Making soup is one of my favorite things (if you haven’t noticed). Part of my job at one of the restaurants I worked in was to make the soup of the day, every day. Cream of mushroom soup was one of the first soups I made regularly back in my kitchen days and I still crave it now and again even though I’ve made it so many times.
One of the things that I love about this particular soup is that it is super quick to make, so when I was short on prep time in the day I could still whip up a soup that was super full of flavor and tasted like it took hours to make, even though it would typically take me less than an hour to throw together.
The basis of the soup is umami rich ingredients. Umami is that flavor of savory-ness, that’s what makes it so easy to develop these rich flavors quickly because the ingredients themselves are already full of rich, savory deliciousness. You’ve got to use Cremini mushrooms and be sure to caramelize them in your pot, really sweat out as much of the water as possible until they turn brown and caramelize. Aside from that, everything is quick. The time it takes from slicing mushrooms to eating soup can be less than an hour!
Creamy Mushroom Soup
Equipment
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Lbs Cremini Mushrooms sliced
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- ½ Onion Diced
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tsp Fresh Thyme or 1 tsp Dried
- ¼ Cup Brandy
- 1 Qt Chicken Stock Or Vegetable Stock
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- ½ Tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Sea Salt Or Kosher
- 1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce Can omit to make Vegetarian
- 1 Tsp Soy Sauce Or Tamari for Gluten Free
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil on high heat until it starts to lightly smoke. Add in the mushrooms, onion and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and mushrooms are caramelized.
- Deglaze the pot with the brandy, then add in the chicken stock, thyme, salt and cream.
- Simmer on medium heat until the vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to low and blend the soup using an immersion blender until smooth. Finish the soup with the final seasonings of Worcestershire and soy sauce, adjust seasonings to taste. If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender.
