Mushroom Soup

Mushroom Soup

Mushroom soup and mushrooms of any kind have been a mainstay at my house for as long as I can remember. I’m guessing it was my Polish grandmother’s love for mushrooms as the reason for their frequent appearance at meals when I was a kid, especially during the holidays. Poles love their mushrooms!

Spending Thanksgiving weekend with my extended family (30 of my closest relatives), one of the highlights of the weekend was this Mushroom Soup.

Why it’s so good

Loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber,this recipe for Mushroom Soup is not only delicious but full of mushroom’s healing power. And before I forget to mention, the soup is also vegan.

And the miso broth gives the soup just the right amount of umami.

But to give you the heads up, this recipe does take quite a few ingredients, some are pricey (the powdered mushrooms), and it takes a lot of chopping to make this soup. I tried to shortcut some of the process with a food processor, but the mushrooms turned to mush with just a few pulses. So for mushroom lovers such as me, the chopping is so worth it!

I use a variety of fresh mushrooms in this mushroom soup, but it’s is also jam packed with powdered mushrooms (more on that later).

Reasons to LOVE mushrooms

Mushrooms are not only delicious, they also have so much healing power.

Here’s a list of a few things mushrooms can do for you

• Mushrooms can protect your aging brain
• Mushrooms may be a memory booster
• Mushrooms may help keep you young
• Mushrooms may fight off cancer cells
• Mushrooms may boost your memory
• Mushrooms can keep your heart healthy

And different types of mushrooms are believed to aid your body in different ways.

• Shiitake mushrooms may help the liver remove bad cholesterol from your body.
• Button mushrooms and crimini (baby portobellos) are high in vitamin D. Criminis are also high in vitamin B12
• Reishi mushrooms are believed to lower inflammation and may reduce the growth of cancerous tumors.
• Chaga mushrooms may lower blood sugar and acts as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. They may also inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells.
• Cordyceps mushrooms are believed to increase energy.  So athletes may benefit from eating this mushroom. They also can help decrease asthma symptoms, diabetes and cancer.

How to Buy Medicinal Mushrooms

Because I live in a rural community, finding a variety of fresh mushrooms other than button and portobello (crimini), is pretty much impossible. Ditto for the mushroom powders.

Since this recipe is super flexible, I just replace the mushrooms I can’t find  ( fresh maitake and shiitake mushrooms) with those I can find (baby portobellos and basic button mushrooms).

Just be sure you keep the total fresh mushroom quantity the same–a total of 22 ounces of fresh mushrooms (about 1 1/2 pounds)

As for the mushroom powder, I rely on the powdered versions I can buy online at Om Mushrooms.

Buying the individual powders can get pricey, so using the Om Immune Broad Spectrum Defense powder can work. Just use 3 teaspoons total of this mushroom powder mix in place of each individual powder.

How to Make Mushroom Soup

• Combine the miso broth, cashews, and all of the mushroom powders in a blender. Blend until mixture is smooth.
• Here’s the link for Miso Broth.
• In a stock pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.
• Add the chopped shallot and garlic. Saute until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes or so.
• Add all the chopped mushrooms, thyme, and 1/4 cup of the blended broth.
• Cook until the mushrooms have softened, stirring occasionally, about 10-15 minutes.
• Add the remaining broth mixture.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.
• Bring soup mixture to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low.
• Cook soup, uncovered, for another 20 minutes or until mushrooms have completely softened.
• Pour half of the soup into a blender. Blend until mixture is smooth. (see blending info in notes below)
• Add the remaining soup to the blender.

• Blend just for a couple of seconds to mix. You want to leave some of the mushrooms chunky.
• For extra flavor, I stir in extra miso paste (stirring in 1 teaspoon at a time) into the warm finished soup.
• If I feel it needs more, I add in a little more at a time.
• Additionally seasonings can also be added, if desired. You can also top off the bowl of soup with a little chopped parsley.

NOTES:  To blend hot liquid, fill the blender less than halfway with hot liquid. Remove the blender lid’s plastic or glass center insert. Hold a kitchen towel over the top of the lid and then blend the mixture. This will prevent hot liquid explosions. Keeping you safe!

Other Soup Recipes

Miso Broth

Easy Tortellini Soup

Moroccan-Style Soup

White Bean Chicken Chili

Just-Add-Beer Chili Con Carne

Print Recipe

Mushroom Soup

Author: Anita's Table Talk

Ingredients

• 4½ cups Miso Broth
• ¼ cup raw cashews
• 1 teaspoon Cordyceps mushroom powder
• 1 teaspoon Chaga mushroom powder
• 1 teaspoon Reishi mushroom powder
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallot
• 1-2 cloves garlic minced
• 8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms chopped
• 8 ounces  shiitake mushrooms chopped
• 6 ounces maitake mushrooms or baby portobellos, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
• extra miso to taste (stir in by the teaspoon)
• chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

• COMBINE miso broth, cashews, and all of the mushroom powders in a blender. BLEND until smooth.
• In a stock pot, HEAT coconut oil over medium heat. ADD the chopped shallot and garlic and COOK until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes or so.
• ADD all the chopped mushrooms, thyme, and 1/4 cup of the blended broth to the soup pot. COOK until the mushrooms have softened, stirring occasionally, about 10-15 minutes.
• ADD the remaining broth mixture.
• ADD 1/2 teaspoon salt and a 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. BRING to a boil. REDUCE the heat to a low. COOK mixture, uncovered, for another 20 minutes or until mushrooms have completely softened.
• POUR half of the soup into a blender. BLEND until mixture is smooth.
• ADD the remaining soup to the blender. BLEND just for a couple of seconds to mix. Leave some of the mushrooms chunky.
• ADJUST seasonings to taste. I usually stir in a little extra miso, 1 teaspoon at a time. I also garnish each bowl with a little chopped flat leaf parsley.

Notes

For extra flavor, I stir in extra miso paste (stirring in 1 teaspoon at a time) into the warm finished soup.

If I feel it needs more, I slowly add more.

Additionally seasonings can also be added, if desired.

NOTES:  To blend hot liquid: Fill the blender less than halfway with hot liquid. Remove the blender lid's plastic or glass center insert. Hold a kitchen towel over the top of the lid and then blend the mixture. this will prevent hot liquid explosions.