I didn’t totally expect this recipe to turn out. Not all of them do (Grandma’s Berry Pudding, just nope). I was running late making dinner. I forgot that wild rice takes such a long time to cook. It was almost 7 pm and I told my husband we had probably 15 minutes left and both of the kids were over tired and cranky. The 3 year old had hit my husband in the head with Buzz Lightyear (an accident, he says). The soup wasn’t thickening like I wanted, the dog threw up on the carpet, and the baby wouldn’t stop fussing. Ya know, a generally normal evening.
But before Buzz hit the fan, I had just started sauteing celery, onions, carrots and mushrooms and my husband commented “Wow, that smells great already”, to which I replied “Haha, it’s just the mushrooms!”. Funny thing is though, I never liked mushrooms before becoming a vegetarian. In fact, I don’t know that I had even eaten any mushrooms before becoming a vegetarian. Excluding Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup because I don’t think that counts. However, I now see the appeal. They have an amazing amount of flavor in a small little package. If you are unsure about mushrooms or mushroom types, there’s a wonder Mushrooms 101 article on Clean & Delicious’s website.
This soup is no exception. I actually totally forgot to season it or add any spices and it turned out great. They would have been unnecessary steps and I’m all about shortening those.
Start by dicing celery, 1/2 an onion, 2 carrots, and 3 mushrooms (I used pretty big cremini mushrooms). Saute these with a bit of oil and 1/2 tsp garlic for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add 8 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling add 1 cup of wild rice (I used Lundberg, it’s wonderful). Let this simmer for about 45 minutes.
Separately, combine 1/2 a cup of cold water and 2 tbsp of cornstarch to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the soup, while stirring, and allow to simmer for about 5-10 more minutes. Serve with a side of garlic bread and salad.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 celery stalks
- 1/2 an onion
- 2 carrots
- 3 medium mushrooms
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp corn starch
Instructions:
- Dice celery, 1/2 an onion, 2 carrots, and 3 mushrooms. Add these to a large soup pot and saute with a bit of oil and 1/2 tsp of garlic for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add 8 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 cup of wild rice. Allow this to simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Close to the end of the 45 minutes, combine 1/2 a cup of cold water with 2 tbsp cornstarch to create a slurry. While stirring, add the slurry to the soup. Allow this to continue simmering for about 5-10 minutes.
Mama Bear Feeds Family 