I had lots of mushrooms, and the best way to use them up quickly before they go brown & slimey is to make a soup! It’s getting a bit chilly here as the Fall weather comes, so a warm bowl of nourishing soup is perfect!

One of the great things about cooking with mushrooms is that they are packed with umami flavours due to their free amino acid content. When used in cooking, these natural flavour enhancers also help to reduce the need to add lots of salts. Check out my last post on the gut health properties of culinary & medicinal mushrooms.

Recipe makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or dairy-free butter
• 2 inches Leek or a small yellow onion, minced
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 lb (454g) Mushrooms, sliced (I used a mix of cremini, oyster, and button mushrooms)
• 1 tbsp Gluten-free flour
• 1 carton (900ml) Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 cup Cashew cream or other dairy alternatives (high-fat ones are preferred to have a thicker consistency)
• 3 sprigs of Fresh thyme (about 1.5 tsp of the leaves) or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Optional for garnish: sliced mushrooms and leek, sauted

Methods:

1. Preheat a medium soup pot with oil over medium-high heat. Add minced leek (or onion) and garlic and saute until lightly browned.
2. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until softened, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add gluten-free flour, stirring constantly for 2 minutes to cook the flour and avoid clumping
4. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil then reduce heat to let simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the pot from heat.
5. Use a high-speed immersion blender to puree the soup.
6. Add the cashew cream or dairy alternatives. If a thicker consistency is desired, put the pot back to the stove and simmer to reduce until the desired thickness.
7. Finish with salt, pepper & thyme. (Note: mushrooms are packed with flavours and you may need less salt than you would typically add to other soups!)
8. Optional: saute sliced mushrooms and leek with oil, salt & pepper to garnish the soup.