Creamy Mushroom Soup

Creamy Mushroom Soup - Classic, luscious and comforting Creamy Mushroom Soup made with white button mushrooms and fresh thyme🍄🌿🍜

It’s again a chilly day here in London and for dinner, only one thing comes to mind which can keep me warm from inside. Mmm… soup! What could be more interesting than a bowl of hot soup in a cold day? So I’m back in my kitchen with my apron on and today I’m going to prepare Mushroom Soup - so luscious, velvety and full of earthy flavor of mushroom.

The world famous condensed Cream of Mushroom was first created 100 years ago in United States. It’s amazing  that it is still so popular and almost everyone’s favourite.

This delicious Creamy Mushroom Soup is easy to prepare and is equally good for lunch with some garlic breads, Crostini or onion buns. There are variety of canned versions of this soup available in stores. But canned soups often get a bad reputation when it comes to eating healthy. Canned soups can be high in sodium and when overdone can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease… So forget about the canned version and try making your own instead!

I have button mushrooms available in my fridge so I am going to use button mushrooms, onion, garlic and milk in this soup. You can use any type of mushroom or even a mixture of all in this recipe. The nice thing about all mushrooms is that, if they cooked correctly, they do have wonderful flavour. I like fresh thyme in this recipe, the aroma of the thyme is refreshing. I believe that mushroom and thyme is a great combo.

I am not using any cream in this soup. A little flour and milk thickens up the soup to a creamy and smooth consistency even without heavy cream! Though you have to make little efforts to make this soup but it’s worth giving as this creamy, luscious mushroom soup tastes heavenly good.

Nutritional benefits of Mushrooms

All types of edible mushrooms contain varying degrees of protein and fiber. They also contain B vitamins as well as a powerful antioxidant called selenium, which helps to support the immune system and prevent damage to cells and tissues.

In particular, white button mushrooms are one of the few non-animal sources of vitamin D. When they are grown, whether indoor or outdoor, they are exposed to UV light which increases their concentration of vitamin D.

This low fat soup is an evergreen classic and nutritious meal which will keep you warm from the inside in cold days. Try this recipe at home, hope you will enjoy!

Serve: 2

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Cooking time:

Ingredients:

250gm button mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon light olive oil

1 tablespoon plain flour

2 cups or 500ml skimmed milk

1 teaspoon salt or as per taste

Few springs of thyme

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

Few parsley leaves, chopped

Process:

Cut the mushrooms into slices.

Heat butter or olive oil in a large pan over low-medium heat.

Add bay leaf, onions, garlic, thyme leaves and saute for 4-5 minutes or until softened.

Now add 2 tablespoon plain flour and stir that continuously until it turn into slightly golden brown in colour.

Add the mushroom slices with a pinch of salt (this will help them to cook faster) and stir well.

After about a minute you’ll notice moisture coming out from the mushrooms. Continue to cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are golden brown.

At this point pour over the milk, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered, for around 15 to 20 minutes while stirring frequently. Don't rush because this step brings richness and enhances the depth of flavor in the soup.

Remove from the heat and let it cool down a bit.

Remove bay leaf, thyme leaves and discard. Keep aside a few mushroom slices to use for garnishing later, if desired.

Carefully pour into a food processor and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.

Now pour back the blended soup to the same pan.

Reheat to thicken while stirring frequently. Season it with salt and black pepper then taste and adjust the seasoning. Soup is now ready to serve.

Spoon the soup in bowls, garnish it with reserved mushroom slices and chopped parsley leaves.

Serve Mushroom soup with Crostini or garlic bread or croutons and Enjoy!