Wildly Different

It’s always nice to experiment with different ingredients and flavors in a dish, and I don’t see wild rice being utilized that often so I wanted to feature it in this soup. It’s firmer than your average white rice and accordingly takes longer to cook. It retains rice’s ability to absorb flavor, but adds it’s own earthy lightly buttery flavor to everything it touches. It’s very chewy and even when fully cooked it’s more akin to the texture of an al dente risotto type of rice than the soft white rice you have become accustomed to.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are great, and there are plenty of different types you could add in to this recipe that would work! I opted for some typical brown Crimini mushrooms, but Portabello, Shiitake, or even some King Oyster Mushrooms would be right at home in the wild rice soup. Just make sure you take into account how fast your mushrooms could break down as they cook. The Criminis I used can cook for a long time without becoming pure mush, but Enoki mushrooms wouldn’t last the same amount of time. If you do want to use a less firm mushroom you could still do it by tossing it in right at the end.

Soup Consistency

This soup by nature of having all that starchy black rice in it is pretty thick, but you have some control over how thick. If you’re looking for a thinner broth then add more water and vegetable stock to start. Omit the blending of the ingredients near the end and finish the dish as normal. If you’re lactose intolerant you could leave the cheese and milk out as well which would make a thinner consistency. You may want to add a little more salt or perhaps some brewers yeast if you’re going that route though.

Variations

There’s plenty of other ways to tweak the dish to your taste. I added in some turkey I’d cooked earlier for a little extra protein. It’s a pretty starchy soup already, but a little bread to soak it all up goes real well. Also final little mention, but the amount in the recipe I made is quite generous. It filled the entire pot I was cooking it in for awhile until it cooked down some. You could do 2/3rds or 1/2 of the recipe and still have leftovers. I happened to have guests coming over when I made it this way so be warned!

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

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Recipe by Zach Wood Course: Recipe, Main, Lunch, Dinner, Soups, VegetarianCuisine: American

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• Primary Ingredients

• 2 2 White Onions

• 4 4 Celery Ribs

• 5 5 Carrots

• 24 Ounces 24 Crimini or Bella Mushrooms

• 6 6 Garlic Cloves

• 12 Cups 12 Vegetable Stock

• 3 Tablespoons 3 Olive Oil

• 4 Tablespoons 4 Butter

• 2 teaspoons 2 Garlic Powder

• 1-1/2-2 Cups 1-1/2-2 Wild Rice

• 2 Tablespoons 2 each of Thyme, Dried Dill, Dried Oregano

• 2 teaspoons 2 Salt

• 2 teaspoons 2 Black Pepper

• 1 Cup 1 Milk

• 1 Cup 1 Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese plus extra to serve

• 1 Tablespoon 1 Soy Sauce

• Toppings and Add Ons

• Turkey

• Chicken

• Green Onions

• Sourdough Bread

Directions

• Wash and Dice All Vegetables and set aside
• Add Butter and Olive Oil to a pot on medium-high heat until melted and shimmering
• Add in Onion, Carrots, and Celery together to the pot and cook for 5-6 minutes stirring often
• Add in Mushrooms and Smashed Garlic to pot mixing it all together
• Begin to add in Garlic Powder, Thyme, Oregano, Salt, and Pepper and stir together, cook for another few minutes
• Add in Wild Rice and Vegetable Stock and bring heat to a simmer for an hour (You will know it’s done when you taste the soup and the black rice is al dente, but not too firm)
• Stir in Milk and Parmesan then take 2 cups of the soup to blend and add back into the pot with the Soy Sauce
• Make sure you’re happy with the seasoning and consistency of the soup then serve with your desired toppings or as is!

Recipe Video

Notes

• Add in a bit more or a bit less wild rice to help make your soup more or less thick in consistency
• Make sure to follow along with our youtube video to see exactly how I make it Wild Rice Soup