Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup

If you are a fan of mushrooms you are most likely a fan of mushroom soup as well.  No, not the kind of mushroom soup that comes in a can, but the kind you make lovingly yourself.  It's a special treat.

Do you think it is hard to make cream of mushroom soup?  Not at all.  It's actually a pretty quick soup to whip together and takes just a few simple ingredients.

The star of the soup, of course, is the mushrooms.  I used a mixture of white button mushrooms and baby bellas, the small version of portabellas.  You can use whatever you have on hand or even use a fancy wild mushroom mix.  Whatever you choose, it is going to be good.  Trust me.

Gather together your cast of characters.  You'll want to be sure you have a little sherry on hand.  No, you can not use cooking sherry.  I'm sorry if I'm sounding a little bossy here, but this, my friends is the secret love ingredient.  Sure, you can leave it out, but it just won't be as good as it could have been. 

Are you ready to make some soup?  Let's do this, shall we?

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup Ingredients

• 1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms, about 5 cups
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• a good pinch of dried thyme, about 1/8 teaspoon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 tablespoon sherry
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, optional

Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, mushrooms, salt, pepper and thyme.  Cook until the mushrooms have browned slightly and the onions are soft and tender, about five minutes.

Cooked Mushroom and Onion Mixture

 

Add the chicken broth to the mushroom mixture.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  Simmer for five minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat to cool.

Mushroom Mixture and Broth

Once the mushroom mixture has cooled a bit, remove about a half cup of the mushrooms and onions to set aside.  How much you set aside really depends on how chunky you want your soup to be. Pour the rest of the mushroom mixture into a blender and puree.  Set aside.  In a saucepan, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and then add the flour, stirring to blend well.  Cook the flour mixture a minute or two and then add the half and half, stirring to combine well.  Add the mushroom puree and the reserved chunky, chopped mushrooms and onions. 

Heat the Cream and Mushrooms Together

Heat until hot and thickened.  Remove from the heat and add the sherry and nutmeg.  Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as needed.  Serve.

Ready to Eat!

It's yummy, right?  Oh, so good.  You can get the printable cream of mushroom soup recipe by clicking the link.  Go ahead and make some today.  You'll be glad you did.

Enjoy!