The Mushroom Soup!

This is the day of the week when we select a lesser-known Tasty Kitchen recipe—one that might otherwise go unnoticed—and cook it up. My friend and fellow food lover Erika (you might know her as TK Erika) spends a lot of time looking at every recipe that comes through Tasty Kitchen’s doors and sent me a link to this particular mushroom soup recipe a couple of weeks ago. I took one look at the ingredients and knew right away I had to try it.

Here’s the bottom line: I love mushrooms. Love them with every ounce of my being.

This soup wonderful. Special thanks to aliciamosby for sharing!

Begin by chopping carrots and celery. It’s a good start for most anything.

Heat olive oil in a pot, then throw the two veggies right in. Stir them around and cook them for a few minutes.

While the carrots and celery are cooking and softening, slice up the mushrooms.

Throw the mushrooms into the pot.

Stir them around and cook them for several minutes.

After awhile, the mushrooms will reduce and the liquid will start to cook off a bit.

At that point, pour in white wine. The recipe called for Chablis, but I used Chardonnay since that’s what I had in the fridge.

Let this mixture cook down for a few minutes.

Next, add tomato juice…

And chicken broth.

Then stir and allow mixture to boil for five minutes. The liquid will reduce and the color will deepen.

And ooooh, does it ever smell good.

Can I just reiterate for a second how much I love mushrooms?

Next, pour in the cream. NOTE: I used half-and-half instead of cream, because…well…I had no cream in my fridge, because…well…I’d used it all for my Cajun Chicken Pasta Sunday evening and didn’t feel like driving to town to the grocery store.

It has to be a pretty serious reason before I’ll drive to the grocery store. Diet Dr. Pepper, for instance. Tums when I’m pregnant. Carmex when Marlboro Man’s out. Chocolate when I’m desperate. Things like that.

Stir in the cream, then bring it to a soft boil.

Next, grate up some Parmesan cheese.

Add it to the pot. Stir it to combine and cook gently for a few more minutes, adding salt as needed. At this point, the recipe calls for adding a small amount of cornstarch/water mixture (see recipe) but I decided to leave it out since, even with half-and-half, the soup at this point was plenty thick. I think you could have the cornstarch mixture ready; that way, if the soup seems overly thin, you can add it.

Oh, dear. Was I ever excited about this soup.

The Verdict: This soup was absolutely delicious. If you love mushrooms, you’ll be in Heaven–it’s absolutely chock full of them. The small amount of tomato juice gives the soup the most delicate tangy undertone, and the Parmesan injects a whole lot of flavor. I think using cream as the recipe states would be extra delicious, but honestly, it was perfectly good with half-and-half. Also note that depending on the appetites of those eating, this recipe makes 2 to 4 servings. If you’re cooking for four really hungry people, you might want to double the recipe. Leftovers are never a bad thing!

Thank you, aliciamosby, for sharing such a yummy recipe.

The Mushroom Soup by aliciamosby – Printable Recipe