This creamy mushroom medley soup is made with an assortment of portobellos, cremini, and shiitake mushrooms. While the soup texture screams creamy due to the addition of chickpeas, you will not miss a ton of butter or cream used in the traditional cream of mushroom soup.
1white onion (~1 cup chopped, can sub with any other vareity of onion)
1clovegarlic(finely minced)
1/2tspsalt(Himalayan Pink Salt used in this recipe, no more than 3/4 tsp)
2tbspwater(as needed)
1stalkcelery(finely chopped)
3portobello mushrooms (~9 oz, de-stemmed, wiped clean with a paper towel and roughly chopped)
8cremini mushrooms (~4 oz, de-stemmed, wiped clean and roughly chopped)
8shiitake mushrooms (~4 oz, de-stemmed, wiped clean and roughly chopped)
1/3cupchick peas(or sub with equal amount navy or cannellini beans)
2tbspalmonds (soaked at least for 3 hours and peeled, optional)
2tspfresh thyme (~ 2 sprigs, or sub with 1/2 tsp dry)
1tbspnutritional yeast
2pinchesfreshly ground black pepper
2tsplow-sodium tamari(or use low-sodium soy sauce)
2.5cupshomemade vegetable broth(or sub with equal amount store-bought low-sodium broth)
2tbsppumpkin seeds (lightly toasted, for garnish, can sub with slivered, lightly toasted almonds)
Instructions
Start out by wiping the mushrooms clean with a wet, clean cloth or paper towel. Cut the stems off and save for later to add to vegetable broth.
Heat the oil in a medium heavy-bottom soup pot. Add onions and garlic and 1/4 tsp of salt and let it cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. If onions start to dry out, add one tbsp of water and keep stirring. Once onions are semi cooked and translucent, add celery and cook for another 4-5 minutes. If the veggies start to dry out, add another tbsp of water.
Once the celery is soft, add the medley of mushrooms with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes, until mushrooms have lost some volume and moisture. Add chick peas, peeled almonds (if using), nutritional yeast, tamari (or soy sauce), and fresh thyme (or dry). Give the whole veggie, bean, nut, and flavoring ingredients a stir or two. Add the vegetable broth and bring the soup to a gentle boil over medium heat (~10 minutes). To expedite the process, partially cover the pot with a lid.
Once the soup has come to a gentle boil, bring the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Take the pot off the stove and let the soup cool to room temperature.
Use a blender to blend until you get a creamy soup (~60-90 seconds). Garnish with lightly toasted pumpkin seeds (or almonds). Enjoy!
Notes
*if avoiding oil use ditch-the-oil cooking method. I have made this soup with both oil and with ditch-the-oil cooking method. It doesn't have any bearing on the final taste of this soup. If you are avoiding salt and fat--use 1/4 tsp salt and garnish with some roasted mushrooms.