Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup

One of my favorite soups growing up was Cream of Mushroom. It most often came from a can and was heated on the stove with milk but it was still my favorite. This version is grown up, super creamy and full of umami flavors from the Mushroom Powder and Miso Paste. This has all of the nostalgia and ease to make of the canned variety and the bonus is that it doesn’t fall out of the can in one mushy clump!

I’ve recently revamped this recipe to be extra creamy. It uses a roux made with flour but can be omitted if you are gluten free. In contrast if you are nut free then skip the cashews and just use the roux and plant milk.

Serves 4

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Ingredients

1 lb (454 g) of Baby Bella Mushrooms sliced (You can also use White)

1 cup of (140 g) Raw Cashews (I use Terrasoul brand)

1 small (about 170 g) Onion chopped

3 cloves of Garlic minced

3 stalks Celery chopped

1/4 (57 g) cup Vegan Butter

1/4 cup (34 g) Flour

1 1/2 tsp (7.5 g) of Thyme

1 Tbsp (15 g) Miso Paste

2 tsp (10 g) of Mushroom Powder ( you can buy this but I make my own by grinding dried shiitake mushrooms into a fine powder)

2 Tbsp (30 g) Nutritional Yeast

4 cups (946 ml) Vegetable Broth ( I use Better than Bouillon base mixed with water)

1/2 - 3/4 cup (118 ml - 177 ml) Unsweetened Plant Milk ( I like Oat for its creaminess)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh Parsley chopped to garnish

Note: If you prefer a thinner soup, add 1/2 more plant milk at a time until desired consistency.

Directions

1. Soak the cashews in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse and set aside.

2. Melt the butter on med high heat and sauté the onion and celery for 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add in the garlic and thyme and continuing cooking for another 3 minutes.

3. Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook until they become soft and take on a brownish color. Add in the Sherry if using and cook for a minute or two to cook out the alcohol.

4. Add in the flour and mix well. Cook for a minute or two while mixing to cook out the raw flour taste.

5. Add the miso paste to the vegetable broth and mix well. Begin to add the broth about a cup at a time to the mushroom mixture. Stir and repeat until all of the broth has been added. Allow the mixture to come to a soft boil then lower the heat to simmer while you make the cashew cream.

7. Make the cashew cream by blending the soaked cashews along with the nutritional yeast, mushroom powder and 1/2 cup of plant milk. Blend until super creamy and smooth. Add more milk a little at a time if needed. The cream should be very thick but still pourable.

8. Add the cashew cream to the soup and mix well untill completely incorporated. Season with salt & pepper to taste and heat through on med-low. Serve with a chopped fresh parsley.