With the weather starting to cool down, soup has become a staple on our weekly menu. I never seem to tire of it this time of year, and with the addition of some crusty bread, it makes for such a comforting meal.
This lighter version of creamy mushroom soup is no exception. With just a little bit of milk to make it slightly creamy, it makes for a warming, hearty meal that won’t leave you feeling weighed down.
Growing up in a very Italian family, garlic was always a staple at our house. But it wasn’t until I started cooking for myself that I learned how to roast it. And oh, the flavor! That pungent, raw garlic scent and taste sort of magically disappear and you’re left with something golden, soft and almost buttery.
This mushroom soup is packed full of flavor from two varieties of mushrooms, red wine, fresh thyme and, of course, the roasted garlic, which makes it feel special.
If you roast the garlic in advance, this recipe comes together in no time at all. I like to roast it on the weekend, store it in a container in the fridge and pull it out when needed to make a quick, weeknight meal.
This post was originally published on November 3, 2014.
Ingredients
For the roasted garlic:
- 1 medium head garlic
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Salt and pepper
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 pound baby bella mushrooms sliced
- ½ pound shiitake mushrooms sliced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup red wine
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 cup 2% or whole milk
Instructions
Roast the garlic:
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Cut the top end off the head of garlic, so that the bulb remains intact and the cloves are exposed. Remove any of the papery outer loose layers of skin. Place the bulb on a piece of aluminum foil, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic in the foil then bake until tender and the cloves are golden brown, about 50 minutes. Once the bulb is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves out of the peel, then use a fork to mash the soft cloves into a paste.
Make the soup:
- Add the olive oil to a large stockpot or Dutch oven set over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add all the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and the mushrooms have released most of their juices, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the red wine, stirring the entire time. Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the wine has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, salt, pepper, thyme and the mashed roasted garlic. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Decrease the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the milk. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed before serving.
Liz @ Tip Top Shape says
This looks absolutely delicious!!! It's going on my bookmark tab!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks so much Liz!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
My favorite soup is mushroom. Anytime it's on tHe menu I inquire often to learn that the base Is chicken stock or beef Both of which I don't Consume 🙁 a homemade soup is exactly what I need! Thanks for sharing this I can't wait to make a batch
Ashley Jennings says
Yes! Definitely make it yourself! 🙂 And I'm with you - I love just about anything with mushrooms!
Monica says
Sounds sublime! I love creamy mushroom soup and this lighter version is right up my alley. Pinned and filed under "gotta make!!"
Ashley Jennings says
Thank you Monica! 🙂
marcie says
I totally grew up on the canned stuff, and didn't realize how much better it was homemade until a few years back! Love the sound of that roasted garlic! 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
Same here - my mom gave it to us all the time! Homemade is much better! 🙂 Thanks Marcie!!
Kelly says
Nothing sounds more comforting than a creamy mushroom soup especially since the weather has cooled down! This looks incredible! Love that it's lighter and the roasted garlic sounds amazing in here!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks so much Kelly! I can't stop eating soup now that it seems to finally be cooler for good here!
Joanne Bruno says
I've been in definite SOUP MODE lately, so this is a welcome addition to next week's menu plan. Plus, you kind of had me at roasted garlic. It's magical, I swear!
Ashley Jennings says
It is! I say it every single time I roast some! Thanks so much Joanne! 🙂
Zane De Mar says
Thank you for the post!
I am now planing to make it tomorrow for lunch 🙂 Sounds great and I love soups.
Ashley Jennings says
Hope that you enjoy! 🙂
Gabrielle says
I made this for dinner tonight - with plain almond milk, and without any wine since I didn't have any 🙁 - and it was really good! I'm definitely adding it to my soup rotation. Can't wait to make it when I have wine on hand. Thanks!
Ashley Jennings says
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it Gabrielle!
joe says
I am going to try this,I have one question regarding the red wine,are you suggesting cooking wine or regular red wins such as a Merlot.
Ashley Jennings says
Hi Joe! I've always used a regular red wine (so something that you would like to drink!). Cooking wine will work too but I prefer using something I enjoy!
Elsy Shallman says
My question was since I'm a vegetarian I don't do milk, is soy or rice milk alright to use instead?
Thanks,
Ashley Jennings says
Hi Elsy - yes, another type of milk should be fine here.
Mikkel Magnuson says
Hi Ashley, I would like to say Big thanks to you that I have learned a delicious soup recipy which is so divine. I have tried it last night, it was amazing .Every one liked it.
Ashley Jennings says
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting us know!
Jill says
Great recipe! I made it with cranberry-pomegranate juice, since I didn't have any wine and added a can of Great North beans to up the protein content and it was lovely. 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
So glad to hear it Jill! Those changes sound delicious!
Larry Wakefield says
I would like to know why it takes twelve pages to finally get a recipe for Creamy Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Soup? This included four pages of pictures of different
recipes, in which I had no interest; 3 1/4 pages of questions and answers to and from Ashley Jennings; one blank page; one page containing one sentence and a logo on the bottom; one page containing 4 words in the upper left-hand corner and five words in the top center of the page. Finally, two pages which contained the actual recipe and instructions. If this is the best you can do to get recipes out to your subscribers, then you can forget me as a customer.