Made with a combination of mushrooms, low-sodium vegetable broth, potato and a splash of light coconut milk, this recipe offers a healthy, vegan-friendly take on cream of mushroom soup.
Last week we returned from Sydney to a rather cold and wet San Francisco. Going from the peak of summer to the depths of winter has always been a tough transition for me. I flourish in warm weather and find that colder temperatures stifle for my ‘outdoor cat’ lifestyle. (I am still not sure how I survived 7.5 years in Boston. I’ve largely blocked it out but I think spaghetti bolognese and hot chocolate helped.).
Alas, I’ve been souping hardcore for the last 7 days to remedy the perma-gray, chilly weather. My go-to soups are usually chicken noodle/rice, some kind of tomato-veggie combo and chicken tortilla. However, recently I’ve been getting into others to add a bit more variety to our weekly menu.
This vegan cream of mushroom soup is one of those. When I was researching how to make cream of mushroom soup, I noticed that most of the recipes called for a large amount of heavy cream, and a big dollop of butter. I felt confident that I could come up with a recipe that relied less on animal fat and celebrated the flavor of the humble, umami-laced mushroom. And this recipe does exactly that.
Cream of Mushroom Soup: Healthy Modifications
I used a small amount of light coconut milk in place of heavy cream and butter to make this mushroom soup recipe divinely creamy while cutting down on saturated fat. Although saturated fat is more nuanced than we once thought, a diet rich in saturated fat has been linked with inflammation and high cholesterol.
Furthermore, I used low sodium vegetable broth and add salt from there to help keep the sodium around 500-600mg per serving. Regular broth is a hidden source of sodium and using it as a primary ingredient can lead to surprisingly salty homemade soups.
Health Benefits of Mushrooms
Mushrooms offer 12 different vitamins and minerals including:
- B-vitamins: Essential for metabolism and energy production, supports DNA synthesis and cell division.
- Potassium: Assists with blood pressure regulation, important for nerve and muscle function.
- Copper: Co-factor for energy production, neurotransmitter synthesis, iron metabolism, and connective tissue synthesis. Also important for immune function
- Selenium: An antioxidant, important for reproduction, DNA synthesis, and immune function.
They’re a source of beta-glucan, which appears to assist with blood glucose regulation and support immune function.
Finally, they’re highly versatile and can make meat go further because of their ‘meaty’ texture. Chopped mushrooms can be added to burgers, meatballs, and bolognese to impart moisture and reduce the total Calorie intake per serving.
If you’re struggling through the cold at the moment (like me), warm up with a bowl of this nourishing, healthy cream of mushroom soup.
Healthy, Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 large servings 1x
- Category: appetizer, main, lunch, dinner, soup, one-pot, easy, vegan, vegetarian,
Description
Made with a combination of white mushrooms, baby bellas, low-sodium vegetable stock, potato and a splash of light coconut milk, this recipe offers a healthy, vegan-friendly take on cream of mushroom soup.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 white onion (~1/2 cup)
- 1 cup baby bella mushroom (~4 mushrooms)
- 1 cup white mushrooms (~4 mushrooms)
- 1 russet potato (~2 cups)
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Optional: 2 slices of day-old bread
Instructions
- Crush the garlic and finely dice the onion.
- Finely slice the mushrooms. Peel and cube the russet potato.
- Finely chop the thyme.
- Add the olive oil, crushed garlic, and onion to a large pot. Place on the stove and cook over medium heat until soft and translucent.
- Add the cubed potato and fresh thyme to the pot. Brown for a minute or so, then add the baby bella and white mushrooms.
- Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms soften.
- Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, and salt to the pot. Bring to the boil, and then reduce to medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly, then pour the soup into the blender container. Note: If you prefer a chunky soup you can stop here and skip the blending. Blend on high until silky smooth.
- Pour the soup into serving bowls. Optional: Toast the bread until golden and then tear over the soup for a crunchy element.
Notes
Baby bellas can be swapped for cremini mushrooms or white mushrooms.
Yellow or red onion can be used in place of white onion.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 296
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 663.6 mg
- Fat: 19.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.2 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 9.2 g
Hungry for more? Check out my recipe page here.
