The best ‘Cream of Mushroom’ soup!
Learn to make the best Cream of Mushroom soup at home. I know, how can any dish be labeled “the best” when taste is subjective? I stand by my soup as being absolutely incredible! You get the earthy taste of mushrooms without biting into large chunks of mushrooms, it is comforting, heavenly, creamy, and just packed with umami flavour!
To get that full robust flavour in the soup, I used both dried and fresh mushrooms, plus some of the reserved liquid from the rehydrated mushrooms. The consistency is creamy but still thin enough to be able to slurp away easily in a cup or bowl. The homemade croutons are lightly dusted with the dried mushroom powder to bring out the umami flavour in the soup. Chicken Velouté, which is essentially a roux of butter and flour, mixed in with chicken stock; creates a velvety sauce that gets mixed into the soup to add to the creamy texture and flavour. Then, whipping cream is mixed in before serving to provide that extra creamy taste.
I hope this soup will become your family favourite, as it is one of ours!
Cream of Mushroom Soup Preparation
Where did I get my inspiration for the mushroom soup recipe?
Most of my recipes are Cantonese or Asian-inspired, but I do enjoy cooking other ethnic cuisines. More than 5 years ago, I took Culinary Arts classes at George Brown College in Toronto, where I learned many French recipes and techniques. During class, we made a version of ‘Cream of Mushroom’ soup with lots of fresh mushrooms. My culinary class version inspired me to create my own version that I am super proud of. Aside from Campbell’s ‘Cream of Mushroom’ soup, I have had a fair share of mushroom soup at Toronto restaurants. My tastings plus my class gave me a comparison point and inspiration in creating this recipe.
I have created a similar version for Mushroom’s Canada (recipe here) back in 2017 and have made a few changes to the ingredients and techniques since.
Easy to make homemade croutons!
The croutons are easy to make using white sliced bread, and the dust is created by blending dried mushrooms. The mushroom dust is not only perfect for the croutons, but is a wonderful seasoning for steaks, soups, avocado toast, popcorn and other dishes that can use a flavour boost.
Mushroom Dusted Croutons
Making it your own!
For the dried mushrooms, I used a mix that I bought from Costco that includes yellow boletes, porcini, oysters, and portobello mushrooms. Feel free to change up the mushroom variety that is listed in my recipe but do use a combination of dried and fresh. The use of vegetarian stock is also a great option instead of chicken stock, and change up the bread type for the croutons based on your preference.
Happy cooking and eating!
Recipe
Cream of mushroom soup with mushroom dusted croutons
Ingredients
- 680 g white mushrooms, stems removed, rough chop (About 25 mushrooms)
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 80 g dried mushrooms (About 3 cups dried)
- 4 cups water to rehydrate the dried mushrooms, reserve 2 cups of the mushroom liquid
- Salt and pepper, to season
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 5 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup 35% whipping cream
- Canola oil for cooking, or oil of choice
- 1 tbsp dried thyme leaves, or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
Chicken Velouté
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
Croutons
- 4 slices white or whole wheat bread, cut into 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm cubes (or desired size)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- salt, to season
- 20 g dried mushrooms (1/2 cup of dried mushrooms)
Instructions
Preparation work
Clean and remove the stems for the fresh mushrooms. Do a rough chop and set aside. Mince the shallot and garlic and set aside.
In a large bowl, add the dried mushrooms and the water to cover the mushrooms. Add a dish on the mushrooms to keep the mushrooms submerged. Soak for an hour or until the mushrooms are completely rehydrated. Once hydrated, squeeze as much liquid from the mushrooms and set the mushrooms aside. Pour the mushroom liquid through a sieve to catch any sediments and reserve 2 cups of the liquid for the soup.
Make the croutons
Using a food processor, pulse the dried mushrooms until it turns into dust. Add to a bowl.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the crust off the bread and cut the bread into cubes. Place the bread pieces onto a baking tray and drizzle extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Add the croutons to a bowl.
Sprinkle the desired amount of mushroom dust on the croutons.
Get the soup started
In a large pot, heat up the pot, and add butter and oil. Saute the shallots, followed by the garlic until softened. Add more oil and add both the fresh and rehydrated mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn up the heat and add in the red wine to deglaze the pot. Add in the mushroom liquid, lower the heat and let the mushroom mixture simmer for about 5-10 minutes while you make the chicken velouté.
Chicken Velouté
In a separate pot, turn the heat on medium and add equal amounts of butter and flour to make a roux. Mix well until it forms a paste. Add in 2 cups of chicken stock, turn up the heat and stir. The sauce will become creamy, similar to a béchamel sauce. Once thickened, turn off the heat.
Add the remaining ingredients
Add the chicken velouté into the mushroom mixture. Add in the remaining chicken stock and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Blend the soup into the desired consistency.
Add the whipping cream and mix with a large spoon. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the croutons. Add more mushroom dust on the soup or on the croutons as desired.
Recipe Notes
Note: Feel free to also bake the bread crust to make croutons or grind into bread crumbs.
Also, check out my recipe for Pantry Easy Cream of Mushroom Soup!
Cream of Mushroom Soup by Mary’s Happy Belly
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Cream of Mushroom Soup Pinterest
Cream of Mushroom Soup Pinterest
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