Cream of Mushroom Soup {Video}

This cream of mushroom soup is so rich, creamy, and satisfying that you wouldn’t believe it’s vegan. It features a secret ingredient my husband (Tanner) normally cannot stand, but he doesn’t even notice it in this recipe. A spoiler alert – the secret ingredient is the humble cauliflower.

Is there any food you hated as a child and never tried again as an adult? Perhaps you think you hate Brussels sprouts, but have you ever tried maple roasted Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts? Or what about kale in a smoothie? Chances are that you don’t like certain food because of the way it was prepared the first time you ate it. Nobody likes canned beets, or boiled-to-death cauliflower. The quality of ingredients plays a huge role in the overall flavor as well. Have you ever noticed that tomatoes from the grocery store taste nothing like the tomatoes you buy at farmer’s market?

To make matters even more complex, there’s also our natural aversion to foods that are new or different from what we’re expecting. This feeling of unfamiliarity makes us a little bit uncomfortable, which we interpret as a personal dislike. Recognizing this bias may help you overcome aversions to foods you think you don’t like.

So even if cauliflower and mushrooms aren’t your thing, try this recipe. Keep trying the food you currently don’t enjoy. Prepare it the way you like. Who knows, maybe you’ll find an appreciation for foods you hated as a child. As I already mentioned, Tanner hates cauliflower. And by hates, I mean hates. But his repeated exclamations of “this is so much better than the canned cream of mushroom soup” made me think twice about the foods we think we don’t like.

Tips for Making Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

Cauliflower gives this soup the perfect thick and creamy consistency without using any flour or starches. My favorite plant-based milk for this soup is almond milk, because it has such neutral flavor. Some people swear by coconut milk in this soup. However, every time I had tried it, I could taste the coconut, so I’m not a fan.

The wine is optional and in all honesty, I rarely ever use it because neither my husband or I drink. However, when my parents are visiting and open a bottle of wine, I always use the leftovers in my cooking. The white wine adds a luxe floral note, thyme compliments the woodsy earthiness of the mushrooms, and fresh parsley finishes the soup with bright green herbal flavor.

Technique

Roasting cauliflower in the oven, rather than boiling it with the vegetable broth and almond milk, keeps it from tasting cabbage-y. Once pureed super smooth, it adds an unbelievably silky texture that you’d truly never guess didn’t come from cream thickened with a roux. Some of the mushrooms are pureed too, but I like to reserve a few mushrooms to get some meaty bites of them every so often.

You can use an immersion blender or a standing blender to puree the soup, but I will say that a standing blender seems to get the soup just a bit smoother and silkier.

Tools You’ll Need

1. Blender (Vitamix 5200) | 2. Cookware Set (Calphalon, Stainless Steel) | 3. Knife Set (6 Pieces, Utopia, Stainless Steel) | 4. Cutting Board (24″x 18″, Michigan Maple Block, Maple) | 5. Measuring Cup (1 Cup, Pyrex, Glass) | 6. Measuring Cups (Set of 6, Stainless Steel) | 7. Measuring Spoons (Set of 6, 1Easylife, Stainless Steel)

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Cream of Mushroom Soup

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

Cream of mushroom soup that is so creamy, rich, and satisfying that you would never guess is vegan, starch-free, and nut-free. It's one of those amazing meals that exploits all of the comforting elements of food.

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk*
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• sea salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Cut cauliflower into florets. Place the cauliflower, almond milk, and vegetable broth into a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until tender. Then, puree using an immersion blender or blender.

2. Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add diced onions and minced garlic and saute for 5-8 minutes, until translucent and fragrant.

3. Add chopped mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper, and saute for about 10-15 minutes, until all the juices have almost evaporated. Add wine and deglaze pot, scraping any browned bits off the bottom.
4. Add pureed cauliflower mixture to sauteed mushrooms. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened. Add more stock if soup is too thick for your liking.

5. Store leftover soup covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
   For longer term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The easiest way to reheat frozen soup is to remove it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator 24 hours before reheating to thaw slightly. Reheat on a stovetop, adding extra 1/4 cup (60 ml) water/broth at a time if too thick.

Recipe Notes

*Substitute the almond milk for any other plant-based milk if nut-free.