This Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup is a lighter (and vegetarian!) soup that's packed with flavor from fresh mushrooms, white wine, shallots, and herbs.
And Soup Week continues! It also ends with this delicious creamy vegetarian wild rice and mushroom soup.
I guess since I only post 2–3 recipes each week, theme weeks are not very epic around here, huh? Theme months would be way too much I think, but maybe I'll start doing theme fortnights in the future. (Yes, I said fortnight. I'm fancy like that.)
But for now - on to this delicious soup!
Creamy, Meaty Comfort Food
Having spent a good part of my life up in the Midwest, I can tell you this: Midwesterners like their food creamy.
We love cheesy casseroles, anything made with canned soup, and all kinds of concoctions made with sour cream, mayo, and/or cheese sauce (usually and, not or).
Being sick last week, I was craving comfort food and to me, comfort food is creamy food. So I set out to make a vegetarian version of the classic Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup.
And then, because it's the New Year and I'm trying to watch what I eat, I set out to make a lighter version. Behold, Vegetarian Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup.
Replacing the Meat
The biggest obstacle was figuring out what to replace the traditional chicken with. I'm always hesitant to cook with seitan on my blog because I don't know if that's readily available everywhere. Plus - it's very polarizing.
And tofu in a creamy soup? That seemed kind of icky.
So I went with adding extra mushrooms, which make a wonderful replacement for meat in all kinds of recipes!
Replacing the Cream
I adapted my Vegetarian Creamy Wild Mushroom Rice Soup from this Cream of Turkey and Wild Rice soup from Eating Well. Instead of adding heavy cream or half-and-half, they used sour cream to thicken the broth.
I love this method of making creamy soups - it adds creaminess without a lot of fat or calories. It also adds a little tanginess. If you're ambivalent about sour cream, you can try some plain Greek yogurt or just stick with adding heavy cream instead.
Cleaner, Lighter Comfort Food
This Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup was exactly what I needed when I was feeling sick. It reminded me of home, of chilly winters, of snow soaking through my boots and numb toes—okay, maybe I don't miss everything about the Midwest. But it did remind me of the food I grew up on. Total comfort food.
I hope you love this creamy vegetarian soup as much as I do!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb white or cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 medium shallot chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup white wine
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup instant or quick-cooking wild rice
- ¾ cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add mushrooms, celery, carrots, and shallot and cook, stirring often, until softened (5–7 minutes).
- Stir in flour, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add white wine and thyme; increase heat to medium-high and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add broth to Dutch oven and bring to a boil. If you're using instant rice, add it now and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender, 5–7 minutes, then stir in sour cream and parsley.
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
OH MY LORD!!! I'm so making this! Looks WONDERFUL! (Can you sense my excitement from the caps??)
Kiersten says
Woo hoo! If you make it, you need to tell me what you think! 😀
Jessi says
This looks great. I'm from the south, and we like things creamy too :)! Also, I'm on Team Theme Fortnight!
Kiersten says
Yes, Southerners like creamy too! 😀 But I used to work with a bunch of people from California and they would get so grossed out when I told them about the casseroles I grew up eating. Up until that point, I thought casseroles made with sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, cheese, and butter-coated Rice Krispies was part of the collective American experience.
Jessi says
They're not?? 🙂
Lysa says
This soup sounds and looks so delicious...Your photos are really beautiful also!
Kiersten says
Thank you! 🙂 I'm trying to work with the dark, gray days instead of fighting against them. 😉
Meghan @JaMonkey says
I don't do mushrooms but my husband would love this
JulieD says
I want to jump into the kitchen to make this right now but I don't have all of the ingredients...totally making it soon!! Thanks for sharing it and I LOVE using sour cream in soups!!
Kiersten says
Sour cream is so good in soups, isn't it? I think I like it more than heavy cream even!
JulieD says
It's so good, Kiersten!! So glad I made it!!!
Kiersten says
I'm so glad you liked it! And I hope you're feeling better...
Holly W says
I am seriously so excited about this. Just made my meal plan for next week, but I'm kicking something out to make some room for this delicious soup! Eeee can't wait!
Kiersten says
I hope it doesn't disappoint! 🙂
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
Mushrooms, you and your mushrooms. Actually me and my mushrooms...why can't we get along? Otherwise...YUM!!!!!!
Kiersten says
Well you have your recipe, I have mine. 😉
Daria says
I definitely have to try this soup! I love creamy soups. I also love american expression "comfort food" - in my native language we don't have such a name used in relation to food. I always find it funny when watching movies, since heroines there always eat ice cream and chocolate when depressed. And as always your photos are so beautiul:-)
Kiersten says
I think comfort food is one of my favorite sayings. We all have those foods that make us feel warm and fuzzy inside, right? 🙂
Emily says
This was DELICIOUS! I made it for lunch today! I had to swap out a few ingredients - and added spinach that I wanted to use up. I'm so impressed that it came together so quickly and was so filling. There's a bit left for lunch tomorrow too!
Kiersten says
I still can't believe you made it the same day I posted it! 😀 Thanks for the comment--I'm glad it turned out well.
Caitlin says
girlllllll..i love a bounty of mushrooms in soup so i am all about this deliciousness. and a themed forte night sounds spectacular in my book 😉
Kiersten says
Two weeks is the perfect amount of time for one theme, right?! Not too long, not too short. 🙂
Cat Davis - Food Family Finds says
That is a beautiful looking soup. If I had the ingredients on hand (minus the fungus) I would make this right now.
Tricia Nightowlmama says
I'm making soup today and i think you gave me some inspiration I wanted to make it creamy but wasn't sure how. I think I'll try the sour cream and throw in those mushrooms I have to hubby's portion He likes them. Thanks for the idea.
Kiersten says
I hope it turned out well! I love using sour cream to make creamy soups. 😀
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
This looks outstanding, Kiersten! I love using mushrooms in place of meat. I'm convinced already that I would love this!
Felyn says
Looks delicious.
Stephanie @ henry happened says
This does sound like comfort food in a bowl. And I love mushrooms, so no complaints here 😉 Your theme week has made me realize that I never make soup. And now I want to!
Kiersten says
Well, January is definitely a good time for soup making! 🙂
Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking says
Oh I really like the looks of this soup!!
[email protected] says
Mushroom to replace chicken is such a great idea and lighter too. Will surely try it this week.
Kiersten says
I hope you like it if you make it!
Brenda Williams says
OH MY! This looks so good...I want a bowl of it right now. I love mushrooms!
Jackie @ Domestic Fits says
I LOVE mushroom soup. Really, I could eat it every day. This is such a beautiful version 🙂
Purabi Naha says
Yummy !!! Please pass me some 🙂 I'll have to save this recipe since this is tried and tested. This is absolute visual treat !! I am sure this must have tasted fabulous!
Carolyn says
Yum, I do love creamy soups like this.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
Now that's what I call comfort food. Sounds absolutely fantastic!!
Jenn says
Creamy soups are the best! Can't wait to try this one.
Jasmine says
Did you consider using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? Curious what the pros and cons would be.
Kiersten says
I don't care for yogurt, so that's why I didn't use it. I think the taste would probably be a little more tangy/sour than if you used sour cream, but I think it should work. Let me know if you try it!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
Swooning over this soup, big time!