*photos updated December 2011*

Inspiration: It was another week, and B and I needed another soup to take to work for lunches!

What we Loved: The flavor of this soup was really fantastic. It was rich and earthy, full of the herby flavors of thyme and rosemary and the great earthiness of mushrooms. I really can’t think of a better word than earthy to describe this meal. And being finished with cream, I found this soup to be very filling, too! I could barely finish my lunch servings. I’ve really grown to love mushrooms over the past few years, and B has always loved them, so we both quite enjoyed the rich mushroom flavor that this soup had to offer.

Helpful Hints: Since mushrooms are the predominant ingredient in this soup, I wouldn’t give it a try unless you’re sure that you love them! It’s a mushroom meal through and through. That being said, if you do like mushrooms, then I can almost guarantee that you’ll love this soup! I used thyme and rosemary as my complimenting herbs, but the original recipe called for thyme and sage. Oregano or tarragon would also work well, I think, if you prefer those herbs. The soup will have a little bit of a different spin depending on which herbs you use, but the mushrooms are really the main flavor, so there’s some room to experiment.

Creamy Mushroom Soup
Source: Closet Cooking

I was trying to stretch the recipe, so I used more mushrooms than called for. I also changed the herbs and decided not to roast the mushrooms to save some time. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

Extra virgin olive oil
24 oz baby portabella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups stock (I used chicken, but use vegetable to keep this recipe vegetarian)
1 cup heavy cream

1. Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspooon of the thyme, and salt and pepper. Saute until the water released from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms begin to brown, approximately 15-20 minutes.

2. While the mushrooms are cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion, and cook until softened, approximately 4-5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, additional teaspoon of thyme, and rosemary to the pot with the onions. Cook for an additional minute.

4. Add the mushrooms and the stock, and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or a food processor.

6. Mix in the heavy cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  I ended up adding about a teaspoon of salt in total, but make sure to add the salt slowly and adjust to your preference.