Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup is normally a winter soup for me, but since I didn’t share it this winter and we need it to make the Green Bean Casserole for our Midwestern Potluck, I’m sharing it now. The truth is, I don’t know why I think of it as such a distinctly Winter item; it’s certainly delicious year ’round. I love to use lots of mushroom varieties for a dynamic flavor, but any will do the trick if you don’t have access to lots of variety. There’s nothing wrong with plain old button mushrooms. In this version of my Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup, I used oyster, shitake, portabella, and button mushrooms. If you want, you can saute some extra mushrooms and reserve them as a garnish of sorts. Some Hen of the Woods mushrooms would be very dramatic. Aside from the mushrooms, the flavor base comes from all sorts of savory ingredients. Lots of sauteed onions and chili flakes give it depth of flavor. The white wine adds acidity to balance the salt and milk. The fresh herbs and bay leaves add brightness and earthiness and the milk and flour form the creamy base. You can add some cooked wild rice to the Homemade Cream of Mushroom soup leftovers for an easy weeknight meal, or you can enjoy it as is. Either way, the multitude of mushrooms really makes this version of Homemade Cream of Mushroom soup special. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating, variety is the spice of life, especially when you’re talking Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup and mushrooms.
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 pound total mushrooms, but use as many varieties as you can find; diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (I often add more because I like it spicy)
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 3 bay leaves
- 2+ tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Saute the onions in the butter and olive oil until translucent.
- Add the mushrooms, red pepper flakes and bay leaves and cook until the mushrooms are soft and the pan is dry.
- Add the salt and stir for a minute or two.
- Add the white wine. Cook until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the flour. Cook until it’s well incorporated.
- Add the milk. Allow the soup to thicken.
- Add the fresh parsley.
- For the purposes of making Green Bean Casserole, leave thick. But add more milk to achieve desired texture if you’re eating it as soup.
My absolute favorite! Can’t wait to try it out.