Creamy Mushroom Soup (Printable)
Silky, savory mushroom soup with browned mushrooms, thyme and cream — a cozy starter or light meal.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 1 pound fresh mushrooms (button or cremini), sliced
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Dairy & Liquids
04 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 3 cups vegetable broth
07 - ¾ cup heavy cream
→ Spices & Seasonings
08 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped)
09 - Kosher salt, to taste
10 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
11 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish, optional)
# Step-by-step:
01 - Melt butter with olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent and softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
02 - Add the minced garlic and sliced mushrooms to the pot. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are deeply golden brown and their released moisture has evaporated.
03 - Stir in the dried thyme, salt, and black pepper, coating the mushrooms evenly.
04 - Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
05 - For a smoother consistency, use an immersion blender to purée the soup directly in the pot to your preferred texture, leaving some pieces if desired.
06 - Stir in the heavy cream and warm gently over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not boil. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
07 - Ladle the hot soup into serving bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Serve alongside crusty bread or garlic toast.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The earthy depth from browned mushrooms tastes like you spent hours, even though the whole thing comes together in about forty minutes.
- It freezes beautifully, so you can double the batch and have a comforting meal ready whenever the mood strikes.
- The cream stirred in at the end turns a humble vegetable soup into something that feels restaurant worthy.
02 -
- Do not crowd the mushrooms in the pot because they will steam instead of brown, and that browning is where all the deep flavor lives.
- Adding the cream at the very end over gentle heat prevents it from breaking or curdling in the soup.
03 -
- A splash of dry white wine added right after the mushrooms finish browning and cooked off for about a minute adds a complexity that people will notice without being able to identify.
- Toast the dried thyme in the hot pot for about thirty seconds before adding the liquid to wake up the essential oils and make the herb flavor much more vibrant.