, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and browned mushrooms and cook for about 30 more seconds.
Stir in the rice, water, coconut milk, soy sauce or tamari, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Increase the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a rapid simmer for about 40-50 minutes, or until the rice is tender, stirring halfway through. If the water level looks low just add more (this will depend on the rice you use).
To thicken the soup up a bit (optional), remove about 1 cup of the soup and add it to a high-speed blender. Blend it up until smooth. Stir back into the pot along with the lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon or salt, if needed. If the soup is too thick, just stir in a bit of water to thin it out. Taste and add more salt or lemon, if needed.
Serve topped with black pepper and fresh herbs, if using.

Using a 6-qt instant pot, follow the recipe using the “sautee” setting to cook the mushrooms, onion, etc…Press “cancel” and follow the recipe to add the rest of the ingredients, Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes, then let it naturally release for 10 minutes before manually releasing the pressure. Follow the recipe as is.

Substitutions:

To make vegan, sub butter with olive oil.
If you don’t like mushrooms, you could try substituting with 2-3 cups worth of a different veggie (fennel and/or cauliflower would be delish!)
Feel free to add in any veggies to this soup. That’s the beauty of soups!
To up the protein and serving size, add in 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or 1 can of white beans in with the water, etc… Remove and shred chicken at the end.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

This soup will get thick in the fridge, so thin it out with a bit of water when you reheat it. Always taste and adjust with salt.
Be sure to add a squeeze of lemon to leftovers and lots of fresh herbs.